In the catalog of fads embraced by the CGGC in the last generation please remember Paradigm Change.
Paradigm change is a bandwagon mountaintoppers jumped on during the failed, no disastrous, MORE AND BETTER DISCIPLES: 35,000 in Worship by 2000 campaign.
The truth is, however, that that campaign was not really paradigm change. It was really nothing more than a desperate attempt to tweak Shepherd Mafia flockism. And, it failed.
As far as I can tell, for the last 80 years, the CGGC has been mired in Shepherd Mafia flockism which vests so-called leadership in the parish priest and an increasingly large and authoritative institutional hierarchy.
And, that entire period has been a time of spiritual and, in time, numerical decline.
Let me be clear about something I have said on this blog many times, which few CGGCers, if any, seem to believe:
I love the people who are on the top of the CGGC mountain.
While it's true that I regularly point out the continuing decline of the CGGC and place blame for it on the mountaintoppers, I do love all of the mountaintoppers I know personally and am anxious to find a reason to enthusiastically support them.
I am convinced that they need to throw out the failed paradigm and do it no matter what the cost may be to each of them personally.
It is the paradigm that is killing the CGGC. Our real problem is a values problem. We need to repent of the values upon which Shepherd Mafia leadership is built.
We need to turn to Jesus and to build the CGGC part of His church on the foundation He created.
As I used to say on Brian Miller's blog, our problem is not micro. Part of this means that the problem is not with Lance and his staff and with the Regional E. Ds. and, if they have one, their staf. As I've been saying for years, ours is a macro problem. It is with the system, the structure.
It's true that the members of the hierarchies may lose their jobs if we turn to Jesus' values. But, I call on all of those people to be willing to decrease so that Jesus and His Kingdom and His church may increase.
On the level of values, we must repent.
Friday, December 30, 2016
Thursday, December 29, 2016
Oh Come Let Us Adore Him?
Lately, I have been disturbed, almost tortured, by the certain knowledge that people I know will be among the vast throngs who, on the Day, will hear Jesus say, "I never knew you. Away from me you evildoers."
This has been a concern for several years, as is evidenced by the fact that False, Flock-Based Righteousness is listed among my Sixteen Characteristics of the CGGC Brand. But, these days, I am feeling this concern with greater, well despair, than ever.
And, I believe that, because we just experienced the Christmas season, I am particularly aware of how crucial genuine righteousness is in the teachings and way of Jesus.
I work in a retail setting and I had contact with many hundreds of people as they were preparing for Christmas. And, I found myself being sensitive to what Christmas was meaning to them as that day approached.
For many, it's just Xmas with no Jesus. For others, though, Jesus is a part of it, or, at least, attending a church service is.
For many regular church people, Christmas is an end unto itself--celebrating the birth of Jesus is the highlight of the spiritual year and, for many church people, it is an act of righteousness in itself.
Yet, I see nothing in what Jesus taught or did to justify that way of living. And, I fear for the souls of the so-called followers of Jesus who practice that sort of piety.
---------------
Jesus was very clear about the content of the faith that will qualify a man or a woman to be invited into the Kingdom prepared for them since the creation of the world.
It is a life of obedience to Him and of servanthood of the least among us, it's a life of mercy, of grace and love of the Lord with all of one's self and of neighbor as self.
It is a faith that produces fruit in self-sacrifice.
Celebrating the nativity may or may not be a part of that life but, if it is a part of that life, it can only be a small part of it.
---------------
However, for most of the people I observe who really groove on Christmas, Christmas is the big act of service and Jesus is a baby to be cuddled and adored, not the Living Word and Suffering Servant who came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.
This Christmas thing is a dangerous thing.
I fear for the souls of the people who groove on it.
This has been a concern for several years, as is evidenced by the fact that False, Flock-Based Righteousness is listed among my Sixteen Characteristics of the CGGC Brand. But, these days, I am feeling this concern with greater, well despair, than ever.
And, I believe that, because we just experienced the Christmas season, I am particularly aware of how crucial genuine righteousness is in the teachings and way of Jesus.
I work in a retail setting and I had contact with many hundreds of people as they were preparing for Christmas. And, I found myself being sensitive to what Christmas was meaning to them as that day approached.
For many, it's just Xmas with no Jesus. For others, though, Jesus is a part of it, or, at least, attending a church service is.
For many regular church people, Christmas is an end unto itself--celebrating the birth of Jesus is the highlight of the spiritual year and, for many church people, it is an act of righteousness in itself.
Yet, I see nothing in what Jesus taught or did to justify that way of living. And, I fear for the souls of the so-called followers of Jesus who practice that sort of piety.
---------------
Jesus was very clear about the content of the faith that will qualify a man or a woman to be invited into the Kingdom prepared for them since the creation of the world.
It is a life of obedience to Him and of servanthood of the least among us, it's a life of mercy, of grace and love of the Lord with all of one's self and of neighbor as self.
It is a faith that produces fruit in self-sacrifice.
Celebrating the nativity may or may not be a part of that life but, if it is a part of that life, it can only be a small part of it.
---------------
However, for most of the people I observe who really groove on Christmas, Christmas is the big act of service and Jesus is a baby to be cuddled and adored, not the Living Word and Suffering Servant who came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.
This Christmas thing is a dangerous thing.
I fear for the souls of the people who groove on it.
Sunday, December 25, 2016
How to Deal with Christmas Tension
This Christmas thing, for Christians, is an exercise in dealing with intellectual conflict, expecially for "low church" Protestants, which the CGGC was when it grooved before it began to putrify.
The question is, what do you do with the tension between biblical truth that provides no authority for the celebration of the birth of Jesus as a Holy Day, the, originally Catholic, yearning to sacramentalize and liturgize the birth of the Messiah and focus it on the activity of the clergy inside a so-called sanctuary and Xmas as an excuse to engage in excessive materialism.
What many Christians do these days is, I think thoughtlessly, approach these options as if they are choices in a smorgasbord and gorge themselves with as much of what they want to consume as they can until they become ill.
Others attempt to be purists in one way or another.
During my CGGC parish priest days, we had a family leave the church because it displayed a Christmas tree because the tree is pagan fertility symbol. The people of the church just rolled their eyes in disdain, certainly not brotherly love. Their response was, essentially, that they wanted to have the tree. Period. The tree was pretty and, really, who gives a dern if it has no Christian meaning and even has, no pun intended, roots in pagan religion.
And, as I've detailed here, I attempt what I think is a more pure form of purism.
The people who left the church accepted Christmas as a Holy Day. They simply wanted to keep true to the biblical story.
I, in my mind, want to be truly pure. I want to truly be biblical. There was no celebration of the nativity among New Testament disciples. I see no reason to make a Holy Day out of it now. So, I don't.
We love Xmas. But, even then, we Jesusize it. We temper the materialism and almost all of it is devoted to giving to the least of these. (Evie and I had a budget of $10 in spending on each other. )
We met with family doing goofy, Sloat-humor things and eating favorite foods. And we experienced joy. I haven't laughed that hard since, well, last Xmas Eve! Today, we'll take leftovers to mom and dad and eat sandwiches and laugh again and wonder if this will be the last time.
We may pray this time, rejoicing in family, but in not Baby Jesus. And, we will laugh with Xmas joy.
---------------
The problem with the smorgasbord approch is that it is fuzzy, thoughtless and, in the end, worse than meaningless. It teaches nothing.
In fact, it confuses.
Repent.
The question is, what do you do with the tension between biblical truth that provides no authority for the celebration of the birth of Jesus as a Holy Day, the, originally Catholic, yearning to sacramentalize and liturgize the birth of the Messiah and focus it on the activity of the clergy inside a so-called sanctuary and Xmas as an excuse to engage in excessive materialism.
What many Christians do these days is, I think thoughtlessly, approach these options as if they are choices in a smorgasbord and gorge themselves with as much of what they want to consume as they can until they become ill.
Others attempt to be purists in one way or another.
During my CGGC parish priest days, we had a family leave the church because it displayed a Christmas tree because the tree is pagan fertility symbol. The people of the church just rolled their eyes in disdain, certainly not brotherly love. Their response was, essentially, that they wanted to have the tree. Period. The tree was pretty and, really, who gives a dern if it has no Christian meaning and even has, no pun intended, roots in pagan religion.
And, as I've detailed here, I attempt what I think is a more pure form of purism.
The people who left the church accepted Christmas as a Holy Day. They simply wanted to keep true to the biblical story.
I, in my mind, want to be truly pure. I want to truly be biblical. There was no celebration of the nativity among New Testament disciples. I see no reason to make a Holy Day out of it now. So, I don't.
We love Xmas. But, even then, we Jesusize it. We temper the materialism and almost all of it is devoted to giving to the least of these. (Evie and I had a budget of $10 in spending on each other. )
We met with family doing goofy, Sloat-humor things and eating favorite foods. And we experienced joy. I haven't laughed that hard since, well, last Xmas Eve! Today, we'll take leftovers to mom and dad and eat sandwiches and laugh again and wonder if this will be the last time.
We may pray this time, rejoicing in family, but in not Baby Jesus. And, we will laugh with Xmas joy.
---------------
The problem with the smorgasbord approch is that it is fuzzy, thoughtless and, in the end, worse than meaningless. It teaches nothing.
In fact, it confuses.
Repent.
As the Song Says...
"Santa Claus knows we're all God's children,
And, that makes everything right.
So, let's give thanks to the Lord above,
Cuz Santa Claus comes tonight."
Saturday, December 24, 2016
My 2016 Spiritual Assessment--A Third Prophetic Emotion
It has been my habit to use this time to year to assess where I am spiritually compared to a year ago. So, I just finished reading my end of the year assessment for 2015. It was interesting.
I wrote about my parents' mental decline, which continues. Last March, they were both formally diagnosed as having dementia, mom with Alzheimer's and dad with vascular dementia. Dad's is more advanced but less bothersome. Alzheimer's sucks. Yesterday, my brother was visiting mom and dad when Evie stopped in and dad said, "Well, Evelyn! Roger, do you know Evelyn?" He was stunned to hear that they've known each other since Roger was in Jr. Hi.
Also, last year, I was chagrined about the defrocking and the unspiritual way it was done. I pledged to resist it. This year, the unrighteousness of ERC leadership in that matter has reached depths that would have been beyond my imagination, even a year ago. I am attempting to address a particular grievous sin committed against me according to the teachings of Jesus. The person who, I believe, sinned against me is resisting the process. I am determined, however. And, in better days, Ed Rosenberry rightly noted that I am "relentless." This is not the time to be specific in a public way, but I ask for prayers for that other person and for me.
Last year, I also reflected on the emotional nature of my life pursuing my belief that I am gifted to be a prophet. I mentioned two emotions that manifested themselves immediately, i.e., anger and sorrow. In the past year, a third emotion has manifested itself powerfully: fear. Fear for the souls of the church people who miss Jesus in their devotion to the institutional church. I see so little of the life Jesus modeled and commanded in church people and, in particular, in some who see themselves as leaders of the church.
Finally, as I reflect on the state of my spiritual life at the end of 2016, I have to say that I am content, generally, with the state of my mission working at the store. I am now a front end manager and that position increases opportunities to be a presence for the Lord and the Gospel. I would never return to the role of parish priest in the CGGC or in any other setting but I groove on participating in the priesthood of all believers in a way I never enjoyed being a parish priest.
One other note: I have been blessed by the number of people from the CGGC who continue to reach out to me and offer fellowship to me. Most now respond to me as if I am a leper. I am blessed by the more than a few who continue to treat me as a brother.
I wrote about my parents' mental decline, which continues. Last March, they were both formally diagnosed as having dementia, mom with Alzheimer's and dad with vascular dementia. Dad's is more advanced but less bothersome. Alzheimer's sucks. Yesterday, my brother was visiting mom and dad when Evie stopped in and dad said, "Well, Evelyn! Roger, do you know Evelyn?" He was stunned to hear that they've known each other since Roger was in Jr. Hi.
Also, last year, I was chagrined about the defrocking and the unspiritual way it was done. I pledged to resist it. This year, the unrighteousness of ERC leadership in that matter has reached depths that would have been beyond my imagination, even a year ago. I am attempting to address a particular grievous sin committed against me according to the teachings of Jesus. The person who, I believe, sinned against me is resisting the process. I am determined, however. And, in better days, Ed Rosenberry rightly noted that I am "relentless." This is not the time to be specific in a public way, but I ask for prayers for that other person and for me.
Last year, I also reflected on the emotional nature of my life pursuing my belief that I am gifted to be a prophet. I mentioned two emotions that manifested themselves immediately, i.e., anger and sorrow. In the past year, a third emotion has manifested itself powerfully: fear. Fear for the souls of the church people who miss Jesus in their devotion to the institutional church. I see so little of the life Jesus modeled and commanded in church people and, in particular, in some who see themselves as leaders of the church.
Finally, as I reflect on the state of my spiritual life at the end of 2016, I have to say that I am content, generally, with the state of my mission working at the store. I am now a front end manager and that position increases opportunities to be a presence for the Lord and the Gospel. I would never return to the role of parish priest in the CGGC or in any other setting but I groove on participating in the priesthood of all believers in a way I never enjoyed being a parish priest.
One other note: I have been blessed by the number of people from the CGGC who continue to reach out to me and offer fellowship to me. Most now respond to me as if I am a leper. I am blessed by the more than a few who continue to treat me as a brother.
Friday, December 23, 2016
Church-Oriented, Inwardly-Focused
To the degree I am able, I keep my eyes open to note what's taking place in the CGGC world.
I recall the hopeful days when, empowered by Wayne Boyer and facilitated by Brian Miller's blog, a small, passionate core of CGGC people shared visionary dreams among each other.
In those days, we encouraged one another and spurred one another on to love and good works and we challenged and chastised the CGGC establishment for promoting a church, not Kingdom orientation and an inward, not outward focus.
So, where are we ten years later?
As I look around me, here's what I see: CGGC churches focusing, more than ever, on creating an extravagant Christmas Eve show to satisfy the congregation and to draw people into the church building.
My friends, we are backtracking and, don't lose the connection, we are declining.
For a moment I considered putting on Facebook, this note about our work here at Faith:
FAITH COMMUNITY:
No Christmas Eve Service,
No Christmas Day Service.
Serving the least of these 24/7/365.
I didn't enter it because, in the end, I concluded that Facebook wasn't the proper venu for that message.
But, I think the message has value. So, I'm putting it here.
The CGGC decline continues as its churchism and inwardism expands, as far as I can tell, exponentially.
------------------
I just read Lance's eNews. It assumes we will all be engrossed in the special church building-located shows of the Christmas season while, at the same time, Lance reminds us of the incarnation and the fact that we also are sent out.
The focus on the show in the building and the message that we are sent into the world don't fit together.
I wish, rather than taking the extravaganzas as a given, that Lance would have taken a firm but loving shot at them.
The CGGC needs to trash those extravaganzas and be in the world.
Here at Faith, we have no shows for Christmas Eve or Christmas day. We are among the least of these, and serving them, all the time.
I recall the hopeful days when, empowered by Wayne Boyer and facilitated by Brian Miller's blog, a small, passionate core of CGGC people shared visionary dreams among each other.
In those days, we encouraged one another and spurred one another on to love and good works and we challenged and chastised the CGGC establishment for promoting a church, not Kingdom orientation and an inward, not outward focus.
So, where are we ten years later?
As I look around me, here's what I see: CGGC churches focusing, more than ever, on creating an extravagant Christmas Eve show to satisfy the congregation and to draw people into the church building.
My friends, we are backtracking and, don't lose the connection, we are declining.
For a moment I considered putting on Facebook, this note about our work here at Faith:
FAITH COMMUNITY:
No Christmas Eve Service,
No Christmas Day Service.
Serving the least of these 24/7/365.
I didn't enter it because, in the end, I concluded that Facebook wasn't the proper venu for that message.
But, I think the message has value. So, I'm putting it here.
The CGGC decline continues as its churchism and inwardism expands, as far as I can tell, exponentially.
------------------
I just read Lance's eNews. It assumes we will all be engrossed in the special church building-located shows of the Christmas season while, at the same time, Lance reminds us of the incarnation and the fact that we also are sent out.
The focus on the show in the building and the message that we are sent into the world don't fit together.
I wish, rather than taking the extravaganzas as a given, that Lance would have taken a firm but loving shot at them.
The CGGC needs to trash those extravaganzas and be in the world.
Here at Faith, we have no shows for Christmas Eve or Christmas day. We are among the least of these, and serving them, all the time.
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Lost Doctrines of the Church
Who, who is reading this, doesn't know that the Western church is in decline?
Yet, Jesus, the One whose Name the church lifts up, is the essence of power, grace, mercy, authority and love.
The church dies as its human leaders and as its people scurry, more feverishly than ever, to save it.
Still, nothing church people attempt reverses the decay.
Each strategy, plan, and program fails more pathetically than the one that came before it.
The rate of the church's decay extends exponentially in the way Stage 4 cancer ravages a body in the final throes of death. Who can avoid the stench?
And, as it putrifies, the church continues, without blessing, to lift up the Name of the One who is all power and grace and mercy and authority and love.
How is this happening?
There are many reasons for the decline but, in my opinion, one of the most basic is that the church is thinking about the wrong things, teaching the wrong things. And, at the same time, thinking about right things in the wrong way.
---------------
From the first days it began chiseling its beliefs into granite in so-called creeds, the church has missed the spirit of the life and teaching of Jesus.
Jesus said that people who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed. From the beginning, He told people curious about Him that unless their righteousness surpasses that of the Scribes and Pharisees they wouldn't see God's Kingdom. He commanded people to seek first God's Kingdom and His righteousness. Paul of Tarsus noted that the Kingdom of God is a matter of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Yet, the church doesn't even have a category in its vast catalog of doctrines to consider what righteousness is. It has its Christology, its pneumatology, its eschatology and, of course, its ecclesiology...
(...if you don't know what those fancy church words mean, don't even think about looking them up.)
But, the church doesn't have and never has had a word for its teaching and beliefs about righteousness.
---------------
The Greek word for righteous is dikaios. The word for righteousness is dikaiosune.
So, how about digging into what Jesus treasured and taught? Could we turn our hearts toward what Paul considered a thing the Kingdom of God is a matter of?
Righteousness!
If we must have big words, could we at least invent the word dikaiology!
Followers of Jesus today need to live the way Jesus commanded them to live. They need to, as He put it, seek God's Kingdom, not God's church, and His righteousness.
They will be blessed if they hunger and thirst for righteousness. But, the (institutional) church decays. It dies. So many are religious but few are righteous.
---------------
A few quick observations:
Times of what is sometimes called revival were moments when people focused on what it means to follow Jesus by living rightly. Those people stood apart from the religious of their day by turning to Jesus, not church tradition, to define the way they lived. They defied church tradition, and they did it boldy. They turned to the way and teaching of Jesus. They sought God's Kingdom and God's righteousness.
Today's putrifying church defines right living in terms of itself, of the church, not as Jesus lived and taught righteousness.
Hence, in my tradition, to make more and better disciples still means to get people to attend a so-called church worship service.
Jesus almost never even spoke about church.
---------------
We need to turn to Jesus. We need to listen to what He said, to what He COMMANDED. We need to seek to live the way He lived. We need to follow His example.
We need to allow Him to call us to righteousness. We need to live righteously, as He defined right living.
We must repent.
Yet, Jesus, the One whose Name the church lifts up, is the essence of power, grace, mercy, authority and love.
The church dies as its human leaders and as its people scurry, more feverishly than ever, to save it.
Still, nothing church people attempt reverses the decay.
Each strategy, plan, and program fails more pathetically than the one that came before it.
The rate of the church's decay extends exponentially in the way Stage 4 cancer ravages a body in the final throes of death. Who can avoid the stench?
And, as it putrifies, the church continues, without blessing, to lift up the Name of the One who is all power and grace and mercy and authority and love.
How is this happening?
There are many reasons for the decline but, in my opinion, one of the most basic is that the church is thinking about the wrong things, teaching the wrong things. And, at the same time, thinking about right things in the wrong way.
---------------
From the first days it began chiseling its beliefs into granite in so-called creeds, the church has missed the spirit of the life and teaching of Jesus.
Jesus said that people who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed. From the beginning, He told people curious about Him that unless their righteousness surpasses that of the Scribes and Pharisees they wouldn't see God's Kingdom. He commanded people to seek first God's Kingdom and His righteousness. Paul of Tarsus noted that the Kingdom of God is a matter of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Yet, the church doesn't even have a category in its vast catalog of doctrines to consider what righteousness is. It has its Christology, its pneumatology, its eschatology and, of course, its ecclesiology...
(...if you don't know what those fancy church words mean, don't even think about looking them up.)
But, the church doesn't have and never has had a word for its teaching and beliefs about righteousness.
---------------
The Greek word for righteous is dikaios. The word for righteousness is dikaiosune.
So, how about digging into what Jesus treasured and taught? Could we turn our hearts toward what Paul considered a thing the Kingdom of God is a matter of?
Righteousness!
If we must have big words, could we at least invent the word dikaiology!
Followers of Jesus today need to live the way Jesus commanded them to live. They need to, as He put it, seek God's Kingdom, not God's church, and His righteousness.
They will be blessed if they hunger and thirst for righteousness. But, the (institutional) church decays. It dies. So many are religious but few are righteous.
---------------
A few quick observations:
Times of what is sometimes called revival were moments when people focused on what it means to follow Jesus by living rightly. Those people stood apart from the religious of their day by turning to Jesus, not church tradition, to define the way they lived. They defied church tradition, and they did it boldy. They turned to the way and teaching of Jesus. They sought God's Kingdom and God's righteousness.
Today's putrifying church defines right living in terms of itself, of the church, not as Jesus lived and taught righteousness.
Hence, in my tradition, to make more and better disciples still means to get people to attend a so-called church worship service.
Jesus almost never even spoke about church.
---------------
We need to turn to Jesus. We need to listen to what He said, to what He COMMANDED. We need to seek to live the way He lived. We need to follow His example.
We need to allow Him to call us to righteousness. We need to live righteously, as He defined right living.
We must repent.
Sunday, December 18, 2016
Gathering: 12-18-16
A nice time today. Not that disciples gather to feel nice but, once in a while, it's not a bad thing. Today's was more Christmasy than fits my taste but it's not all about me.
An unusual feature of this gathering is that I led Word time. I don't do it often. Evelyn urged me to, so I did. When I do, it's always interactive and usually centered on a biblical story which I exegete on the fly, something I enjoy and feel I do well in the Spirit.
Today's was on the visit of the Magi.
Bread and Cup time was encouraging. It connected the incarnation with the atonement and the resurrection.
The meal was yummy.
There was some sadness. Our friend Ward was absent. He's still in the nursing home recovering from a stroke.
---------------
I remember being exorcized, in the days of Brian Miller's blog, over churches that were not going to meet when Christmas was on a Sunday. And, I still think that if you believe worship is an act of righteousness not worshiping on Christmas because it's a Sunday smacks of hypocrisy.
Having said that, we meet on altering Sundays and Christmas is an off Sunday for us. What we'd do if it was an on Sunday I can't say.
An unusual feature of this gathering is that I led Word time. I don't do it often. Evelyn urged me to, so I did. When I do, it's always interactive and usually centered on a biblical story which I exegete on the fly, something I enjoy and feel I do well in the Spirit.
Today's was on the visit of the Magi.
Bread and Cup time was encouraging. It connected the incarnation with the atonement and the resurrection.
The meal was yummy.
There was some sadness. Our friend Ward was absent. He's still in the nursing home recovering from a stroke.
---------------
I remember being exorcized, in the days of Brian Miller's blog, over churches that were not going to meet when Christmas was on a Sunday. And, I still think that if you believe worship is an act of righteousness not worshiping on Christmas because it's a Sunday smacks of hypocrisy.
Having said that, we meet on altering Sundays and Christmas is an off Sunday for us. What we'd do if it was an on Sunday I can't say.
Saturday, December 17, 2016
Jesus is a Very Popular Guy
I began a job working in a super market about three years ago.
The reasons I did it were complex and varied but my approach to the job was simple: I was determined, from day one, to live according the commands and teachings Jesus as literally and as faithfully as possible.
In my mind, central to that Jesus-following lifestyle was to continually live in repentance which, to me, by that time, and still, means to live in self-denial in every moment, to always show mercy, to, in the presence of difficult customers and coworkers and managers, always to turn the other cheek and walk the second mile, to, when dealing with those people, let vengeance be the Lord's, to always rejoice in the Lord, think about what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable, to love my neighbor as myself and to love disciples as Jesus loved the apostles when He washed their feet. It has, at its core, to be a slave to everyone, without exception.
And, looking back over the years, I have to claim, in all honesty, that, actually, I've succeeded in being Jesus fairly well, better than I would have expected, though, certainly, not perfectly.
(I do have to note that there is a self-sustaining momentum to being Jesus as I have been. I did it well at the beginning so that other people came to expect it so that, now, their expectation guides me and makes it easier to choose the Jesus way when the real me might win out in a particular moment...)
---------------
...Anyway,
I have never been so popular!
And, perhaps not surprisingly, I'm especially well-liked by difficult people many of whom seem to be drawn to me, and are not really difficult around me.
And, interestingly, by the millennials and people younger than they whom, I think, are fascinated to meet a geezer who looks older than grandpa, but isn't grandpa, and treats them as if he is their slave.
---------------
So...I want to say that the lesson I've taken from my years in ministry on my mission field is that there's no reason for people to be standoffish toward church people, as many are these days...
...if church people actually are disciples, men and women who obey Jesus...
...and if they live in the world...
...the people of the world will be fascinated by them, even confused by them, but in the end, warm up to them, even like and love them.
JESUS IS A VERY POPULAR GUY. PEOPLE LOVE HIM. THEY'VE ALWAYS BEEN DRAWN TO HIM, NOT PUT OFF BY HIM.
And, even I have experienced a highly diluted form of that phenomenon.
Imagine how it could work for other, more likeable people.
Church people must repent.
The reasons I did it were complex and varied but my approach to the job was simple: I was determined, from day one, to live according the commands and teachings Jesus as literally and as faithfully as possible.
In my mind, central to that Jesus-following lifestyle was to continually live in repentance which, to me, by that time, and still, means to live in self-denial in every moment, to always show mercy, to, in the presence of difficult customers and coworkers and managers, always to turn the other cheek and walk the second mile, to, when dealing with those people, let vengeance be the Lord's, to always rejoice in the Lord, think about what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable, to love my neighbor as myself and to love disciples as Jesus loved the apostles when He washed their feet. It has, at its core, to be a slave to everyone, without exception.
And, looking back over the years, I have to claim, in all honesty, that, actually, I've succeeded in being Jesus fairly well, better than I would have expected, though, certainly, not perfectly.
(I do have to note that there is a self-sustaining momentum to being Jesus as I have been. I did it well at the beginning so that other people came to expect it so that, now, their expectation guides me and makes it easier to choose the Jesus way when the real me might win out in a particular moment...)
---------------
...Anyway,
I have never been so popular!
And, perhaps not surprisingly, I'm especially well-liked by difficult people many of whom seem to be drawn to me, and are not really difficult around me.
And, interestingly, by the millennials and people younger than they whom, I think, are fascinated to meet a geezer who looks older than grandpa, but isn't grandpa, and treats them as if he is their slave.
---------------
So...I want to say that the lesson I've taken from my years in ministry on my mission field is that there's no reason for people to be standoffish toward church people, as many are these days...
...if church people actually are disciples, men and women who obey Jesus...
...and if they live in the world...
...the people of the world will be fascinated by them, even confused by them, but in the end, warm up to them, even like and love them.
JESUS IS A VERY POPULAR GUY. PEOPLE LOVE HIM. THEY'VE ALWAYS BEEN DRAWN TO HIM, NOT PUT OFF BY HIM.
And, even I have experienced a highly diluted form of that phenomenon.
Imagine how it could work for other, more likeable people.
Church people must repent.
Thursday, December 15, 2016
I Couldn't Recommend the Local Church of God
As you know, I work among a large crowd of millennials and geezers and I love it.
One of the millennials I've worked with for the past few years graduated from high school last June and matriculated at Elizabethtown College, my alma mater in my hometown.
She has returned to the store to work a few hours over her Christmas vacation and our shifts yesterday began the same time so we had a chance to chat as we were waiting to begin work. At the same time, a geezer in our department, who attends the church she attended regularly through high school was with us and asked her where she attends church now. (The church they attend here is one of the UCC churches that split off from that denomination due to doctrinal issues.)
After stammering, she admitted that she doesn't go to church when she is at school.
We talked for a short time about churches in E-town, including the large campus Church of the Brethren, which she has no interest in attending.
And, there was a nanosecond when I considered suggesting that she give the Elizabethtown Church of God a try. But, I didn't.
The decision to say nothing was an instinctive, in the moment, thing. Since then, I've been trying to break that momentary impulse down. Here's what I came up with:
I've known the church fairly well in the past and, recently, it had a very gifted missional, uh, pastor but he's gone and nothing I've seen suggests his vision continues. And...
...based on what I know about the church, my millennial friend wouldn't find anyone her age in attendance.
I project a rather distinct notion of what being a Christian is on my work site mission field and I don't want to see that soiled. I have an opportunity to be Jesus in this young woman's life and, honestly and sadly, I don't trust a CGGC congregation to partner with me in my mission.
Oh, how I wish that was not the case. But it is.
One of the millennials I've worked with for the past few years graduated from high school last June and matriculated at Elizabethtown College, my alma mater in my hometown.
She has returned to the store to work a few hours over her Christmas vacation and our shifts yesterday began the same time so we had a chance to chat as we were waiting to begin work. At the same time, a geezer in our department, who attends the church she attended regularly through high school was with us and asked her where she attends church now. (The church they attend here is one of the UCC churches that split off from that denomination due to doctrinal issues.)
After stammering, she admitted that she doesn't go to church when she is at school.
We talked for a short time about churches in E-town, including the large campus Church of the Brethren, which she has no interest in attending.
And, there was a nanosecond when I considered suggesting that she give the Elizabethtown Church of God a try. But, I didn't.
The decision to say nothing was an instinctive, in the moment, thing. Since then, I've been trying to break that momentary impulse down. Here's what I came up with:
I've known the church fairly well in the past and, recently, it had a very gifted missional, uh, pastor but he's gone and nothing I've seen suggests his vision continues. And...
...based on what I know about the church, my millennial friend wouldn't find anyone her age in attendance.
I project a rather distinct notion of what being a Christian is on my work site mission field and I don't want to see that soiled. I have an opportunity to be Jesus in this young woman's life and, honestly and sadly, I don't trust a CGGC congregation to partner with me in my mission.
Oh, how I wish that was not the case. But it is.
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
What I'd do about the Santa Claus-Christ in Christmas Thing if I had Kids
I don't have kids so I know this is easy for me to say. But...
---------------
I would encourage the Santa thing to the hilt and tell them this about Jesus: "No one knows when Jesus's birthday was. Some people choose this time of the year to celebrate that He came into the world but we don't make a big deal out of his birth because we care more about the life He lived later, the truths he taught us and the fact that He died to save us and that he rose from the dead."
---------------
As I've said, the nativity of Jesus is never even mentioned in the Bible after the beginning of the Gospel of Luke while the crucifixion and resurrection are and Christmas didn't become a big holiday until it was commercialized into Xmas.
---------------
I say, "Let your kids enjoy Xmas without confusing them by trying to fuse the Xmas/Christmas thing."
Xmas is a blast and there's nothing biblical about Christmas.
---------------
I would encourage the Santa thing to the hilt and tell them this about Jesus: "No one knows when Jesus's birthday was. Some people choose this time of the year to celebrate that He came into the world but we don't make a big deal out of his birth because we care more about the life He lived later, the truths he taught us and the fact that He died to save us and that he rose from the dead."
---------------
As I've said, the nativity of Jesus is never even mentioned in the Bible after the beginning of the Gospel of Luke while the crucifixion and resurrection are and Christmas didn't become a big holiday until it was commercialized into Xmas.
---------------
I say, "Let your kids enjoy Xmas without confusing them by trying to fuse the Xmas/Christmas thing."
Xmas is a blast and there's nothing biblical about Christmas.
Sunday, December 11, 2016
My Attitude Toward Leadership
I've mentioned that not too long ago, I received an unsolicited promotion into a management position at the store.
When I was contacted about the opportunity, the person who spoke to me detailed the reasons I was selected as the person whom the owners and management believed would be the best fit for the job. There were about a half dozen reasons. (One of them was, interestingly, my leadership. More about that, perhaps, later.)
Another reason I believe I was selected, though it wasn't mentioned, because, I believe, it was taken for granted about me, is my absolute support of management. I have always aggressively supported the people in authority above me on my job.
---------------
I've been thinking about my attitude toward leadership in my life in general and, it strikes me that submission to and support of leadership is something that is natural to my personality.
That should be apparent to any thinking person who reads this blog as far as my relationship to CGGC authority. I am aggressive and passionate about supporting and defending CGGC authority, much moreso than anyone else I know of.
The highest authority in the CGGC is the Bible which we call "the inspired, infallible Word of God."
Therefore, it is my aggressive support of the Bible's authority that still has me aghast at Dr. Richardson and his recent determination to create a Strategic Plan which he admits is foreign to Scripture. (And, I am told that he thinks that I am the the one who should be defrocked.)
---------------
The highest human authority in the CGGC is not its staff members or its Commissions and Committees but its Eldership who created our ruling documents to which it itself is obligated to submit.
I, more than anyone I know, am mindful of the authority of the CGGC Eldership and of its declarations and I, more than anyone I know, am aggressive in supporting them..
...and putting them into practice.
Sometimes I think that I am the only person in the CGGC who is aggressive in supporting CGGC authority.
When I was contacted about the opportunity, the person who spoke to me detailed the reasons I was selected as the person whom the owners and management believed would be the best fit for the job. There were about a half dozen reasons. (One of them was, interestingly, my leadership. More about that, perhaps, later.)
Another reason I believe I was selected, though it wasn't mentioned, because, I believe, it was taken for granted about me, is my absolute support of management. I have always aggressively supported the people in authority above me on my job.
---------------
I've been thinking about my attitude toward leadership in my life in general and, it strikes me that submission to and support of leadership is something that is natural to my personality.
That should be apparent to any thinking person who reads this blog as far as my relationship to CGGC authority. I am aggressive and passionate about supporting and defending CGGC authority, much moreso than anyone else I know of.
The highest authority in the CGGC is the Bible which we call "the inspired, infallible Word of God."
Therefore, it is my aggressive support of the Bible's authority that still has me aghast at Dr. Richardson and his recent determination to create a Strategic Plan which he admits is foreign to Scripture. (And, I am told that he thinks that I am the the one who should be defrocked.)
---------------
The highest human authority in the CGGC is not its staff members or its Commissions and Committees but its Eldership who created our ruling documents to which it itself is obligated to submit.
I, more than anyone I know, am mindful of the authority of the CGGC Eldership and of its declarations and I, more than anyone I know, am aggressive in supporting them..
...and putting them into practice.
Sometimes I think that I am the only person in the CGGC who is aggressive in supporting CGGC authority.
Renewing a Missional Contact
One of the ministries we have been engaging in for decades has been inviting strangers, and sometimes acquaintances, to live in our home.
We began to do it long before we began to take the Sheep and Goats teaching seriously.
And, I will admit that, often, these episodes don't end well. One that has was inviting a guy we found out about through a former employer of Evie's.
Shortly before he was to move in, he asked if his girlfriend and her daughter could move in with him. That was a tough call to make, though we did it. Then, just before they moved in, his new probation officer knocked on our door requesting an unannounced interview with us. We passed the interview.
Those people we enjoyed and we're still in contact.
Another recent success was with my coworker, Matt, with whom we're still in contact and whom we visit every time we're in his area.
During the last three summers, we hosted college guys who did internships with Evie's former employer. Evie's stayed in contact with them.
The first of them is coming into the area to have lunch with us today.
He's a nice guy and a pretty typical millennial. He's not become a disciple from his contact with us but he has seen us living our wildly unabashed life as followers of Jesus and he's certainly not turned off by it either.
So, we'll spend a few hours catching up with him, showing him, as Steve Sjogren says it, God's love in a practical way.
We began to do it long before we began to take the Sheep and Goats teaching seriously.
And, I will admit that, often, these episodes don't end well. One that has was inviting a guy we found out about through a former employer of Evie's.
Shortly before he was to move in, he asked if his girlfriend and her daughter could move in with him. That was a tough call to make, though we did it. Then, just before they moved in, his new probation officer knocked on our door requesting an unannounced interview with us. We passed the interview.
Those people we enjoyed and we're still in contact.
Another recent success was with my coworker, Matt, with whom we're still in contact and whom we visit every time we're in his area.
During the last three summers, we hosted college guys who did internships with Evie's former employer. Evie's stayed in contact with them.
The first of them is coming into the area to have lunch with us today.
He's a nice guy and a pretty typical millennial. He's not become a disciple from his contact with us but he has seen us living our wildly unabashed life as followers of Jesus and he's certainly not turned off by it either.
So, we'll spend a few hours catching up with him, showing him, as Steve Sjogren says it, God's love in a practical way.
Thursday, December 8, 2016
A Prophetic Word I Haven't Spoken Yet
When I evaluate myself on how faithfully I live out my belief that I am called to be a prophet, I'm not kind to myself.
There are many things I have not said, yet, at least.
It may surprise some readers of this blog that what I don't say is the harshest stuff that I believe the Spirit is saying.
Why I don't say those things is a question I often ask myself. Sometimes, I'm actually afraid to say them because I'm not confident that I can say them faithfully or accurately. Some other times, I've tried putting them into words and it didn't happen.
Here's a harsh word I'm going to try to hint at, at least:
When I read the Gospels, I'm afraid that many people in important positions in the church, especially my own tradition, are not, in reality, subjects of the Kingdom of God.
In a way others might say it: I'm afraid they are not saved.
Jesus was careful to make it clear that, on the Day, many who think they are His people will be stunned to find that He refuses to welcome them into His Kingdom.
Think of Matthew 7: "Not everyone who calls me Lord will enter into the Kingdom of heaven..." or Matthew 25's sheep and goats teaching where the people on His left exclaim, "When did we see YOU hungry...?"
--------------
When I look at church, uh, leaders today, I see men an women devoted to their idea of the church. I see, in them, a burning passion to save the church from extinction but I see very little of what Jesus will reward in Matthew 25. Actually, in many of those people, I see none of it!
I observe people dashing from meeting to meeting, forming committees and commissions and task forces and doing those groups' work with so great a passion that there is no time, and I'm afraid, no concern for living the radical life of service and self-sacrifice Jesus demands.
I see a people who have made an idol of the institutional church. I see people who love and serve the church. I see people with little, and some with no, focus on Jesus.
And, I see no fruit of salvation in them. I see nothing of the power of the Spirit. I see absolutely no evidence that the Lord is blessing anything they are doing as their institutionalized church implodes.
I fear for them for eternity.
-------------------
There. I've hinted at one of the words I've been loathe to speak.
We must repent.
There are many things I have not said, yet, at least.
It may surprise some readers of this blog that what I don't say is the harshest stuff that I believe the Spirit is saying.
Why I don't say those things is a question I often ask myself. Sometimes, I'm actually afraid to say them because I'm not confident that I can say them faithfully or accurately. Some other times, I've tried putting them into words and it didn't happen.
Here's a harsh word I'm going to try to hint at, at least:
When I read the Gospels, I'm afraid that many people in important positions in the church, especially my own tradition, are not, in reality, subjects of the Kingdom of God.
In a way others might say it: I'm afraid they are not saved.
Jesus was careful to make it clear that, on the Day, many who think they are His people will be stunned to find that He refuses to welcome them into His Kingdom.
Think of Matthew 7: "Not everyone who calls me Lord will enter into the Kingdom of heaven..." or Matthew 25's sheep and goats teaching where the people on His left exclaim, "When did we see YOU hungry...?"
--------------
When I look at church, uh, leaders today, I see men an women devoted to their idea of the church. I see, in them, a burning passion to save the church from extinction but I see very little of what Jesus will reward in Matthew 25. Actually, in many of those people, I see none of it!
I observe people dashing from meeting to meeting, forming committees and commissions and task forces and doing those groups' work with so great a passion that there is no time, and I'm afraid, no concern for living the radical life of service and self-sacrifice Jesus demands.
I see a people who have made an idol of the institutional church. I see people who love and serve the church. I see people with little, and some with no, focus on Jesus.
And, I see no fruit of salvation in them. I see nothing of the power of the Spirit. I see absolutely no evidence that the Lord is blessing anything they are doing as their institutionalized church implodes.
I fear for them for eternity.
-------------------
There. I've hinted at one of the words I've been loathe to speak.
We must repent.
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Amish and Mennonite, uh, Worship
Our house church only meets every other Sunday these days. And, our nine year old Golden Retriever, Lizzy, is fascinated when she is in the car and sees a horse pulling a buggy. There are three plain Mennonite churches within about five miles of our house and so, expecially but not exclusively on nongathering Sundays, I take Lizzy for a drive so that we pass at least two of those churches.
Last Sunday was a gathering Sunday but our prep was well underway at the time the Mennonites travel, so we went for a drive and saw a record 39 horse and buggy teams.
---------------
To my surprise, I have discovered something that gives me pause to think.
As I drive by the meeting houses, taking care not to hit a horse or kids, I've become fascinated.
Two things strike me.
One is that these groups have tons of young adults and kids. These families have oodles of children and, no doubt, many do not stay in the church but, trust me, in my area many do and these groups are growing.
The second thing that strikes me is the body language of the people standing around outside waiting for the gathering to begin, even in this cold weather. There is obviously a sense of anticipation and expectation among these people. They seem to believe that something worthwhile is about to happen in their lives.
And, there will be no worship band nor light and fog show and no Ph. D. trained preacher.
----------------
My wife's dad was raised in a plain church. I've never attended what you might call a worship service but I've been to weddings and funerals, which, for them, are very much like their Sunday Gatherings.
Every time I've been with them while gathered, the same thing has happened. I've observed a strong emphasis on their conviction that to believe in Jesus is to live in the world as a disciple. For these people, Christianity is a way of living, not merely things you believe.
To use the language of Hebrews 10, central to their meetings is spurring each other on to love and good works.
And, clearly, that emphasis works today as well as it did in the generation Hebrews was written.
In my faith tradition, our Gatherings once were also oriented toward urging the whole body to righteous living but not these days.
And, we are declining.
We must repent.
Last Sunday was a gathering Sunday but our prep was well underway at the time the Mennonites travel, so we went for a drive and saw a record 39 horse and buggy teams.
---------------
To my surprise, I have discovered something that gives me pause to think.
As I drive by the meeting houses, taking care not to hit a horse or kids, I've become fascinated.
Two things strike me.
One is that these groups have tons of young adults and kids. These families have oodles of children and, no doubt, many do not stay in the church but, trust me, in my area many do and these groups are growing.
The second thing that strikes me is the body language of the people standing around outside waiting for the gathering to begin, even in this cold weather. There is obviously a sense of anticipation and expectation among these people. They seem to believe that something worthwhile is about to happen in their lives.
And, there will be no worship band nor light and fog show and no Ph. D. trained preacher.
----------------
My wife's dad was raised in a plain church. I've never attended what you might call a worship service but I've been to weddings and funerals, which, for them, are very much like their Sunday Gatherings.
Every time I've been with them while gathered, the same thing has happened. I've observed a strong emphasis on their conviction that to believe in Jesus is to live in the world as a disciple. For these people, Christianity is a way of living, not merely things you believe.
To use the language of Hebrews 10, central to their meetings is spurring each other on to love and good works.
And, clearly, that emphasis works today as well as it did in the generation Hebrews was written.
In my faith tradition, our Gatherings once were also oriented toward urging the whole body to righteous living but not these days.
And, we are declining.
We must repent.
Sunday, December 4, 2016
Gathering 12-4-16: Incarnationism
Not everyone in our Gathering is into embracing Xmas as I described in a recent post.
So, when we did the everyone has a hymn part of the gathering, no one suggested FROSTY THE SNOW MAN or even LAST CHRISTMAS I GAVE YOU MY HEART. Everything was straight from the hymnal that we have a few copies of.
As much as I despise celebrating the weakness of the baby Jesus, I must say that I wasn't disappointed by Word time today. The focus was on the Word becoming flesh.
Evie had on a Word on how so many people are beside themselves now that Donald Trump is President-elect. She pointed out that Jesus came to BE peace on earth and, as much as the prospect that Trump may be disturbing, Christ's peace dwarfs even Donald Trump.
Bread and Cup time was powerful, connecting the incarnation and the sacrifice.
I got to say that, according to Romans 12, our true and proper worship has nothing to do with singing and listening to sermons but it is the offering of our bodies as a living sacrifice.
And, I got to say that true worship only take place when we are not here.
All in all, this gathering was an unexpected blessing to me. I'm glad we met.
So, when we did the everyone has a hymn part of the gathering, no one suggested FROSTY THE SNOW MAN or even LAST CHRISTMAS I GAVE YOU MY HEART. Everything was straight from the hymnal that we have a few copies of.
As much as I despise celebrating the weakness of the baby Jesus, I must say that I wasn't disappointed by Word time today. The focus was on the Word becoming flesh.
Evie had on a Word on how so many people are beside themselves now that Donald Trump is President-elect. She pointed out that Jesus came to BE peace on earth and, as much as the prospect that Trump may be disturbing, Christ's peace dwarfs even Donald Trump.
Bread and Cup time was powerful, connecting the incarnation and the sacrifice.
I got to say that, according to Romans 12, our true and proper worship has nothing to do with singing and listening to sermons but it is the offering of our bodies as a living sacrifice.
And, I got to say that true worship only take place when we are not here.
All in all, this gathering was an unexpected blessing to me. I'm glad we met.
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Living Matthew 25:34f
I married so far out of my league I have no words for it!
We just agreed that I have a $200 budget to buy groceries for people I wait on at the store between now and Christmas.
We just agreed that I have a $200 budget to buy groceries for people I wait on at the store between now and Christmas.
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