I have a wonderful testimony of the mercy of God and of His people...but, as nearly always, I'll attach, to it, a prophetic rant.
To paraphrase Rich Mullens:
When He says, 'Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy,'...He ain't just puttin on the ritz.
Reading the Gospels, it seems to me that, under normal circumstances...nearly all circumstances...to be a disciple of Jesus requires a person to be a net producer of mercy.
That is, a follower of Jesus is a person who shows mercy more than s/he receives, in the course of this life.
This is what scares me about our religious system, focused on healthy pastors, churches and churchly institutional leaders.
That system turns church-goers into consumers of religious products and services...
...consumers of mercy.
Read the "Beatitudes." Read Matthew 25. Read, well, the story and teachings of Jesus.
Not good.
In our community here, we teach being a net producer of mercy. We LIVE it, as best we are able.
My experience, though, is that, the more one shows mercy the more one receives mercy from others.
------------------
So, the day Evie came home from Penn, I went to the store that I work at to pick up a few things and one of my coworkers told me that there was an envelope for me at Customer Service.
I picked it up.
The envelope had my name printed on it and, inside it, was $50 in cash. Nothing else. No note. Nothing.
What a blessing!
From whom it came, I didn't know...don't know.
Later, I heard the story behind it.
During a previous trip to the store, I went to the cash registers to pay and my coworkers avalanched me with questions about how Evie is and I am.
I paid.
Apparently, the next customer...someone they recognized as a sort of regular...asked for $50 cash back, then handed it back to the cashier and said, "Can you see that that man who was in front of me gets this?"
All the prophetic ranting aside, that act of mercy represents our story during this journey.
God is so good. His people, some of whom do actually go to church, are wonderful.
We are so blessed.
We feel loved.
Honestly, we've probably turned down more offers of assistance than we've been able to accept.
I'd never want anyone to go through this, but even in this valley of the shadow of death,...
...especially in this valley,...
...we've come face to face with His mercy and the goodness of the people who love Him.
God is good.
Thursday, August 30, 2018
Evie: Home, To the ER, Back Home, Coming Along
I've fallen behind in my journal on Evie's aortic valve replacement journey and I apologize to those of you who've become concerned.
She did come home on Thursday, one day behind schedule, and tolerated the drive well. She was fine, but tired, for the reminder of the day.
During the night, she began to sense that something was not right. She has an oximeter and a pretty decent blood pressure machine both of which recorded her pulse, early on Friday morning, ranging from the mid 40s to the 90s.
She called Penn and got the doctor on call who wasn't loads of help. Later, when the surgeon's office was open, she talked to a nurse practitioner who was concerned and said that if Evie became lightheaded or passed out I should call 911.
She did become lightheaded and staggered as she was walking. So, we drove, immediately, to the ER at Reading hospital, a 15 minute drive away.
The ER doctor realized that she was out of her league and began communicating with the surgeon in Philadelphia and the cardiologist in Reading.
In the end, Evie was placed in the Observation unit over night.
I don't understand much from that point.
But, I do know that, on the ER's monitor, Evie's heartbeat averaged about 100 and her pulse about 50. Apparently, her heart was not beating efficiently.
The Reading doctors kept repeating that the problem was serious but not life threatening.
Eventually, she was given a drug that has the side effect of causing liver damage. She has a prescription for 20 days. It seems to be working.
As of now, her heart is in rhythm and her pulse is in the normal range, as is her blood pressure.
She's had visits from visiting nurses and a physical therapist. All say that she's doing well.
She's tired and sore but her attitude is, as always, extraordinary. Her trust in God's love and mercy is amazing.
I jumped into a schedule at work that includes as many hours as I've ever been scheduled in a week. Actually, it's been therapeutic.
Evie's sister, who is an RN, stayed with her during the day this week, and, I think, they enjoyed their time together.
I understand that this will be a loooooong journey. Doubtless, there will be many bumps in the road.
I'm very tired.
Evie doesn't handle boredom well.
But, God is good.
She did come home on Thursday, one day behind schedule, and tolerated the drive well. She was fine, but tired, for the reminder of the day.
During the night, she began to sense that something was not right. She has an oximeter and a pretty decent blood pressure machine both of which recorded her pulse, early on Friday morning, ranging from the mid 40s to the 90s.
She called Penn and got the doctor on call who wasn't loads of help. Later, when the surgeon's office was open, she talked to a nurse practitioner who was concerned and said that if Evie became lightheaded or passed out I should call 911.
She did become lightheaded and staggered as she was walking. So, we drove, immediately, to the ER at Reading hospital, a 15 minute drive away.
The ER doctor realized that she was out of her league and began communicating with the surgeon in Philadelphia and the cardiologist in Reading.
In the end, Evie was placed in the Observation unit over night.
I don't understand much from that point.
But, I do know that, on the ER's monitor, Evie's heartbeat averaged about 100 and her pulse about 50. Apparently, her heart was not beating efficiently.
The Reading doctors kept repeating that the problem was serious but not life threatening.
Eventually, she was given a drug that has the side effect of causing liver damage. She has a prescription for 20 days. It seems to be working.
As of now, her heart is in rhythm and her pulse is in the normal range, as is her blood pressure.
She's had visits from visiting nurses and a physical therapist. All say that she's doing well.
She's tired and sore but her attitude is, as always, extraordinary. Her trust in God's love and mercy is amazing.
I jumped into a schedule at work that includes as many hours as I've ever been scheduled in a week. Actually, it's been therapeutic.
Evie's sister, who is an RN, stayed with her during the day this week, and, I think, they enjoyed their time together.
I understand that this will be a loooooong journey. Doubtless, there will be many bumps in the road.
I'm very tired.
Evie doesn't handle boredom well.
But, God is good.
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
Evie Didn't Come Home
I drove that brutal drive with a friend of ours, visited Evie awaiting the arrival of whomever would give her her marching papers and moseyed off to the cafeteria to grab a quick lunch.
When we returned, Evie said that she was wondering if she was actually going to be released. She'd had more episodes of increased pulse rate. And, suspected that the medical people thought that the problem was serious enough to be concerned.
And, she was right.
At this point, best case, she'll come home tomorrow.
At the moment, they're fiddling with the dose of a new medication. If that works, the plan is for the doctor to release her.
If not? What?
There's always been the possibility that they'd implant a pacemaker. I don't really know.
I'm anxious to get this behind us.
When we returned, Evie said that she was wondering if she was actually going to be released. She'd had more episodes of increased pulse rate. And, suspected that the medical people thought that the problem was serious enough to be concerned.
And, she was right.
At this point, best case, she'll come home tomorrow.
At the moment, they're fiddling with the dose of a new medication. If that works, the plan is for the doctor to release her.
If not? What?
There's always been the possibility that they'd implant a pacemaker. I don't really know.
I'm anxious to get this behind us.
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Evie is Coming Home Tomorrow
Amazing!
Considering what the surgery on Evie's heart involved, the plan is for her to come home tomorrow.
It will be a five day hospital stay.
Thanks to all of you who have prayed and offered support in more tangible ways!
God is good. And, so are His people.
Considering what the surgery on Evie's heart involved, the plan is for her to come home tomorrow.
It will be a five day hospital stay.
Thanks to all of you who have prayed and offered support in more tangible ways!
God is good. And, so are His people.
"Radically" Mixed Messages from Findlay (Finley?)
I'll repeat what I've said many, many times here.
I love Lance...and the other guys who have comfy chairs behind big desks in the nice offices of our swanky headquarters building in Findlay, Ohio,...
...and I also like all of them whom I know personally.
Having said that, I'll repeat a message I've also sent out frequently.
Those guys are poor stewards of truth.
I've mentioned Brent Sleasman's current guest article in the eNews in which he, at Lance's invitation, calls on the people of the CGGC to engage in meaningful conversation with people with whom they have disagreements by investing time and creating space to allow genuine communication to take place.
Lance's introduction to the article decries the fact that, today, too often, conversation consists of "two sides talking (or screaming) past one other."
And, as far as that goes, fine.
Let's, indeed, be thoughtful. Let's be people of moderation. Let's be calm. Let's be careful listeners. Let's be patient enough to create conversation that has meaning and significance.
As I pointed out in my eNews blog comment, Jesus knew how to begin a meaningful conversation.
----------------
But, gang!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Does anyone remember how recently Lance's eNews article entitled, Radical Voices - Radical Lives, suggested that the answer to the CGGC's decay and decline is to be found in our radical past?
Lance actually, dreamingly, asked what has become of radical voices like those of Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Winebrenner, whom Lance had just described (accurately, by the way) as an anti-war and pro-racial justice radical.
Just that recently (April 6, 2018), Lance was praising Winebrenner saying, "John Winebrenner...was a radical." And lamenting that today, "We don't like radicals."
Lance, in that article, actually criticized the CGGC today because, "We're comfortable with moderate."
-----------------
So, which is it?
Are we chagrined that, today, conversation consists of two sides screaming past each other?
Or, do we see our best chance for a bright future being in returning to the radicalism of John Winebrenner who, as a preacher and as the editor of The CHURCH ADVOCATE was a screamer if ever anyone was a screamer...
...and whose radicalism was reflected, in the 1960s, in the radical civil disobediece of Martin Luther King, Jr.?
Trust me: Martin Luther King, Jr. didn't invest time and create space to have meaningful conversation with George Wallace!
------------------
I love and like Lance but...
...since the days when I was creating my list of the 16 Characteristics of the CGGC Brand, I have been pointing out that one of the most serious problems facing our body today is cynicism.
I've always criticized the cynics.
But, I understand the frustration that underlies the cynicism.
------------------
Please understand: This is not pie in the sky stuff. This is not theoretical.
Lance and the other office occupiers in Findlay think of themselves as leaders.
They want to be followed.
If a CGGCer wanted to submit to leadership and, actually, literally, follow Lance and the others, what, on God's green earth, would s/he in real life do?
Be a radical walking in the way of John Winebrenner and Martin Luther King, Jr.?
Or be careful not to shout past people who think differently and take care always to engage in meaningful conversation?
What I do know is that any and every serious CGGC member, living down from the mountaintop, has to be confused.
I love Lance...and the other guys who have comfy chairs behind big desks in the nice offices of our swanky headquarters building in Findlay, Ohio,...
...and I also like all of them whom I know personally.
Having said that, I'll repeat a message I've also sent out frequently.
Those guys are poor stewards of truth.
I've mentioned Brent Sleasman's current guest article in the eNews in which he, at Lance's invitation, calls on the people of the CGGC to engage in meaningful conversation with people with whom they have disagreements by investing time and creating space to allow genuine communication to take place.
Lance's introduction to the article decries the fact that, today, too often, conversation consists of "two sides talking (or screaming) past one other."
And, as far as that goes, fine.
Let's, indeed, be thoughtful. Let's be people of moderation. Let's be calm. Let's be careful listeners. Let's be patient enough to create conversation that has meaning and significance.
As I pointed out in my eNews blog comment, Jesus knew how to begin a meaningful conversation.
----------------
But, gang!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Does anyone remember how recently Lance's eNews article entitled, Radical Voices - Radical Lives, suggested that the answer to the CGGC's decay and decline is to be found in our radical past?
Lance actually, dreamingly, asked what has become of radical voices like those of Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Winebrenner, whom Lance had just described (accurately, by the way) as an anti-war and pro-racial justice radical.
Just that recently (April 6, 2018), Lance was praising Winebrenner saying, "John Winebrenner...was a radical." And lamenting that today, "We don't like radicals."
Lance, in that article, actually criticized the CGGC today because, "We're comfortable with moderate."
-----------------
So, which is it?
Are we chagrined that, today, conversation consists of two sides screaming past each other?
Or, do we see our best chance for a bright future being in returning to the radicalism of John Winebrenner who, as a preacher and as the editor of The CHURCH ADVOCATE was a screamer if ever anyone was a screamer...
...and whose radicalism was reflected, in the 1960s, in the radical civil disobediece of Martin Luther King, Jr.?
Trust me: Martin Luther King, Jr. didn't invest time and create space to have meaningful conversation with George Wallace!
------------------
I love and like Lance but...
...since the days when I was creating my list of the 16 Characteristics of the CGGC Brand, I have been pointing out that one of the most serious problems facing our body today is cynicism.
I've always criticized the cynics.
But, I understand the frustration that underlies the cynicism.
------------------
Please understand: This is not pie in the sky stuff. This is not theoretical.
Lance and the other office occupiers in Findlay think of themselves as leaders.
They want to be followed.
If a CGGCer wanted to submit to leadership and, actually, literally, follow Lance and the others, what, on God's green earth, would s/he in real life do?
Be a radical walking in the way of John Winebrenner and Martin Luther King, Jr.?
Or be careful not to shout past people who think differently and take care always to engage in meaningful conversation?
What I do know is that any and every serious CGGC member, living down from the mountaintop, has to be confused.
Monday, August 20, 2018
Are CGGCers Shouters?
I just entered a comment on Brent Sleaseman's guest article on the eNews.
It was, as you'd expect from Brent, a thoughtful, well-written, article.
However, as I read and re-read it, and Lance's introduction, the premise seems to be that, as a body, we are people of shouters, with short fuses, who care too much about truth to be able to engage others in meaningful conversation.
That's not my experience.
My experience is that we care too little about truth to have meaningful conversation.
It was, as you'd expect from Brent, a thoughtful, well-written, article.
However, as I read and re-read it, and Lance's introduction, the premise seems to be that, as a body, we are people of shouters, with short fuses, who care too much about truth to be able to engage others in meaningful conversation.
That's not my experience.
My experience is that we care too little about truth to have meaningful conversation.
Sunday, August 19, 2018
Update on the Surgery
Evie had the operation to replace her aortic valve on Friday.
From the beginning, she was determined to get to the best surgeon she could get to. She did research and discovered that a surgeon at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania hospital was considered to the the best, for her issue at least, in the state of Pennsylvania, and, in fact, one of the best in the country.
She got a referral to him from her local cardiologist but had to wait a long time to see him and then a long time again to have the surgery.
As it turns out, she couldn't have waited much longer.
The surgery was successful.
When he met with the family after the procedure, the doctor showed us some pictures they took during the procedure, and he explained what we were seeing.
The aortic valve was in very bad shape. And, the defect in it, the fusing of two of the three "lips," was extreme.
In addition, we knew, from testing, that there was calcification around the valve. One of the pictures showed how much of it there was. We couldn't have known, but he said that it was a large amount.
The surgeon was clearly extremely pleased with how things went...and that is a source of comfort.
However, he cautioned that there's a chance that a piece of loose calcium could move to the brain and that Evie could have a stroke.
This is daunting because that's exactly how Evie's mother died...from a stroke, after otherwise successful heart surgery.
He said that it would be important that she showed no sign of stroke when she woke up.
And, she's fine.
However, Evie's mom's stroke occurred five days after her surgery, so we're holding off the ultimate celebration.
One other complication. Due to the fact that Evie has sleep apnea, her blood chemistry didn't allow the post-op team to give her the strongest pain medication for quite some time. She's experienced a lot of pain and, clearly, she's been in agony.
Still, yesterday, a little more than 24 hours after she left the OR, she was moved from ICU.
She's in what they call a step-down unit.
I'll visit her today...again.
Yesterday, in ICU, she asked me to leave after an hour. She was clearly in pain and wanted peace and solitude. And, I understand.
The drive to the hospital, in the center of Philadelphia, is brutal. Even on Saturday morning, the traffic was jammed. The drive, to and from, is stressful and exhausting.
And, I'll do it again today.
If all goes normally, she'll be released between Wednesday and Friday.
I'm off of work all of this week.
Many people have been praying and continue to pray...for Evie and for me. We are extremely grateful.
From the beginning, she was determined to get to the best surgeon she could get to. She did research and discovered that a surgeon at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania hospital was considered to the the best, for her issue at least, in the state of Pennsylvania, and, in fact, one of the best in the country.
She got a referral to him from her local cardiologist but had to wait a long time to see him and then a long time again to have the surgery.
As it turns out, she couldn't have waited much longer.
The surgery was successful.
When he met with the family after the procedure, the doctor showed us some pictures they took during the procedure, and he explained what we were seeing.
The aortic valve was in very bad shape. And, the defect in it, the fusing of two of the three "lips," was extreme.
In addition, we knew, from testing, that there was calcification around the valve. One of the pictures showed how much of it there was. We couldn't have known, but he said that it was a large amount.
The surgeon was clearly extremely pleased with how things went...and that is a source of comfort.
However, he cautioned that there's a chance that a piece of loose calcium could move to the brain and that Evie could have a stroke.
This is daunting because that's exactly how Evie's mother died...from a stroke, after otherwise successful heart surgery.
He said that it would be important that she showed no sign of stroke when she woke up.
And, she's fine.
However, Evie's mom's stroke occurred five days after her surgery, so we're holding off the ultimate celebration.
One other complication. Due to the fact that Evie has sleep apnea, her blood chemistry didn't allow the post-op team to give her the strongest pain medication for quite some time. She's experienced a lot of pain and, clearly, she's been in agony.
Still, yesterday, a little more than 24 hours after she left the OR, she was moved from ICU.
She's in what they call a step-down unit.
I'll visit her today...again.
Yesterday, in ICU, she asked me to leave after an hour. She was clearly in pain and wanted peace and solitude. And, I understand.
The drive to the hospital, in the center of Philadelphia, is brutal. Even on Saturday morning, the traffic was jammed. The drive, to and from, is stressful and exhausting.
And, I'll do it again today.
If all goes normally, she'll be released between Wednesday and Friday.
I'm off of work all of this week.
Many people have been praying and continue to pray...for Evie and for me. We are extremely grateful.
Thursday, August 16, 2018
Kudos to Dennis Regitz for his eNews House Church, um "Micro-" Church, Shout Out
This seems insignificant in light of Evie's surgery tomorrow, but I've been working on this, so here it is.
-------------------
I guess that the few of you who read the eNews saw, by now, the article in which Lance details his visit to the home of Dennis and Carol Regitz to check out the gathering of disciples that meets there.
This is a vision that Dennis has had for some time and which Dennis and Carol began to put into practice some time ago.
I don't think it's a secret that, as Dennis was contemplating starting some gatherings that meet in homes, he visited the Sunday gathering that meets at our house.
I have a few thoughts and feelings about what Lance did and wrote up in the eNews by highlighting his visit to the Regitzes' gathering.
One is that Lance's description of what he witnessed with the Regitzes and their brothers and sisters could, almost to the word, describe what was happening under our roof even back in the days when Lance was, what did they call his position then? was it called Director of Transformational Ministries then?
Frank Viola, in one of his books on the Organic Church, described different types of house churches. The type he praised, which he sees as true to the form and practice of the early church, he calls organic church. Organic churches were also called simple churches.
It's not a small point, that Lance calls the Regitz work house or micro churches.
The difference in the terminology strikes me as being important and suggests a stark difference in understanding of the importance these gatherings.
Micro simply means small.
The notion of an organic or simple church suggests a yearning to be true to the New Testament, well, to quote Winebrenner, "plan" for gatherings of Jesus followers.
Anyway, the Regitzes are doing something close to the organic gathering that Viola endorsed and praised.
Good for you, Dennis and Carol!
Theirs is an organic, or simple, church. It's not a micro-church.
----------------
Another, (and I know this is personal) I can't help but notice the difference between Lance's reception of, and promotion of, what the Regitzes are doing and what we began so many years ago.
When we, at Faith, were pioneering, in the CGGC, the way the Regitzes are discipling, we got, at the very, very best, a blind eye from Ed and Lance and the whole Findlay gang...
...and, at worst, opposition from them...
...EVEN THOUGH WE WERE OPENLY AND INTENTIONALLY DOING IT...
...IN PURSUIT OF THE CGGC MISSION AND VISION STATEMENTS...
...CREATED BY...
...ED AND LANCE AND THE FINDLAY GANG!
I'm truly and genuinely happy for Dennis and Carol and for the people who participate in their gatherings.
But, there were, AND ARE, souls here that were anything but encouraged and comforted by the rest of the CGGC body.
----------------
Also, a difference between the Regitz endeavor and ours is the APEST difference between Dennis and me.
How long have we known each other, Dennis? Many years.
I've always seen, in Dennis, a genuine gifting to be an apostle. As I say here often, I think I'm a prophet.
There's a lot of gifting that I see in Dennis that fits what he's doing.
He has the restlessness of an apostle and the need to innovate that's natural for apostles.
But, I'll say this: Dennis' apostolic gift is primitive and unmentored.
It's probably more destructive than you think that Lance calls him "pastor Dennis Regitz" without acknowledging the role APEST plays in the expansion of the Jesus-following movement.
The mountaintoppers, who talk APEST incessantly, are ignoring the APEST aspect of the Regitzes' work and make it, again and as always, about pastors and churches.
That's short-sighted and its hypocritical.
And, it can not help. It can only hurt.
----------------
So, as I commented on the eNews, GO, DENNIS, GO, GO!
We wish you well. Live in your empowerment from the Spirit to be an apostle! Walk by the Spirit!
Be true to your calling. Continue to make this about Jesus.
-------------------
I guess that the few of you who read the eNews saw, by now, the article in which Lance details his visit to the home of Dennis and Carol Regitz to check out the gathering of disciples that meets there.
This is a vision that Dennis has had for some time and which Dennis and Carol began to put into practice some time ago.
I don't think it's a secret that, as Dennis was contemplating starting some gatherings that meet in homes, he visited the Sunday gathering that meets at our house.
I have a few thoughts and feelings about what Lance did and wrote up in the eNews by highlighting his visit to the Regitzes' gathering.
One is that Lance's description of what he witnessed with the Regitzes and their brothers and sisters could, almost to the word, describe what was happening under our roof even back in the days when Lance was, what did they call his position then? was it called Director of Transformational Ministries then?
Frank Viola, in one of his books on the Organic Church, described different types of house churches. The type he praised, which he sees as true to the form and practice of the early church, he calls organic church. Organic churches were also called simple churches.
It's not a small point, that Lance calls the Regitz work house or micro churches.
The difference in the terminology strikes me as being important and suggests a stark difference in understanding of the importance these gatherings.
Micro simply means small.
The notion of an organic or simple church suggests a yearning to be true to the New Testament, well, to quote Winebrenner, "plan" for gatherings of Jesus followers.
Anyway, the Regitzes are doing something close to the organic gathering that Viola endorsed and praised.
Good for you, Dennis and Carol!
Theirs is an organic, or simple, church. It's not a micro-church.
----------------
Another, (and I know this is personal) I can't help but notice the difference between Lance's reception of, and promotion of, what the Regitzes are doing and what we began so many years ago.
When we, at Faith, were pioneering, in the CGGC, the way the Regitzes are discipling, we got, at the very, very best, a blind eye from Ed and Lance and the whole Findlay gang...
...and, at worst, opposition from them...
...EVEN THOUGH WE WERE OPENLY AND INTENTIONALLY DOING IT...
...IN PURSUIT OF THE CGGC MISSION AND VISION STATEMENTS...
...CREATED BY...
...ED AND LANCE AND THE FINDLAY GANG!
I'm truly and genuinely happy for Dennis and Carol and for the people who participate in their gatherings.
But, there were, AND ARE, souls here that were anything but encouraged and comforted by the rest of the CGGC body.
----------------
Also, a difference between the Regitz endeavor and ours is the APEST difference between Dennis and me.
How long have we known each other, Dennis? Many years.
I've always seen, in Dennis, a genuine gifting to be an apostle. As I say here often, I think I'm a prophet.
There's a lot of gifting that I see in Dennis that fits what he's doing.
He has the restlessness of an apostle and the need to innovate that's natural for apostles.
But, I'll say this: Dennis' apostolic gift is primitive and unmentored.
It's probably more destructive than you think that Lance calls him "pastor Dennis Regitz" without acknowledging the role APEST plays in the expansion of the Jesus-following movement.
The mountaintoppers, who talk APEST incessantly, are ignoring the APEST aspect of the Regitzes' work and make it, again and as always, about pastors and churches.
That's short-sighted and its hypocritical.
And, it can not help. It can only hurt.
----------------
So, as I commented on the eNews, GO, DENNIS, GO, GO!
We wish you well. Live in your empowerment from the Spirit to be an apostle! Walk by the Spirit!
Be true to your calling. Continue to make this about Jesus.
Update on Tomorrow's Surgery
It seems surreal.
Evie's heart valve defect was diagnosed more than 25 years ago and we knew that the day would come that there would be surgery.
We have always dreaded that day.
And, that day is tomorrow.
The hospital contacted Evie about an hour ago to inform her that her procedure is scheduled for 6:15 a.m., the earliest time slot.
We plan to be on the road at about 4:00, just in case there are traffic issues in and around Philadelphia.
Please pray for everyone involved.
I'll place updates on the blog as I have opportunity.
Evie's heart valve defect was diagnosed more than 25 years ago and we knew that the day would come that there would be surgery.
We have always dreaded that day.
And, that day is tomorrow.
The hospital contacted Evie about an hour ago to inform her that her procedure is scheduled for 6:15 a.m., the earliest time slot.
We plan to be on the road at about 4:00, just in case there are traffic issues in and around Philadelphia.
Please pray for everyone involved.
I'll place updates on the blog as I have opportunity.
Sunday, August 12, 2018
Reflections on the Plans for the Memorial Service
Evie's heart surgery is less than one week from today.
She did all of the pre-admission stuff a week ago. I wasn't there. But, Evie said that all of the people from Penn assured her that, as aortic valve surgeries go, hers is simple, that they do this all the time and that she's going to be fine.
That's reassuring.
However, Evie's brother died on the operating table during heart surgery and her mother died of a stroke as a result of otherwise successful heart surgery.
Both of these tragedies took place nearly 25 years ago. Both took place in hospitals vastly inferior to Penn and both involved very average surgeons, at best.
But, those heartbreaking events, no pun intended, are in our memories.
So, Evie and I have been talking through worst case scenarios, just in case.
It's clear to me that she giving these things careful thought.
I actually initiated the conversation about her memorial service.
Honestly, because of the way we connect to the Body of Christ, I was really asking...though I didn't say it...who, i.e., which, pastor,...she'd like to lead her service.
It didn't surprise me that she'd already thought carefully about the memorial gathering and answered my question with great detail.
I was inspired by the clarity of her yearning to use the gathering to proclaim the magnificence of the grace of God.
But, I was surprised, as she described her vision for her memorial,...
...that the organized church wasn't even in her thinking.
Evie has a connection to the organized church from infancy. She served with me during my decades as a CGGC parish priest. She was once the Director of Communications for the denomination!
Certainly, both of us understand that the church will be present at the gathering she envisions. In one of the rare Bible passages in which Jesus used the word church, He said, "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."
But, Evie envisions no role for the organized church and has no notion that a clergy person will lead it. The person she prefers as the moderator of the gathering is a devoted, committed disciple. But, not a member of the clergy.
For me, Evie's thinking represents an important truth about the state of Christianity today.
In matters, literally, of life and death, what churchy people think of as "the church" is increasingly irrelevant, a nonfactor, to a rapidly expanding number of people who follow Jesus with every ounce of their strength.
That reality stuns me.
In my denomination which is declining and aging rapidly, leadership's focus, more and more as time goes on, is on saving the church.
My take on the impact of their efforts is that, increasingly, people, even people with a deep connection to the organized church, don't care about what denominational leaders care about.
The fact that it, apparently, never occurred to Evie to turn to a member of the clergy or an organized church in planning her memorial service represents a very significant truth about the place of institutional Christianity in the world.
Increasingly, that version of church doesn't matter to many people for whom Jesus is all that matters.
She did all of the pre-admission stuff a week ago. I wasn't there. But, Evie said that all of the people from Penn assured her that, as aortic valve surgeries go, hers is simple, that they do this all the time and that she's going to be fine.
That's reassuring.
However, Evie's brother died on the operating table during heart surgery and her mother died of a stroke as a result of otherwise successful heart surgery.
Both of these tragedies took place nearly 25 years ago. Both took place in hospitals vastly inferior to Penn and both involved very average surgeons, at best.
But, those heartbreaking events, no pun intended, are in our memories.
So, Evie and I have been talking through worst case scenarios, just in case.
It's clear to me that she giving these things careful thought.
I actually initiated the conversation about her memorial service.
Honestly, because of the way we connect to the Body of Christ, I was really asking...though I didn't say it...who, i.e., which, pastor,...she'd like to lead her service.
It didn't surprise me that she'd already thought carefully about the memorial gathering and answered my question with great detail.
I was inspired by the clarity of her yearning to use the gathering to proclaim the magnificence of the grace of God.
But, I was surprised, as she described her vision for her memorial,...
...that the organized church wasn't even in her thinking.
Evie has a connection to the organized church from infancy. She served with me during my decades as a CGGC parish priest. She was once the Director of Communications for the denomination!
Certainly, both of us understand that the church will be present at the gathering she envisions. In one of the rare Bible passages in which Jesus used the word church, He said, "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."
But, Evie envisions no role for the organized church and has no notion that a clergy person will lead it. The person she prefers as the moderator of the gathering is a devoted, committed disciple. But, not a member of the clergy.
For me, Evie's thinking represents an important truth about the state of Christianity today.
In matters, literally, of life and death, what churchy people think of as "the church" is increasingly irrelevant, a nonfactor, to a rapidly expanding number of people who follow Jesus with every ounce of their strength.
That reality stuns me.
In my denomination which is declining and aging rapidly, leadership's focus, more and more as time goes on, is on saving the church.
My take on the impact of their efforts is that, increasingly, people, even people with a deep connection to the organized church, don't care about what denominational leaders care about.
The fact that it, apparently, never occurred to Evie to turn to a member of the clergy or an organized church in planning her memorial service represents a very significant truth about the place of institutional Christianity in the world.
Increasingly, that version of church doesn't matter to many people for whom Jesus is all that matters.
To WALK is to TALK-ism
"The most important thing is to keep the most important thing the most important thing." --Donald P. Coduto
Yesterday we visited the rescue from which we adopted our last two dogs to check out their monthly Meet and Greet of dogs available for adoption.
We're not interested in adopting.
I...we...just love the place and the people and, of course, the dogs.
And, more than the place, people and dogs, I love being in the midst of the community that these people have created.
So, we stopped by and soaked it all in and I left relaxed and encouraged and, well, just happy...
...an amazing achievement because Evie's surgery is less than a week away.
And, I was thinking.
I was impressed and inspired by the obvious reality that all of the people who are a part of the organization, from the Executive Director to the newest volunteer, in practice, based on what they do...on the fruit they produce...
...participate in one mission.
It's amazing. I don't know that I've ever encountered so large a group of people so completely united in purpose than these people.
It's an absolute joy to behold. And, I will keep going back to experience the small s spirit they exude because these people encourage me simply because they exist.
So, as I say, yesterday I left thinking...
...about the seamless unity of mission that connects these people.
It occurred to me that nowhere on the campus have I ever seen a plaque or a banner or a sign saying,
MISSION STATEMENT: Our mission is to...
So, I went on the website.
Nothing.
I could find no mention of a mission statement or of the mission the organization pursues.
They may very well have a mission statement but, if they do, it's a very well kept secret.
What they all exhibit is a clear commitment to a mission. You could say that, in a real world sense, they are ONe Mission.
In the words of Don Coduto, they all, together, know that the most important thing is to keep the most important thing the most important thing.
They not only know it, they do it.
Further, they all seem to understand what the most important thing is. And, together, they walk it.
The amazing thing to me, because I live in a church culture where, as a community, we talk big but don't walk the talk...
...is that the dog rescue doesn't talk mission at all.
Yet, their people walk it.
They invert the Characteristic of our brand known as, To Talk is to Walk-ism.
They don't actually walk their talk because, from the view of someone who's as close to the group as I am, they don't talk it at all.
They're doers of their word without, as far as I can tell, having an actual word.
The guy who runs the place has become a decently close acquaintance of mine. And, because I have beliefs about leadership that are as strong...and controversial...as they are, I'm going to pick his brain.
One thing I can say about him that is representive of how he, uh, leads, is that...
...based on his appearance and the way he dresses and behaves...
...the first few times I saw him around the place...
...and didn't know that I was chatting with the Executive Director,...
...I concluded that I was talking a very gregarious man who was a minimum wage employee who had a job cleaning out the kennels.
And, how like Jesus! Who on occasion blended into the crowd.
But, dude!
He gets people to keep the most important thing the most important thing.
Imagine followers of Jesus exuding our most important thing without ever needing to talk it.
Yesterday we visited the rescue from which we adopted our last two dogs to check out their monthly Meet and Greet of dogs available for adoption.
We're not interested in adopting.
I...we...just love the place and the people and, of course, the dogs.
And, more than the place, people and dogs, I love being in the midst of the community that these people have created.
So, we stopped by and soaked it all in and I left relaxed and encouraged and, well, just happy...
...an amazing achievement because Evie's surgery is less than a week away.
And, I was thinking.
I was impressed and inspired by the obvious reality that all of the people who are a part of the organization, from the Executive Director to the newest volunteer, in practice, based on what they do...on the fruit they produce...
...participate in one mission.
It's amazing. I don't know that I've ever encountered so large a group of people so completely united in purpose than these people.
It's an absolute joy to behold. And, I will keep going back to experience the small s spirit they exude because these people encourage me simply because they exist.
So, as I say, yesterday I left thinking...
...about the seamless unity of mission that connects these people.
It occurred to me that nowhere on the campus have I ever seen a plaque or a banner or a sign saying,
MISSION STATEMENT: Our mission is to...
So, I went on the website.
Nothing.
I could find no mention of a mission statement or of the mission the organization pursues.
They may very well have a mission statement but, if they do, it's a very well kept secret.
What they all exhibit is a clear commitment to a mission. You could say that, in a real world sense, they are ONe Mission.
In the words of Don Coduto, they all, together, know that the most important thing is to keep the most important thing the most important thing.
They not only know it, they do it.
Further, they all seem to understand what the most important thing is. And, together, they walk it.
The amazing thing to me, because I live in a church culture where, as a community, we talk big but don't walk the talk...
...is that the dog rescue doesn't talk mission at all.
Yet, their people walk it.
They invert the Characteristic of our brand known as, To Talk is to Walk-ism.
They don't actually walk their talk because, from the view of someone who's as close to the group as I am, they don't talk it at all.
They're doers of their word without, as far as I can tell, having an actual word.
The guy who runs the place has become a decently close acquaintance of mine. And, because I have beliefs about leadership that are as strong...and controversial...as they are, I'm going to pick his brain.
One thing I can say about him that is representive of how he, uh, leads, is that...
...based on his appearance and the way he dresses and behaves...
...the first few times I saw him around the place...
...and didn't know that I was chatting with the Executive Director,...
...I concluded that I was talking a very gregarious man who was a minimum wage employee who had a job cleaning out the kennels.
And, how like Jesus! Who on occasion blended into the crowd.
But, dude!
He gets people to keep the most important thing the most important thing.
Imagine followers of Jesus exuding our most important thing without ever needing to talk it.
Friday, August 10, 2018
Baby Boomer Audacity towards Millennials
I've been thinking about millennials a lot lately.
I function as an ambassador for the Kingdom in which Jesus is Lord...
...and I do it in a context which brings me into significant and regular contact with people between the ages of 16 and 21.
I love it that this is the field in which I live out my mission.
I've blogged about connecting millennials to Jesus several times in the past but, honestly, I suspect that I undervalue the importance of my knowledge and understanding of millennials in writing blog posts for my readers here whom I'd guess to be mostly between the ages of 40 and 60.
I'm working on a significant post which considers the issue of geezers, older than 40, practicing, um, so-called leadership among millennials. That will come later, if I ever click "publish" on it at all.
For now, I'll touch on one thing that's come up far too often when I've spoken to boomers and the slightly younger about the fact that our generation is losing millennials for Jesus.
It's common, when I express, to the over 50 crowd, my passion for connecting millennials to the gospel to hear:
But, we can't water down the message to reach them!
The simple act of typing those words infuriates me,...
...in two ways:
1. There is the presumption, in this way of thinking, that what makes sense to a boomer is the ageless standard of truth.
It's saying, "We boomers who believe, believe the real and true gospel, presented in the way it should be presented. And, if millennials can't believe in that gospel in the way it came to us, too bad, because we are the standard. We define what is real and good and true for all people, for all time. If it was good enough for the Apostle Paul, and for us boomers, it's just going to have be good enough for millennials, too."
What amazing narcissism!
2. There is the denial of the, to me at least, obvious reality that a central characteristic of boomer Christianity, ironically, is that it itself is very seriously diluted...to the point that it has almost nothing of Jesus in it.
Boomer Christianity is churchianity.
It preaches a Jesus to be believed in but not a Jesus whose teachings and way of life are to be followed.
Not surprisingly, boomer Christianity has born shriveled and tasteless fruit...
It absolutely stuns me that many boomers could fear that the message of Jesus that would reach millennials would have to be diluted compared to what they received.
Boomers have been sitting in their churches, taking in their Sunday morning shows, displaying self-centeredness, resisting calls to be externally focused...
...and they caution against watering down the Word that they accepted.
Audacity!
----------------
Millennials, for the most part, gag over what their parents and grandparents have made of the church. They'll never be a part of that chirch.
But, Jesus?
They are more interested in Him than in the church. They are open to Him.
I can't see them ever grooving on the diluted, all-about-the-church gospel that comforts the people of my generation.
I function as an ambassador for the Kingdom in which Jesus is Lord...
...and I do it in a context which brings me into significant and regular contact with people between the ages of 16 and 21.
I love it that this is the field in which I live out my mission.
I've blogged about connecting millennials to Jesus several times in the past but, honestly, I suspect that I undervalue the importance of my knowledge and understanding of millennials in writing blog posts for my readers here whom I'd guess to be mostly between the ages of 40 and 60.
I'm working on a significant post which considers the issue of geezers, older than 40, practicing, um, so-called leadership among millennials. That will come later, if I ever click "publish" on it at all.
For now, I'll touch on one thing that's come up far too often when I've spoken to boomers and the slightly younger about the fact that our generation is losing millennials for Jesus.
It's common, when I express, to the over 50 crowd, my passion for connecting millennials to the gospel to hear:
But, we can't water down the message to reach them!
The simple act of typing those words infuriates me,...
...in two ways:
1. There is the presumption, in this way of thinking, that what makes sense to a boomer is the ageless standard of truth.
It's saying, "We boomers who believe, believe the real and true gospel, presented in the way it should be presented. And, if millennials can't believe in that gospel in the way it came to us, too bad, because we are the standard. We define what is real and good and true for all people, for all time. If it was good enough for the Apostle Paul, and for us boomers, it's just going to have be good enough for millennials, too."
What amazing narcissism!
2. There is the denial of the, to me at least, obvious reality that a central characteristic of boomer Christianity, ironically, is that it itself is very seriously diluted...to the point that it has almost nothing of Jesus in it.
Boomer Christianity is churchianity.
It preaches a Jesus to be believed in but not a Jesus whose teachings and way of life are to be followed.
Not surprisingly, boomer Christianity has born shriveled and tasteless fruit...
It absolutely stuns me that many boomers could fear that the message of Jesus that would reach millennials would have to be diluted compared to what they received.
Boomers have been sitting in their churches, taking in their Sunday morning shows, displaying self-centeredness, resisting calls to be externally focused...
...and they caution against watering down the Word that they accepted.
Audacity!
----------------
Millennials, for the most part, gag over what their parents and grandparents have made of the church. They'll never be a part of that chirch.
But, Jesus?
They are more interested in Him than in the church. They are open to Him.
I can't see them ever grooving on the diluted, all-about-the-church gospel that comforts the people of my generation.
If the Worst Happens
Evie and I have had a number of chats about what to do if things go badly with the heart surgery. One covered how to handle the funeral/memorial service.
Having listened to Evie's wishes, I'll say three things.
1. She has very strong convictions about how a gathering to remember her would be carried out.
2. The focus will not be on her but on Jesus and the grace of God.
3. Having listened to her, it struck me that it hasn't even entered her mind that a memorial for her would involve a member of the clergy, though clergymen and women would be welcome to attend and to participate as members of the Priesthood of all Believers. It hasn't occurred to her to involve any organized congregation.
The amazing thing to me is how completely she has her focus on using her service to proclaim the grace of God...and that she'd do that without connecting that message to the church...at least the organized, institutional church.
And, how fitting!
Jesus is the absolute center of her life. And, while she has numerous friends who love Jesus, she has less taste for organized religion than I do...
...and always has.
Having listened to Evie's wishes, I'll say three things.
1. She has very strong convictions about how a gathering to remember her would be carried out.
2. The focus will not be on her but on Jesus and the grace of God.
3. Having listened to her, it struck me that it hasn't even entered her mind that a memorial for her would involve a member of the clergy, though clergymen and women would be welcome to attend and to participate as members of the Priesthood of all Believers. It hasn't occurred to her to involve any organized congregation.
The amazing thing to me is how completely she has her focus on using her service to proclaim the grace of God...and that she'd do that without connecting that message to the church...at least the organized, institutional church.
And, how fitting!
Jesus is the absolute center of her life. And, while she has numerous friends who love Jesus, she has less taste for organized religion than I do...
...and always has.
Monday, August 6, 2018
eNews: "God doesn't Waste Anything." Me: But, We Do, We Are
Lance's latest is a note of encouragement, offered from a shepherd's heart.
Lance notes that life has many seasons. There are times, among others, "of favor and blessing and times of struggle and doubt."
Lance notes that many people he knows are in a season of "struggle, setback, discouragement and weariness."
He reports that, in the past week, he had an experience that, he says, "reminds me that the Lord doesn't waste anything."
Later on, he quotes Genesis 50:20 and Joseph telling his brothers that they intended to harm him but God intended to save many lives through their evil actions. And, later still, Lance quotes Romans 8:28 and its reminder that God works of the good of those who love him.
Two takes on what Lance has written:
1. I can relate to this on a personal level. We now know that Evie's heart valves are in very bad condition and are deteriorating and that, without surgery...soon..., she will probably, eventually die.
There's no stab-in-the-back issue, as there was with Joseph, but there is, the "in all things God works for the good of those who love Him" comfort.
One person Evie talked to about her situation mentioned the possibility that a believer could lose his/her faith at times like this. Clearly, that's not happening with her or me.
But, there are moments of discouragement and the level of our joy in His salvation is not what it's been.
We know that he's not forgotten or forsaken us. And, we trust in His love and care and in His sovereignty. But, the surgery is still going to happen.
Even with strong faith, both of us are anxious.
And, we both plead for your prayers.
2. As much as what Lance wrote touches my heart on a personal level, the truth is that, in the Spirit, I exist as a prophet who, by God's grace, sees these issues from 40,000 feet and who has, so far, an indestructible love for the CGGC.
I can't help but to see Lance's insight on the different seasons of life in terms of the CGGC institution of which Lance is, according to the CGGC Constitution, CEO.
My take on the first generation of the Church of God movement is that Winebrenner and his colleagues did struggle. And that their struggle was to attempt to be true to the Spirit in the face of blessings so amazing that, humanly speaking, they couldn't keep up.
Under the ministry of the Church of God, scores upon scores of people were repenting.
Winebrenner and his colleagues struggled mightily to be faithful stewards of the work the Spirit was doing in and through them.
They were humbled, and clearly fearful, to stand together in the midst of so great an outpouring of God's favor, seeing daily evidence of the Spirit's power and God's grace.
Yet, today,...
As a body, it's all about the "struggle, setback discouragement and weariness" Lance mentions.
Lance is correct to remind us that God works in our lives, even in times of struggle. We need not lose faith. We can, indeed, trust in Him.
It's how Lance describes the way we should respond that, I'm afraid, is lacking.
-----------------
Lance, courageously, mentions, if only in passing, that there are times that we struggle because of "sinful choices" we have made.
The CGGC truth in 2018 is that we are experiencing numerical decline and spiritual decay...
...that Lord of all authority and power and blessing...
...Who poured out His power and mercy and grace on us nearly 200 years ago to the point that walking in His blessing was, in itself, a challenge...
...isn't blessing us.
We plan and program and pray for His blessing on the work we offer to Him...
...we truly, and humbly, pray for His blessing...
...and, it's, at best, as if He never hears...
...but, of course, He does hear. He is all-knowing.
------------------
The time has long since passed for us to come to grips with the reality that the Lord isn't blessing us because of sinful choices we have made and are still making.
Our plans are not His will.
Our programs don't please Him.
Our prayers don't bring His blessing.
What Lance didn't say is that when your struggle results from sinful choices...
...the only right thing for you to do is to repent and to turn from you sin and turn to Him.
----------------
So, Lance is right. God doesn't waste anything.
The question for the CGGC for quite some time, has been: Will WE waste the opportunities of this moment?
So far, we have wasted them.
I do not believe that the Lord has forgotten us or forsaken us.
But, I also am convinced that we are wasting the moment.
Don't we know that we are struggling because of past (and present) sinful choices?
We have allowed ourselves to become an institution.
We don't walk by the Spirit.
And, as a result, we aren't walking in the power and blessing of the Spirit.
Will we waste this moment?
We must not waste it.
We must face up to the fact of our past and present sinful choices.
We must repent of them, turn away from them and turn to Him.
Lance notes that life has many seasons. There are times, among others, "of favor and blessing and times of struggle and doubt."
Lance notes that many people he knows are in a season of "struggle, setback, discouragement and weariness."
He reports that, in the past week, he had an experience that, he says, "reminds me that the Lord doesn't waste anything."
Later on, he quotes Genesis 50:20 and Joseph telling his brothers that they intended to harm him but God intended to save many lives through their evil actions. And, later still, Lance quotes Romans 8:28 and its reminder that God works of the good of those who love him.
Two takes on what Lance has written:
1. I can relate to this on a personal level. We now know that Evie's heart valves are in very bad condition and are deteriorating and that, without surgery...soon..., she will probably, eventually die.
There's no stab-in-the-back issue, as there was with Joseph, but there is, the "in all things God works for the good of those who love Him" comfort.
One person Evie talked to about her situation mentioned the possibility that a believer could lose his/her faith at times like this. Clearly, that's not happening with her or me.
But, there are moments of discouragement and the level of our joy in His salvation is not what it's been.
We know that he's not forgotten or forsaken us. And, we trust in His love and care and in His sovereignty. But, the surgery is still going to happen.
Even with strong faith, both of us are anxious.
And, we both plead for your prayers.
2. As much as what Lance wrote touches my heart on a personal level, the truth is that, in the Spirit, I exist as a prophet who, by God's grace, sees these issues from 40,000 feet and who has, so far, an indestructible love for the CGGC.
I can't help but to see Lance's insight on the different seasons of life in terms of the CGGC institution of which Lance is, according to the CGGC Constitution, CEO.
My take on the first generation of the Church of God movement is that Winebrenner and his colleagues did struggle. And that their struggle was to attempt to be true to the Spirit in the face of blessings so amazing that, humanly speaking, they couldn't keep up.
Under the ministry of the Church of God, scores upon scores of people were repenting.
Winebrenner and his colleagues struggled mightily to be faithful stewards of the work the Spirit was doing in and through them.
They were humbled, and clearly fearful, to stand together in the midst of so great an outpouring of God's favor, seeing daily evidence of the Spirit's power and God's grace.
Yet, today,...
As a body, it's all about the "struggle, setback discouragement and weariness" Lance mentions.
Lance is correct to remind us that God works in our lives, even in times of struggle. We need not lose faith. We can, indeed, trust in Him.
It's how Lance describes the way we should respond that, I'm afraid, is lacking.
-----------------
Lance, courageously, mentions, if only in passing, that there are times that we struggle because of "sinful choices" we have made.
The CGGC truth in 2018 is that we are experiencing numerical decline and spiritual decay...
...that Lord of all authority and power and blessing...
...Who poured out His power and mercy and grace on us nearly 200 years ago to the point that walking in His blessing was, in itself, a challenge...
...isn't blessing us.
We plan and program and pray for His blessing on the work we offer to Him...
...we truly, and humbly, pray for His blessing...
...and, it's, at best, as if He never hears...
...but, of course, He does hear. He is all-knowing.
------------------
The time has long since passed for us to come to grips with the reality that the Lord isn't blessing us because of sinful choices we have made and are still making.
Our plans are not His will.
Our programs don't please Him.
Our prayers don't bring His blessing.
What Lance didn't say is that when your struggle results from sinful choices...
...the only right thing for you to do is to repent and to turn from you sin and turn to Him.
----------------
So, Lance is right. God doesn't waste anything.
The question for the CGGC for quite some time, has been: Will WE waste the opportunities of this moment?
So far, we have wasted them.
I do not believe that the Lord has forgotten us or forsaken us.
But, I also am convinced that we are wasting the moment.
Don't we know that we are struggling because of past (and present) sinful choices?
We have allowed ourselves to become an institution.
We don't walk by the Spirit.
And, as a result, we aren't walking in the power and blessing of the Spirit.
Will we waste this moment?
We must not waste it.
We must face up to the fact of our past and present sinful choices.
We must repent of them, turn away from them and turn to Him.
Friday, August 3, 2018
The One Absolutely ESSENTIAL Characteristic of an Apostle
The English word apostle is nothing more than the Greek word apostolos spelled out in English form.
The Greek word apostolos comes from the Greek verb apostello, which appears many, many times in the Gospels. The word means, to send out, or, to dispatch.
It's in Matthew 10:16 when Jesus says to the twelve, where they are first called apostles (v. 2), "Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves..."
By definition...by the very word selected to describe them by Jesus...an apostle is a person who is sent, a person who is dispatched...a person who is on the go.
Jesus apostellos apostoloses. He sends the sent ones.
The, these days, oft quoted, in The CHURCH ADVOCATE and the CGGC eNews, Ephesians 4:11, if quoted literally, might say, "And He gave the sent ones, the prophets..."
From the moment Jesus coined the word apostle to describe those 12 people and throughout the whole New Testament, apostles were restless people, people uncomfortable staying in one place for a long time, people only at ease with life when they were on the move.
Jesus made them to be that way. He makes them that way.
I have three thoughts about apostleship for today.
1. The one individual I've known personally who is most obviously gifted to be an apostle is a guy who was a Churches of God minister in the past.
He had several short, but successful, ministries in our body, left to minister elsewhere and, eventually abandoned pastoral ministry in frustration.
He was profoundly gifted but, very simply, couldn't stay in one place for a long time.
This was long before any of us heard the word APEST.
He, and the churches he served, and I'd guess CGGC bureaucrats, were all frustrated.
And, clearly, the cause of the Kingdom suffered because this guy was empowered by Jesus to do what apostles do but the organized and institutional church couldn't and wouldn't facilitate the way Jesus gifted this man.
His case is far too much the norm for people like him.
2. The CGGC is designed to chew apostles up and to spit them out.
The CGGC is all about, as the ERC has recently articulated it, pastors functioning as parish priests and denominational bureaucrats developing healthy churches.
Imagine a man or a woman with the characteristics displayed by New Testament apostles, and living in the Spirit, attempting to be an apostle in the midst of the values that guide current CGGC leaders.
We've had apostles in the CGGC but one of three things thwart them when they live in the Spirit in the CGGC. Either they are domesticated by the Shepherd Mafia, they leave us in frustration or they are made too uncomfortable to stay among us by the mountaintoppers atop the institution.
As of this moment, as far as I know, they are all gone from the CGGC.
3. No one in CGGC leadership today, based on the fruit they produce, is an apostle.
I intend no insult in saying that.
However, the essential characteristic of an apostle,...
...the characteristic Jesus Himself used to define the calling,...
...the sentness, the restlessness, the need to be on the go...
...is entirely absent...based on fruit...from everyone whose name is on a plaque outside an office in the CGGC headquarters building in Findlay.
The household of God has been built, first and foremost, on the foundation of the apostles. (Eph. 2:20).
And, the CGGC will not walk in the blessing of the Spirit until we welcome and embrace apostles...and empower their restless sentness.
We talk APEST.
We must change our ways and walk our talk. We must practice what we preach.
We must repent.
The Greek word apostolos comes from the Greek verb apostello, which appears many, many times in the Gospels. The word means, to send out, or, to dispatch.
It's in Matthew 10:16 when Jesus says to the twelve, where they are first called apostles (v. 2), "Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves..."
By definition...by the very word selected to describe them by Jesus...an apostle is a person who is sent, a person who is dispatched...a person who is on the go.
Jesus apostellos apostoloses. He sends the sent ones.
The, these days, oft quoted, in The CHURCH ADVOCATE and the CGGC eNews, Ephesians 4:11, if quoted literally, might say, "And He gave the sent ones, the prophets..."
From the moment Jesus coined the word apostle to describe those 12 people and throughout the whole New Testament, apostles were restless people, people uncomfortable staying in one place for a long time, people only at ease with life when they were on the move.
Jesus made them to be that way. He makes them that way.
I have three thoughts about apostleship for today.
1. The one individual I've known personally who is most obviously gifted to be an apostle is a guy who was a Churches of God minister in the past.
He had several short, but successful, ministries in our body, left to minister elsewhere and, eventually abandoned pastoral ministry in frustration.
He was profoundly gifted but, very simply, couldn't stay in one place for a long time.
This was long before any of us heard the word APEST.
He, and the churches he served, and I'd guess CGGC bureaucrats, were all frustrated.
And, clearly, the cause of the Kingdom suffered because this guy was empowered by Jesus to do what apostles do but the organized and institutional church couldn't and wouldn't facilitate the way Jesus gifted this man.
His case is far too much the norm for people like him.
2. The CGGC is designed to chew apostles up and to spit them out.
The CGGC is all about, as the ERC has recently articulated it, pastors functioning as parish priests and denominational bureaucrats developing healthy churches.
Imagine a man or a woman with the characteristics displayed by New Testament apostles, and living in the Spirit, attempting to be an apostle in the midst of the values that guide current CGGC leaders.
We've had apostles in the CGGC but one of three things thwart them when they live in the Spirit in the CGGC. Either they are domesticated by the Shepherd Mafia, they leave us in frustration or they are made too uncomfortable to stay among us by the mountaintoppers atop the institution.
As of this moment, as far as I know, they are all gone from the CGGC.
3. No one in CGGC leadership today, based on the fruit they produce, is an apostle.
I intend no insult in saying that.
However, the essential characteristic of an apostle,...
...the characteristic Jesus Himself used to define the calling,...
...the sentness, the restlessness, the need to be on the go...
...is entirely absent...based on fruit...from everyone whose name is on a plaque outside an office in the CGGC headquarters building in Findlay.
The household of God has been built, first and foremost, on the foundation of the apostles. (Eph. 2:20).
And, the CGGC will not walk in the blessing of the Spirit until we welcome and embrace apostles...and empower their restless sentness.
We talk APEST.
We must change our ways and walk our talk. We must practice what we preach.
We must repent.
Thursday, August 2, 2018
Sebaceous Cyst Drained
I sometimes use this blog as a journal. So, with that in mind...
It wasn't really a lot of fun but I suppose it could have been worse.
Now it's off to the pharmacy to get the antibiotic.
What a way to spend your day off!
"I Love My Church" T-Shirts
I work in Customer Service in a super market. So, in the course of a week, I see a lot of people. I'm not especially observant, but I do notice what is obviously noticeable.
Recently, I've observed a number of people, from different churches, wearing T-shirts with the saying, "I Love My Church," then advertising the name of the church.
People from outside the immediate area often shop in the store. We're close to a PA Turnpike exit and our meat department is renowned. People come from city areas for special sales. So, some of the beloved-churches are churches unknown to me.
One, however, is in this community. From what I know, it's what most mountaintoppers and, uh, pastors, in my denomination dream of, averaging 300-400 in Sunday Show attendance with several well-paid staffers and a reasonably new building.
But, and these days, and this, truly, is a reason for any church to be at least a tad defensive...
...only ONE campus.
"I Love My CHURCH."
My CHURCH.
It strikes me that, as I live among people, among so-called believers and among what churchy people call, "the unchurched," Jesus Himself is, increasingly, a nonfactor in the culture.
More and more all the time these days, I attempt, if even only in passing, often in what probably seems, to others, trivial ways, to make Jesus a part of conversation. But, I do talk about what Jesus Himself said...or did.
It's not hard for me to do because I'm, by nature, not a customer service person and I use the teachings of Jesus as linchpins to keep my behavior on the job centered.
I'm known by the owners of the store as a people person but it's only because because I keep the teachings of Jesus about self-denial and showing mercy and cheek-turning and second-mile-walking always on my mind and, occasionally, on my lips when I'm asked how or why I do what I do.
It's a regular thing for people I work with, and serve, to focus on and to talk about their church. But, the Lord of the church?
Jesus?
Honestly? Not so much.
At the store, it wouldn't be good customer service for me to go to someone wearing, "I Love My Church," to ask them why they're not advertising their love for Jesus, or to question if they actually do love Him.
So, I don't...
...out loud.
But, honestly, as Christianity declines in the culture, I do see much more church-loving than Jesus-living.
We must repent.
Recently, I've observed a number of people, from different churches, wearing T-shirts with the saying, "I Love My Church," then advertising the name of the church.
People from outside the immediate area often shop in the store. We're close to a PA Turnpike exit and our meat department is renowned. People come from city areas for special sales. So, some of the beloved-churches are churches unknown to me.
One, however, is in this community. From what I know, it's what most mountaintoppers and, uh, pastors, in my denomination dream of, averaging 300-400 in Sunday Show attendance with several well-paid staffers and a reasonably new building.
But, and these days, and this, truly, is a reason for any church to be at least a tad defensive...
...only ONE campus.
"I Love My CHURCH."
My CHURCH.
It strikes me that, as I live among people, among so-called believers and among what churchy people call, "the unchurched," Jesus Himself is, increasingly, a nonfactor in the culture.
More and more all the time these days, I attempt, if even only in passing, often in what probably seems, to others, trivial ways, to make Jesus a part of conversation. But, I do talk about what Jesus Himself said...or did.
It's not hard for me to do because I'm, by nature, not a customer service person and I use the teachings of Jesus as linchpins to keep my behavior on the job centered.
I'm known by the owners of the store as a people person but it's only because because I keep the teachings of Jesus about self-denial and showing mercy and cheek-turning and second-mile-walking always on my mind and, occasionally, on my lips when I'm asked how or why I do what I do.
It's a regular thing for people I work with, and serve, to focus on and to talk about their church. But, the Lord of the church?
Jesus?
Honestly? Not so much.
At the store, it wouldn't be good customer service for me to go to someone wearing, "I Love My Church," to ask them why they're not advertising their love for Jesus, or to question if they actually do love Him.
So, I don't...
...out loud.
But, honestly, as Christianity declines in the culture, I do see much more church-loving than Jesus-living.
We must repent.
Two Weeks until Surgery
Evie did all of her pre-admission stuff yesterday. I didn't go with her. Elaine, my brother's wife, drove.
Things went well.
And, the hospital and the staff and, particularly, the surgeon, are all impressive.
On a human level, everything is as good as we could ask.
Still, the reality is daunting.
Eight years ago right now, Evie was about to have the last of eight chemo treatments, to be followed by cancer surgery and radiation therapy.
And, I don't remember either of us being this stressed.
It's hard to know why.
Our faith is as strong, or stronger, than ever. And, Evie, especially, walks through this valley with what seems to be as much joy as ever.
But, even for her, I think that there are moments when the reality of what the surgery will entail...the stopping of her heart...the breaking of her sternum...the insertion of a cow valve into her heart...all the drugs, the tubes, being hooked up to a respirator, spending days in ICU...gets to her.
----------------
This is one of those moments when it's obvious that a person reaps what they sow.
Evie has always been a person of compassion and of grace and of extraordinary mercy.
And, people are coming out of the woodwork to offer prayer and much more practical assistance as she approaches the surgery and the lengthy period of recuperation.
All of that helps.
But,...
It's going to be a long haul.
I've said many times that Evie's a very private person but she wants everyone in the world to be praying for her.
And, that is a central truth of this time in our lives.
Thanks for praying...
...and, for everything else.
Things went well.
And, the hospital and the staff and, particularly, the surgeon, are all impressive.
On a human level, everything is as good as we could ask.
Still, the reality is daunting.
Eight years ago right now, Evie was about to have the last of eight chemo treatments, to be followed by cancer surgery and radiation therapy.
And, I don't remember either of us being this stressed.
It's hard to know why.
Our faith is as strong, or stronger, than ever. And, Evie, especially, walks through this valley with what seems to be as much joy as ever.
But, even for her, I think that there are moments when the reality of what the surgery will entail...the stopping of her heart...the breaking of her sternum...the insertion of a cow valve into her heart...all the drugs, the tubes, being hooked up to a respirator, spending days in ICU...gets to her.
----------------
This is one of those moments when it's obvious that a person reaps what they sow.
Evie has always been a person of compassion and of grace and of extraordinary mercy.
And, people are coming out of the woodwork to offer prayer and much more practical assistance as she approaches the surgery and the lengthy period of recuperation.
All of that helps.
But,...
It's going to be a long haul.
I've said many times that Evie's a very private person but she wants everyone in the world to be praying for her.
And, that is a central truth of this time in our lives.
Thanks for praying...
...and, for everything else.
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