Wednesday, April 30, 2008
I’ve lost my mind.
Up until four months ago I thought the only people who listened to country music were those who skipped routine dental visits so they could buy extra beer and pork rinds for when the cousin they were engaged to came over to watch Wrestlemania and NASCAR.
Now, unbelievably, and I’m sure this will come as a great shock to those within the church I serve; I’m slowly changing my mind.
While I’m still convinced most country music lovers contemplate going to family reunions to pick up women, I’m actually, and it shocks me to say this, starting to like it.
Rascal Flatts. Sugarland. Toby Keith. Kenny Chesney. Taylor Swift. Keith Urban. Martina McBride. Four months ago I had no idea who any of these people/groups were. Then, out of nowhere, I made the decision that I was sick of listening to classic rock and alternative rock and wanted to learn a little bit about a musical genre I knew nothing about. So I forced myself to listen to 92.5 WXTU “Philadelphia’s Country Station” everyday for four long months.
And I’ve been surprised.
So much so, that, believe it or not, we’re going to do our first-ever (and more than likely last) country-music inspired sermon series.
In two weeks we’re going to launch a 4-part series that’s a take off of the 2008 CMT Awards. We’re calling it the “CMT Awards.”
The CMT stands for “Corinthian Moral Troubles.”
When you read through the pages of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians), you begin to wonder if you’re reading the lyrics to a country music song – there’s always someone fighting, drinking, and cheating on somebody.
After Paul founded this tiny church in the cosmopolitan Greek city of Corinth in 52 a.d., he left to start more churches in other cities. In his absence the people in that new church began making immoral lifestyle choices that jeopardized the life of the church.
So Paul shot off 1 Corinthians, challenging them point by point to change their ways. Their immoral choices were beyond anything we read about anywhere else in New Testament! Paul essentially awarded them with what could be called the “CMT Awards” – The Corinthian Moral Troubles Awards. Their crazy lifestyle choices took the prize!
So starting on May 11th we’re going to look at those awards, and the issues that prompted them. We’re going to do so because, quite honestly, Paul could have just as easily written that letter to any church today, even our own.
Well, that’s the series in a nutshell – 1 Corinthians with a little country twang.
I just have four simple requests:
1. Do not make out with your hot cousin in the back row during the worship service, unless she's Carrie Underwood.
2. Do not bring beer coolers or dogs into the church building.
3. Please park all trailers in the back section of the parking lot.
4. Post a comment and give me your favorite country music song and I’ll pass that on to our Art’s team. We're looking for ideas.
God help us. God help us all.
Countdown To The CMT Awards
Apologetix and the Demise of Christian Art
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
“The confusion comes about because much so-called religious art is in fact bad art, and therefore bad religion.” -- Madeleine L’Engle
I have a friend who will only listen to Christian music. By that she means music that only uses explicitly Christian lyrics – Jesus, God, Bible verses, salvation, heaven, and hell – all mingled throughout.
However, she would also contend that her musical tastes aren’t marked so much by lyrics contained within the songs, as the words that are kept out of them. No cuss words ever darken the doors of her iPOD. Profanities, hate, vulgarities of any kind, are all blocked by an unassailable wall of Christian censorship.
Her favorite band is a group called Apologetix. They make their living by taking popular songs that everyone likes on the radio, making the lyrics palatable to those within the evangelical/fundamentalist subculture, and then peddling them as a more spiritual alternative to the “world’s music.”
A few years ago a group named Smash Mouth came out with a song called “All-Star.” The song began:
Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me
I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed
She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb
In the shape of an "L" on her forehead
Apologetix took that song, re-wrote the lyrics and re-titled it “Pray Now.” Here’s how the spiritually revised tune starts out:
Somebody once told me the Lord is not your roadie
You ain't the star so do it yourself
I said look it's kind of dumb if there's things I need done
It's a shame not to call on the Lord's help
As I read Apologetix’s re-write, I’m struck by two things:
1. Avoiding profanity and vulgarity is a important thing to do as a Christ follower.
2. Expunging profanity and vulgarity from a song, or a poem, or the walls of a dormitory does not necessarily make what replaces it art. And it most definitely does not make it Christian art.
The Sistine chapel. Mozart. Paradise Lost. The Pieta. These are examples of great Christian art.
Juxtapose those pieces with Apologetix, and the fifty kagillion Thomas Kinkade paintings in evangelical homes everywhere, and many of the poorly written books sagging Christian bookstore shelves across the country.
Just because something is labeled Christian, doesn’t make it so.
To me something is “Christian art” if…
1. It is done with excellence.
2. It is done with beauty.
3. It captures some piece of the human experience.
4. It points to something greater than the artist who created it.
Art doesn’t become “Christian” simply because someone throws in evangelical buzzwords, and it certainly doesn’t happen when someone high-jacks someone else’s body of work and makes it palatable to a certain audience.
Art becomes “Christian” when those who view it, read it, or listen to it swear to themselves that they can see fingerprints left from another world.
My Two Ex-Friends
Friday, April 25, 2008
While I was busy working this week, two friends, who are now ex-friends of mine, went striper fishing without me and had the gall to send me the photos to prove it.
The end of April is stripped bass season around here. They run up and down the Delaware spawning and then go back into the ocean. They get massive in size.
Here’s a picture of my ex-friend Scott Summers in the white hat holding a 40" 35 pound striper his fishing partner (pictured below) caught under the Commodore Barry Bridge. That's like the size of a small first grader!
Below him is a picture of my ex-friend Mike Reimer in a baseball hat who also went with my ex-friend Scott Summers and caught a striper without me. Mike was the guy I talked about going trout fishing with in chapter 6 of Second Guessing God.One cool thing about my ex-friend Mike is that he creates Gyotaku fish prints for people. Gyotaku (pronounced GHEE-OH-TAH-KOO) is the art and technique of Japanese fish printing. They’re beautiful gifts or keepsakes to give people.
You can check out my ex-friend’s website and fishing log at http://www.michaelreimer.com/.
Wounds From A Friend Can Be Trusted
Thursday, April 24, 2008
This week we had another Leadership Team meeting. I continue to be amazed at the godly people God has assembled to guide this church.
One of the things on my agenda for after the meeting was a one on one with Paul Williams. Paul has been a personal friend and mentor for many years.
In March the CCV staff finished our annual 360 degree reviews where everyone on our staff had an opportunity to weigh on the positive and negative aspects of each other’s performance. It’s pretty affirming and painful stuff all at the same time.
Once that process was over I emailed Paul the complete file and we agreed that after the Leadership Team meeting in April we would meet for my review.
“Brian, you know I think the world of you, don’t you?” he started.
“Yes, I believe that 100%. I trust you completely.”
“Then please understand that what I’m about to share comes from a heart that loves you and only wants to see you become all that God has called you to become.”
Then he took a deep breath and shared two things:
1. He shared a story from his own life where he struggled with what he was about to share with me. That put me at ease. Right off the bat he made it clear that he wasn’t positioning himself as someone who didn’t understand my struggles.
2. Then he slowly said, “Brian, I think ______________________.”
My chin immediately dropped.
I just sat in silence and listened to what he shared.
I thought, He nailed it.
He IMMEDIATELY nailed the core theme that emerged loud and clear through the reviews.
As he expounded point by point though, two things became abundantly clear to me: First, I needed to change. Second, Paul was not judging me, but cheering me on.
I told Paul that I agreed with everything he said, without exception, and that I also continue to be overwhelmed by his love and graciousness towards me.
Together we made a plan to help me proceed, and then he put his hand on my shoulder and said, "You know I love you and think the world of you, don't you?"
I said, "Absolutely."
Proverbs 27:6 says, “Wounds from a friend can be trusted.”
I know that first-hand.
Evolutionists in the Hands of a Mediocre Filmmaker
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
The other night I had the evening free so I decided to go see Ben Stein’s “Expelled” with two friends (I felt guilty for recommending it and then not seeing it this past weekend).
Here’s how the night went for me:
9:25 p.m. Couldn’t wait for the movie to start.
9:45 p.m. Wondered if the whole movie would be interview after interview interspersed with ridiculous black and white 1950’s movie clips for affectation.
10:01 p.m. Looked over to see if my friends were sleeping.
10:07 p.m. Started text messaging people.
10:09 p.m. Realized that yes, indeed, the whole movie was going to be interview after interview with ridiculous black and white 1950's movie clips for affection.
10:10 p.m. Prayed, “Dear Jesus, let the building collapse and put me out of my misery.”
10:37 p.m. “Um. Huh. What? Was I sleeping?”
10:41 p.m. I hear someone snoring. I realize it was me.
10:42 p.m. I look for a sharp edge on my theater seat to impale myself.
10:45 p.m. I tell my friends, “Guys, I quit. Meet me in the lobby. This is the worst movie I’ve seen since Rocky 5.”
After plugging the movie on my blog and then actually seeing it for myself, here's my two cents:
1. The argument that vigorous debate over Darwinism has been censored in some academic circles was convincingly made, after about 20 minutes.
2. “Expelled” should have been reduced to 42 minutes and shown in a one hour PBS special.
3. I really appreciated Ben Stein's heart, but not necessarily his filmmaking skills.
Judas Priest, My Personal Trainer
Friday, April 11, 2008
Since I wrote my "Overweight Pastors" blog post I’ve been trying to get back into the gym and get my rear in shape, if for no other reason than I’m tired of my daughters telling me I have “moobies”— a.k.a. “man boobies.”
But getting there consistently and moving iron around has been difficult, and I’ve been trying to figure out why.
Then it hit me: Enya and David Crowder don’t really get my adrenal glands pumping!
I knew what I needed to do. This week I went to Itunes and downloaded some of the early 80’s head-banging heavy metal music my mom hated me listening to when I was a kid.
Here’s what I put on my Ipod:
Kiss: Rock and Roll All Nite
Van Halen: Runnin’ With the Devil, You Really Got Me, Panama
Iron Maiden: Run To The Hills
Rush: Closer to the Heart, Freewill, The Spirit of Radio, Tom Sawyer
The last group I added was my favorite from the 80’s -- Judas Priest. Here’s what I downloaded from them:
Judas Priest: You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’, Breaking The Law, Living After Midnight
Now I'm running around the weight room like a madman on speed, bobbing my head up and down with the music blaring. No more moobies for this pastor. I found the secret: Judas Priest and my banned 80's rock music!
Sorry mom.
(P.S. -- It wasn't until a few years ago that I found out that the lead singer for Judas Priest, Rob Halford, was gay. Evidently hanging out with guys in leather, whips, and chains didn't tip me off.)
Sushi and Full-Frontal Nudity
Monday, April 21, 2008
Here are some things happening in my world…
Two New Books To Read
I’m excited about two new books I picked up to read this week:
100 Ways to Improve Your Writing
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
Time Off Last Week
Last week I took two vacation days to shovel 2.5 tons of rock around my yard (the previous owners used rock instead of mulch…go figure). It was great just working in the yard and clearing my head. The weather was stunning -- 70 degrees and sunny every day. My back still hurts though!
Art’s Pastor Search
We’re narrowing our search for our worship pastor and really excited about the possibilities. We should have someone hired by June 1.
Youth Pastor Search
We’re accepting applications for our Student Ministry Pastor position. If you are interested send your resume to Kevin Stone at Kevin@moviechurch.com. Our goal is to have someone here by mid July.
Sushi and Full-Frontal Nudity
On Saturday Lisa and I went on a date to the Tokyo Japanese Restaurant in Skippack and ate sushi. Skippack is just gorgeous this time of year. Because dinner went so long we didn’t make it in time to see Expelled. Rushed and not sure what to see, we followed the crowd into Forgetting Sarah Marshall (knowing absolutely nothing about the movie). Dumb idea.
Within 2 minutes we were staring at a guy’s penis. A few minutes after that we in line to get a refund for our tickets.
Listen, I’ve been to a few rated R movies and have NEVER seen anything like that. What the heck is going on? I’m with Jud Wilhite at Central Christian in Las Vegas. There is no “culture war” going on any longer. There may have been a war at one time, but we lost.
Do you hear that? The culture war is over. We lost.
Conflicted About Evolution vs. Creation? -- Go See "Expelled" Tonight
Friday, April 18, 2008
Ben Stein’s movie “Expelled” hits theaters nationwide tonight. Are you going?
“Expelled” shows how educators and scientists are being ridiculed, denied tenure and even fired – all for merely believing that there might be evidence of “design” in nature, and that perhaps life is not just the result of accidental, random chance.
Whether or not you want to see it, here’s my two cents on the subject:
1. I do not believe the earth is 6,000 years old.
2. I do not believe the earth was created in six “literal” days.
3. I believe in micro-evolution (adaptations within a specific species), but not macro-evolution (single-cell organisms mutating into human beings).
Micro-evolution is all about explaining how people getting taller, animals adapt to their surroundings, and country music singers stop wearing mullets.
Macro-evolution is all about explaining how single-cell creatures brewed in a gooey soup developed through mutation and natural selection into the vast array of plant and animal life that populate the planet.
3. Many educated Christians have been able to reconcile their belief in creation with macro-evolution (i.e. God could have instantaneously created the world but then created humans through the evolutionary process).
4. I’m not one of them.
I’m firmly in the “conflicted Intelligent Design” camp. I don’t buy into all the young earth creationist stuff, but at the same time I don’t buy the idea that humans are the accidental result of random mutations over billions of years.
Why?
1. Scientists I respect and trust reject the theory of macro-evolution.
Read what Michael Denton, the famous molecular biologist said: “[Evolutionary theory] is still, as it was in Darwin’s time, a highly speculative hypothesis entirely without direct factual support and very far from that self-evident axiom some of its more aggressive advocates would have us believe.”
2. Macro-evolution contradicts one of the most basic laws of science -- the Second Law of Thermodynamics.
Everyone knows that Second Law of Thermodynamics says that in any system, energy moves from order to disorder. Things tend to break down into the less-complicated pieces rather than increase in complexity.
3. The lack of evidence of transitional fossil forms.
If macro-evolution is accurate, the fossil records of animal history should reveal an utter absence of precise family boundaries. Everything should be in the process of changing into something else - with literally hundreds of millions of half-developed fish trying to become amphibious, and reptiles halfway transformed into birds, and mammals looking like half-apes or half-men. Instead of finding billions of confused family fossils, scientists have found exactly the opposite. Not one single drifting, changing life form has been studied (except televangelists).
Darwin himself confessed, "There are two or three million species on earth. A sufficient field one might think for observation; but it must be said today that in spite of all the evidence of trained observers, not one change of the species to another is on record." (Life and Letters, Vol. 3, p. 25).
4. Macro-evolution is a theory. Just a theory.
Check out Expelled tonight and tell me if you agree. Here’s the trailer:
Making Room For New Ideas
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Last week I got rid of 1/3 of the books in my personal library. Books are the lifeblood of any spiritual leader, so I was pretty surprised during a recent prayer time when I felt the spirit’s nudge to “clean this place out.”
I believe it was more than an effort on God’s part to create more shelf space. I’m pretty sure it was the spirit’s prompting to take stock of the ideas that had influenced me up to this point in my journey and to begin, both literally and metaphorically, to make room for new ideas.
I approached each book in my library with one simple question: “Has this book so profoundly influenced me that I can see myself reading it 2-3 more times and sharing it with other people?” If the answer was negative, it went into the “Ebay pile.”
Here were a few things that crossed my mind as I did this:
1. Besides biblical study and language resources, which I didn’t touch, I quickly learned that I purchased two kinds of books over the years: timeless books and quick-fix how-to books. Books I’d throw in the timeless category were books like Ordering Your Private World
2. The empty shelves have become symbolic for me. When Lisa came down to my office at the end of the day she looked around and said, “What happened here?” I said, “Time for something new.”
I love the feeling of emptiness around me now. It has the fresh smell of intellectual and spiritual hunger, the kind of aroma I first sensed when I started out in ministry.
People Pleasing Pastors – Pastors Gone Wild (Part 5)
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
A few years ago a couple approached me with clenched fists after a sermon.
I thought this can’t be good.
All weekend people thanked me for teaching on a topic that had frustrated them for years. I worked tirelessly on the message and felt that God had honored the time on my knees and at my computer.
It was a good weekend.
Then this couple, ironically both professors at a local Christian College, accused me of “twisting my words” and “misleading people.” For 12 minutes they raked me over the coals as my tear-down crew walked by wrapping up speaker cables and moving cabinets before the movie in our theater started.
It takes a lot to rattle me. Three hours later I was still trying to quell that nervousness, the kind of feeling you get after you’re in an automobile accident. After their verbal blistering I had to simply walk away; but they chased me down and gave me more.
Stewing on it a few days later, I was amazed by two things:
First, I was amazed at how much that one negative conversation overshadowed the twenty-five or so positive ones that also took place.
Second, I was amazed by how negative people still affect me after preaching all these years.
One of the temptations we pastors can succumb to is preparing and delivering sermons based on the compliments, requests, flattery and feedback of the people we serve. While we always want to preach to meet the spiritual needs of the people we serve, what if God wants us to preach on something that will royally tick them off?
Just this week in my time with God I began reading the book of Ezekiel. Look at what God told Ezekiel when he called him to preach,
"The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says.' And whether they listen or fail to listen—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them. And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or be terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house. You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious." (Ezekiel 2:4-7)
I was struck by that. Not only because I’m usually more rebellious than anyone I’m speaking to, but because of how chicken I can be.
I want to be liked.
I hate getting criticized.
I don't want Ezekiel's job.
But that’s our calling.
As my dad tells me, “You stand up there and tell the truth and take the hits like a man. That’s just what leaders do. It’s not easy, but if it were, everybody would be doing your job.”
Pastors, if you’re having trouble wanting to please people through what you say on Sundays, you’ll do well to heed the advice of the great 4th century pastor, St. Chrysostom. In Book 5, section 7 of On the Priesthood, his preaching “how to” book for pastors of his day, he urged,
“Let, therefore, the man who undertakes the strain of teaching never give heed to the good opinion of the outside world, nor be dejected in soul on account of such persons; but laboring at his sermons so that he may please God, (For let this alone be his rule and determination, in discharging this best kind of workmanship, not acclamation, nor good opinions,) if, indeed, he be praised by men, let him not repudiate their applause, and when his hearers do not offer this, let him not seek it, let him not be grieved. For a sufficient consolation in his labors, and one greater than all, is when he is able to be conscious of arranging and ordering his teaching with a view to pleasing God.”
Read other posts in this series:
Pastors Gone Wild – New Series Begins Today
Why Pastors Yield To Sexual Temptation (Part 1)
Does Your Pastor Really Believe In Hell? (Part 2)
Effeminate Pastors (Part 3)
Overweight Pastors (Part 4)
People Pleasing Pastors (Part 5)
Overweight Pastors – Pastors Gone Wild (Part 4)
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
A few years ago I was visiting another church, and once the worship began I was struck by an odd sight. The worship singers, ranging in age from their 20’s to 50’s, were all significantly overweight. Now I really don't care about a person's weight personally, and never have, but it did seem a little odd to me.
The whole time I couldn’t focus on the words to the songs as these three people squeezed together on the tiny stage to lead us in worship. I looked around to see if anyone else was tilting their head to the side, puzzled at what they saw on the stage. Finally I leaned over to my friend that had invited me to that church and jokingly asked, as a struggling and proud member of Weight Watchers myself, “Did your Weight Watchers support group check in for your worship team?”
What happens when the staff members on your stage are overweight?
1. It affects non-Christians who attend
Sure, Christians are trained not to judge people, but when someone on the stage can’t control their diet and lifestyle, it makes people checking out the church wonder if they can trust what else these people have to say.
2. It affects the Christians in the church
Overweight people on the stage send a signal that the leaders of this church have no self-control. I’m fairly certain that it implicitly gives people permission to do the same. I know this is the case because when I’m around churches where people on the stage are physically fit, it inspires me to do likewise. I assume it works in reverse.
Pastors, we have to understand that the image we ourselves project as church leaders is just as important as the programming itself. Churches that do evangelism right spend countless man hours and dollars creating compelling services – lights, stage, video, drama, experiential elements, etc. What we pastors often fail to realize is that we are part of that presentation. Shouldn’t we put the same amount of planning and intensity into our own presentation as well as the other elements?
Here’s the sad part of all of this: I know all this and I’m still 25 pounds overweight. I know this to be true because (1) I weighed myself the other day and (2) while I’m shaving my daughters will come up behind me, grab my chest and jokingly yell “moobies!” (a.k.a. – “man boobies”).
I’ve hung around pastors for years now, and unfortunately carrying a few extra pounds is common for those behind the pulpit, and it’s not because we’re lazy.
Why are so many pastors overweight?
1. Like so many with corporate jobs, we work long hard hours.
I work on average 65-70 hours a week, every week. Our main problem is there’s always one more thing to do, one more person to help, so given the choice, we so often sacrifice time for taking care of ourselves for helping other people.
2. At least 25 hours a week of what we do is sedentary.
We spend countless hours behind the computer monitor doing sermon writing and Bible-study creating kinda work. And what do we do to keep the energy flowing while we’re thinking and typing? You guessed it. We eat.
3. We’re flippin stressed out.
If you want to know who’s most likely to go postal in your community, just look at that guy behind the pulpit. Problems. Complainers. The giving is down. Attendance is low. This family has this problem. That family is saying this about you. These people are unhappy. The nutty fundamentalist pastor down the street is talking smack about your church again. It’s unbearable at times. So what do we do to reduce the stress? We eat, or at least I do.
No wonder so many pastors I know are overweight.
So pastors, let’s make a commitment to one another that we’re going to change this. Let’s trust that by taking the time to take care of ourselves, God will pick up the slack.
And let’s trust the people we serve, that when they see us in the gym they’ll understand the importance of what we’re doing and support us in our efforts to stay fit and healthy for life.
We can do this.
(An afterthought: please understand I am only talking to pastors on this post. And I am in no way referring to pastors who have thyroid problems, etc., and medically have problems losing weight. I have a good friend who is in this situation and he explains to his congregation, "This is my cross" and they love him because of his honesty. The last thing I want to do is add more guilt to anyone. I'm talking specifically to pastors who can and should lose weight by exchanging their sedentary and workaholic lifestyle for one of proper nutrition and exercise).
Read other posts in this series:
Pastors Gone Wild – New Series Begins Today
Why Pastors Yield To Sexual Temptation (Part 1)
Does Your Pastor Really Believe In Hell? (Part 2)
Effeminate Pastors (Part 3)
Overweight Pastors (Part 4)
People Pleasing Pastors (Part 5)
Protecting Our Hearts From “Doom and Gloom” People
Monday, April 14, 2008
Here’s an excerpt from a chapter called “Distance” in Getting Rid of the Gorilla:
The writer of Proverbs 4:23 understood how crucial it is to guard the spiritual and emotional core of who we are. Notice the phrase “above all else.” There was no punctuation in ancient Hebrew, so to call attention to something he wanted to emphasize, a Jewish writer placed it at the beginning of the sentence. By placing “above all else” at the front of this proverb, the writer was saying, “Trust me, whatever you do in life, and I mean whatever you do, make sure you guard your heart!”
In 1997 I learned why this is important. That was the year I quit being a pastor. I didn’t make a formal announcement to my congregation, but I might as well have; I was out of there. In my mind I had one very good reason for removing my hand from the plow: a man I’ll call Jim.
He was an older gentleman who felt called by God to be my accountability partner—without asking me. One day he offered to take me out to eat, and, underprepared for what was about to happen, I accepted. Setting down his sandwich, Jim said, “Brian, there are hundreds of things you are doing wrong at our church, but for the sake of time I’ve shortened my list to ten.”
Caught completely off guard, I made the mistake of saying, “Start with number one.” Two and a half hours later, I left with 50 percent less self-esteem and a really good case for why first cousins should never marry.
After that meeting, Jim decided it was his special calling from God to point out my mistakes on a weekly basis—through letters, phone calls, notes in the offerings bowls, frowns during my sermons, and endless discussions with other church members behind my back. Jim was the first person I ever met with the spiritual gift of slander.
In his book Travels with Charley
That was Jim, and I hated him for it. For an entire year, he wrecked my life—he single-handedly wrecked me emotionally.
There’s a reason Proverbs 4:23 cautions us to guard our hearts: God doesn’t expect us to keep allowing people like Jim to hurt us. God isn’t sadistic; he doesn’t expect us to keep going back for second helpings of pain. Creating distance is simply a way we guard our hearts from getting trampled on again and again.
“Gee Wally, Why Does Mrs. Henderson Date Other Women And Attend A Buddhist Temple? (sermon series pipeline)
Friday, April 11, 2008
Here’s a sermon series that I’m playing with right now…
Key Idea:
For a while now I’ve wanted to do a 3 part series that challenges the sacrosanct world-view of 21st century people.
All things being equal, the average person in 2008 believes…
-Everyone’s belief and lifestyle is equally valid (tolerance)
-Nobody has access to absolute truth (relativism)
-I’m still trying to narrow down a third one (any ideas?)
The Germans have a word for the current religious, political and cultural climate of the day. They call it “zeitgeist.” In short, it’s the spirit of the times or age.
Pop-Cultural Packaging:
I’m intrigued by the concept of somehow tying this series to the old TV show Leave it to Beaver. For some good ideas starters on the Beave and Wally check out this LINK.
Biblical Passages:
None yet. Sometimes the passage comes first. Sometimes the topic comes first.
As promised, this is a work in progress. Any ideas?
Click HERE for more background on the “sermon series pipeline.”
Moving Our “Sermon Series Pipeline” Above Ground
Friday, April 11, 2008
A Pharmaceutical company, long-term, is only as good as their “pipeline.” Simply put, the “pipeline” is the place where hundreds of people work behind the scenes testing, researching, and refining their product before it goes to market. This process can go on for as long as 5-10 years before a drug is ultimately rejected or sold in drug stores.
I’d like to try that here. I’d like, on occasion, to take our teaching team’s “sermon series pipeline” and make it public. I want to begin sharing my ideas through this blog for possible upcoming sermon series at CCV. I’ll try it for a while, and if gains traction I’ll keep doing it. If not I’ll nix it.
I’m calling these posts, not coincidently, “Sermons Series Pipeline.” My hope is that as I do this a mixture of pastor friends across the country, friends here at CCV, our staff, and perfect strangers will weigh in on what is being processed. Anyone can weigh in, add ideas, share why something is stupid, what they would do if they were me, etc.
I’ll present these ideas knowing full well most of them won’t “make it” to an actual series, but some will. And they’ll be better because of the interaction. And along the way if this spurs creativity on the part of other pastors and helps them in their service to the churches they serve, so much the better.
Here’s what our teaching team attempts to do with each series:
* 3-4 week series of sermons connected to one unified theme
* Addresses a genuine need/interest people have
* Matched with a biblical passage that addresses that need or question
* Has a pop-cultural connection in the way it is packaged
* Supplemented by created sermon titles, images, songs (both Christian and secular), video clips, art, stories, etc.
* All crafted in such a way to create buzz in our church and community
My goal is never to present the finished product, but simply to present an idea and have those who are interested comment, “I have a better idea. Why not…”
Idol Gives Back and the Misguided Church
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Last night I caught a few minutes of American Idol’s much hyped, “Idol Gives Back.” It seemed every “A List” celebrity in the world was brought in to appeal to the American public to send money to fight poverty, disease, and to make the world a better place to live.
Oddly, As I watched, I thought to myself, Maybe the church is starting to sound TOO MUCH like Idol Gives Back, and Bono, and the United Way. Maybe the pendulum has swung too far in the opposite direction.
For years many of my pastor friends complained that for too long American Christians have been preoccupied with “saving souls” and not caring about how those souls live in the “here and now.”
At the time they were right.
But now, it appears, Christians are more consumed with fighting AIDS in Africa, and homelessness in America, and poverty worldwide, than they are in telling people how Christ died for their sins.
What’s missing, it seems, is the urgency to share the saving message of Christ, without which a person will surely go to hell after they live their life here on this earth.
Here’s my question: What good is it if we give someone medical care, making their life more comfortable for the next 60 years, if we ignore sharing Christ and they spend not 60 years, but all eternity separated from God?
It’s not a question of either/or, but both/and.
Surely the works of the gospel (social justice) must precede and accompany the preaching of the gospel (Christ’s payment for your sins). But if we don't actually open our mouths and share the message of the Christian faith and call for a response, we’re no different than some cheesy suntanned TV personality raising money for charity.
The 10 Most Read Posts In The Last Month
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Here are the 10 most visited posts from the previous month:
South Park – Christianity’s Greatest Critics – Part 2
7 Ways We Keep Church Hoppers From Staying
It Takes A Real Pastor To Preach A Sermon On 1 Kings 14:10
Why Pastors Yield To Sexual Temptation – Pastors Gone Wild (Part 1)
Are People Born Wicked?
Social Change Agents – Christianity’s Greatest Critics – Part 5
8 Creative Things Churches Did For Easter
Effeminate Pastors – Pastors Gone Wild (Part 3)
Does Your Pastor Really Believe In Hell? – Pastors Gone Wild (Part 2)
Oprah, Eckhart Tolle, and A New Earth
Thank You For Your Prayers
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
I want to thank you for your prayers yesterday. It was a real quick trip. I went on Every Day with Marcus and Lisa in the morning, then went by another local Atlanta station for a 20 minute interview in the afternoon, and then jumped on a 5:17pm flight back to Philly.
My quick thoughts on Christian TV?
While there are certainly the excesses of crazy ladies with purple hair and nutty evangelists with $3,000 Italian suits, Marcus and Lisa were normal. I went in to the station and hung out with them, and then a little while later their three daughters came in and joined us. I found them to be a family who simply wants to be in ministry together, and felt that one way to do that was to serve God through television. I came away realizing that these guys really broke through my stereotype of Christian TV personalities. It was refreshing.
The best part of the trip
The best part of the trip for me, however, came when I got to my hotel room and found this little stuffed lion and a note from my 9 year old tucked away inside my bag. She knew I was more than a little nervous, so she decided to write a little note that said “do a good job daddy” and hid it and the lion underneath my clothes.
Maybe I was just being emotional, but I couldn’t help but see the unintentional symbolism of the lion, as well as the tender generosity of my daughter.
From now on I’m taking that lion with me whenever I travel.
I’m On TV Today…No Joke
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Today I have the opportunity to go on two television shows and share the message of Getting Rid of the Gorilla. If you know me, you know I’m not a real big of being in front of the camera, especially Christian television cameras. But God opened this door, so here I am.
If you’re around a TV set and want to see what’s happening, here’s where you can find me:
11:00am (ET) Everyday with Marcus and Lisa Ryan on Familynet
You can find your local listing HERE.
1:30pm (ET) WATC/TV Atlanta with Greg West
Can I ask you for a favor? Please pray for me. Last night I asked my publicist, “How many people watch these shows? I’m pretty nervous.” She said, “A little more than 10 million.” “Oh, that’s just wonderful,” I shot back.
Please pray that…
--People who have been wounded can find hope and healing
--More people than just my mom and some crazy lady in Oklahoma City with 16 cats tunes in
--I get out of the way
--I don’t get nervous voice
Thanks everyone.
Brian
Oprah, Eckhart Tolle, and A New Earth
Over 2,000,000 people from 139 countries have participated with Oprah Winfrey and Eckhart Tolle in a live Web-based seminar covering each chapter of Tolle’s recent book entitled, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose
.I just finished the book myself.
Here’s my take:
1. There’s nothing new in it. It simply regurgitates the same old stuff you can get from virtually any book in the “New Age” section of your local Barnes & Noble.
2. It was a snoozer. Academic German types are not known for getting right to the point and saying it with flare.
3. Christians need to know there are significant differences between what Eckhart is teaching (and Oprah is endorsing) and what the Bible teaches.
For a balanced article that compares the teachings of the Bible with A New Earth, click HERE.
Thanks Matt and Carrie!
Sunday, April 06, 2008
For those who were not at CCV’s Sunday morning services today to hear this firsthand, I want to share that it is with both sadness and excitement that Matt Silver has accepted the position of Youth Pastor at Mountain Christian Church in Bel Air, MD.
Six years ago Matt came to CCV selling shoes at the KOP Mall, and now he leaves as one of the finest Youth Pastors in the country.
Let me share a few things to help everyone process this announcement.
1. Mountain Christian Church has a huge need. They are a church of 3,500 and have been through 5 youth pastors recently. They have a strong ministry, but it isn’t as outreach-oriented as the leadership would like, and Matt’s skill set will make an immediate impact there.
2. Carrie’s family attends Mountain Christian Church. Her mom is on staff there. Her brother and his wife attend there. With little Ian and one on the way in June, we can all understand the pull to be close to family.
3. Youth ministry is a tough job. Matt has been away more than another staff member at CCV. Impact and RIOT take lots of trips, as does any other youth ministry. And while Matt and Carrie have a great marriage, we can all understand that it just helps during those times to be close to other family members to help out with little ones.
4. Matt and Carrie will be right down the road and we will see them all the time. Not only will he come back here to speak on a regular basis, but our students will see him at PCTC, the Eastern Christian Convention, Indian Lake, and a whole host of other events.
5. Matt goes to Mountain with my full support, our staff’s full support, and our Leadership Team’s full support. This isn’t a situation so much where Matt is leaving us, as it is a situation where we are sending Matt. One theme that runs throughout the Bible is that the church always “sends out” its very best leaders. That’s certainly the case with Matt and Carrie.
6. We have a very clear transition plan for how we are going to go about finding a replacement for Matt and cover student ministry activities until that person arrives. We have hired 4 great summer interns to work with our students (Melissa Jaworksi, Adam Flora, April Tatta, and Brendon Foulke). They will all begin teaching from the stage on Sunday nights at Impact and RIOT and become the point people for going on trips and our summer camps. To guide them, Frank Chiapperino will function as our interim youth guy. As you know, Frank was our youth pastor before Matt came along.
7. Our goal is to have Matt’s replacement here by mid-summer, so we are actively looking nationwide for great candidates. If you know someone that is interested they can email me at brian@moviechurch.com.
8. Matt and Carrie’s last Sunday is April 27th. On that night we will have a big reception at the building from 6-7:30pm. Kids, students, and adults are all encouraged to attend. We’re going to show funny videos that Matt has been in. I’m sure the students will want to say a few things. Then we’re going to have a big prayer time and send them off well.
I want to encourage you to bring cards that night telling Matt and Carrie how thankful you are for all they’ve done. And I want to encourage you to pack those cards with as many gift cards and as much cash as you can. When someone serves well and ends well here at CCV, that’s always what we do.
Matt and Carrie, we love you and are appreciate everything you’ve done here at CCV!
With great affection,
Brian
Effeminate Pastors – Pastors Gone Wild (Part 3)
Friday, April 04, 2008
For years Christians have bemoaned the fact that more women attend the average local church than men. Social scientists and practical ministry professors have studied the issue and have arrived at their own conclusions.
However, there’s one explanation I haven’t heard out of any of them: more women attend church than men because most pastors I meet are effeminate.
ef·fem·i·nate (ĭ-fěm'-nĭt) adj. Having qualities or characteristics more often associated with women than men. Traits characterized by excessive softness, delicacy, self-indulgence, etc.
Think back to every church you’ve visited and every pastor you’ve met and tell me that more times than not this isn’t the case.
My first thought after moving to Princeton to go to seminary was, I’ve never met so many effeminate men in my life. No wonder the church can’t attract strong male leaders. The Christian community keeps sending Richard Simmons to get trained to lead its churches.
Why are there so many effeminate pastors?
1. Most denominations and churches operate from a pre-determined definition of what a pastor should be – a personal caregiver instead of a leader.
2. For most congregations their goal is not to wage battle against the kingdom of darkness, but to make everyone happy. As a result, they seek a leader who never upsets them with change and constantly seeks to keep everyone smiling.
3. Most congregations are not biblically structured around God-given spiritual gifts. As such, gifted servant leaders with the spiritual gift of leadership are not allowed to rise to leadership in the context of other strong servant leaders. In fact, most churches are structured to operate by appeasement and saving face. Hence they seek appeasing, face saving caregivers who are in turn dominated by weak governing boards.
4. Many pastors go into the ministry because they have emotional issues they need to work out, and they may have seen another pastor get loved on and cared for by a small group of people, and they want that.
Thoreau once said, “An institution is the lengthened shadow of one person,” which in my mind explains why so many women sit in our pews.
Simply put, women attend churches in disproportionate numbers, more often than not, because the guy up front leading the charge is a wuss.
Read other posts in this series:
Pastors Gone Wild – New Series Begins Today
Why Pastors Yield To Sexual Temptation (Part 1)
Does Your Pastor Really Believe In Hell? (Part 2)
Effeminate Pastors (Part 3)
Overweight Pastors (Part 4)
People Pleasing Pastors (Part 5)
We're Number, Um, 66!
Friday, April 04, 2008
Well, my Ohio State Buckeyes, not considered one of the top 65 basketball teams in the country and thereby excluded by the NCAA March Madness tournament, went on to win the NIT last night - Ohio State 92, Massachusetts 85.
The victory was bittersweet. Winning the NIT is like a boys team going on to win an all girls tournament. Hooray! We're Number 66!
The only consolation is that we didn't get beat by Florida.
Pop Goes The Church!
Thursday, April 03, 2008
My youngest daughter came home from school a few minutes ago and found a UPS package on our doorstep.
It was my copy of Tim Steven's Pop Goes The Church.
I’ve been looking forward to this book. I read about 2-3 books a week, and have hit a real dry spell lately.
I can’t wait to jump in.
Thanks for serving the church through this book Tim.
Rent - A - Dwarf (and other ideas from The 4 - Hour Workweek)
Thursday, April 03, 2008
I just finished reading Timothy Ferris’ The 4 - Hour Work Week
“How to export your business labor pool to India and reduce your workload to 4 hours a week so you can travel around the world and have sex with as many women as possible.”
Honestly, I found the book quite worthless, except for three good ideas:
#1 Set Impossibly Short Deadlines
“On a micro task level, limit the number of items on your to do list and use impossibly short deadlines to force immediate action while ignoring minutiae.” (page 80).
#2 Stop Responding To Emergencies And Emergencies Will Stop Coming To You
“…What if someone has an emergency? It doesn’t happen. My contacts now know that I don’t respond to emergencies, so the emergencies somehow don’t exist or don’t come to me. Problems, as a rule, solve themselves or disappear if you remove yourself as an information bottleneck and empower others.” (page 83).
#3 Check E-mail Only Twice A Day
“Check e-mail twice per day, once at 12:00 noon or just prior to lunch, and again at 4:00 pm…never check email first thing in the morning. Instead, complete your most important task before 11:00 am to avoid using lunch or reading e-mail as a postponement excuse.” (Page 93).
But the last idea I gleaned from the book (one that you'd expect from a New York Times best-selling author) is one that is indicative of the rest of information you'll find in The 4 - Hour Workweek:
#4 Rent - A - Dwarf
“Danny Black (4’2) is the part-owner of http://www.shortdwarf.com/. Danny rents dwarfs as entertainment for $149.” (Page 147).
Thanks Timothy. You just never know when you’ll need the services of a dwarf now do you?
Does Your Pastor Really Believe In Hell? – Pastors Gone Wild (Part 2)
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
At first glance you’d probably think I’m resistant to change. I don’t drink Starbucks coffee. I’m still not used to women having tattoos. I’m not getting an earring any time soon. And my wife says I still have the same haircut I had when I was in fifth grade. I assume she thinks that’s a bad thing.
By all appearances you’d think I’m someone that wants to keep things just the way they are. But I’m not. I love change. I love the thrill of staying current, or even staying one step ahead. I love anticipating trends. I’m usually not too concerned with running with the pack.
But there is one change that troubles me: It’s the lack of talk about hell by pastors.
I’m not troubled by who is going to hell. Unfortunately for Boston Red Sox fans, this is one thing we all agree upon.
I’m troubled by the lack of talk about, writing about, preaching about and deeply held conviction regarding the reality of hell by pastors today.
Why is this happening?
We Pastors Want To Appear Compassionate And Inclusive
My daughter’s Elementary school puts on an annual holiday musical program. Every year as I stand there with our camcorder I joke with my wife that it should be renamed, “The Christmas-Hanukah-Kwanza-Buddhist-Skeptic-Hindu-Catholic-Keep everyone from being offended holiday special.”
As a public school, the lengths to which they are willing to include everyone’s traditions and beliefs appear comical, but should be applauded. However, when that same spirit infiltrates the church, it must be cast out. Accommodation in the kingdom of Jesus is always the first sign of betrayal.
Too often we want to appear more moral than God. Too often in outreach-focused churches we feel the need to acquiesce to the avalanche of pluralistic pressure to back off of this key doctrine. However, I believe that if you really love people, at some point you’ll compassionately tell them the truth, even if you risk having them walk out your church doors.
As important as being compassionate and inclusive are in the context of a growing church, the overriding virtue that should be held up is faithfulness – both to scripture and the God who breathed it.
We Pastors Have Strayed From Sound Doctrine
Two years after leaving graduate school I came to the realization that I really didn’t believe in hell anymore. I was too smart to believe in hell. Three years sitting under the gentle but consistent pressure of doctrinally questionable professors quietly eroded my convictions on this key teaching. Like so many church leaders I’ve met over the years, I bought into the lie that I could serve the God of the Bible but not believe in the entire Bible.
During a long retreat at a local monastery I performed an exhaustive word study of the phrase “false doctrine” in the New Testament. When I was finished the Holy Spirit did a number on me. I felt convicted, as I should have. I felt awful, as I should have. I came to the conclusion that I was a liar, as I should have. I dropped to my knees in tears. I repented before God of my duplicity.
I rushed home and called together my Leadership Team, repented, and asked for their forgiveness as well. That Sunday I stood before my congregation and wept, asking for their forgiveness. It was a turning point in my calling before God.
Over and over again we are warned that church leaders must hold to the deep truths of the faith. Hell is one of those deep truths, albeit unpopular. Over and over again we are warned not to be drawn away by unsound doctrine. With pain in his voice that came from years of heading off church train wrecks, Paul pleaded in his final words to Timothy to preach the word, every last bit of it, regardless of how unpopular it becomes.
I’m pretty sure that exhortation still stands.
Read other posts in this series:
Pastors Gone Wild – New Series Begins Today
Why Pastors Yield To Sexual Temptation (Part 1)
Does Your Pastor Really Believe In Hell? (Part 2)
Effeminate Pastors (Part 3)
Overweight Pastors (Part 4)
