problems with sermons

Well, there are tons of problems that can happen with sermons. I think that most people understand this.

1. You say something that you don't mean.

2. You have good notes, but you are working so hard on being connected with the people that you forget where you are and get lost in your notes and get off track.

3. There is a massive issue that you are trying to describe in 5 minutes, but you can't get it all done, so it doesn't come across right.

4. You worked on the sermon a bunch, but somehow it just didn't close as well as you thought it should.

5. You have some worry on your mind that is distracting you. you should be thinking about your sermon, but you are worried about a problem that you have or that someone else has.

6. You are just wrong about an issue.

Well, I know some pastors read this blog. If you can think of other reasons why sermons get goofed up, please post a comment. Tomorrow I am going to write a bit about some things that didn't come out quite like I intended on Sunday.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

who gets to go

About two times a week someone asks me if so and so gets to go to heaven. It is usually a concern that they have because someone has told them that this person or that person is going to hell. Here is my question.....Why do we think that this is our decision or our judgement call to make?

We should reach and care for everyone we can. We should tell the story of Jesus and invite people to believe in Him in ways that do not scare them away. We should trust that God is working all over the world to win people. In every city, in every culture, God is revealing himself at least through the things that he has made so that men are without excuse.

Why do we think we get to say who goes to hell? Do we know what is in the hearts of every person?

Maybe if we stopped worrying about who the good ones are and who the bad ones are, and instead spent our time trying to live the Christian life and share the love of Jesus, we might be a little more contented. Let's focus on loving God and loving others and lets leave the invitation list to heaven up to God.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

coffee with the pastor

Last night I had a great experience. Coffee and a cupcake at the home of a couple who are members of our church. They had invited some friends over who are looking for a place to land. We had a great discussion and I enjoyed the time so much.

It got me to thinking...I wonder if there are other folks who would be interested in inviting some friends over to talk. Life, spirituality, the church, get to know each other, whatever. I would be glad to sit down with a small group of you at the church or in your home. Let me know if you want to get together. Send an email to jeffb@woodschapelchurch.org

One of the best things that I get to do is to spend time with people. If a cup of coffee with me would be good for you and your friends, lets do it.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

one person

One person at a time. The world is won, one person at a time. Friends are made one person at at time. A ship changes course, slowly, a little bit at a time.

Don't feel like you have to do it all at once. Jesus called them, one person at a time. Find one to work on and reach them. Don't miss the individual because you are tyring to do something big and great. The big and great thing that you do this week may be reaching the one person who is waiting for you.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Unity Village

Wow. I went to Unity Village yesterday for the first time. I had never driven back into the middle of the complex. The main tower was built in 1929. I was surprised to see the tower fenced off. It is in such bad shape that chunks of concrete have fallen off of it. Also the beautiful fountains are drained and empty because they are so old.

I feel bad when I see the dreams of another person in another generation falling apart. Like when you drive by an old abandoned farm that was obviously someone else's dream 75 years ago. It makes me think of such questions....What happened to them? Where did they go? Do we all just live and die?

I hope that we always have the funds to replace the roof on the church, keep the walls painted and the pond free of algae.

I am not sure that I am comfortable to say what I really want to say here. Buildings are not everything, but I wonder if the condition and care of a building say anything about the condition of the mission. I hope they can raise the funds to fix the tower and the fountains.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

lines and circles

We humans like to draw lines of exclusion. Here are the good ones, and on the other side of the line are the bad ones. The older I get, the more I understand that God draws circles, bringing people in.

Humans like to make sure they are ok, they often do this by making sure that all those identified as "good" look like them.

God takes in all kinds of people. The three kings at Jesus birth were from the east. They were not Jews. They were probably whatever pagan religion dominated Persia at the time. Rahab the prostitute ends up in the lineage of Jesus birth. A prostitute. The hero of the good Samaritan story is not the priest or the Levite, but a Samaritan.

God is much more welcoming, accepting and loving than most humans. Maybe it is time that we get better at applying some of that thinking.......

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

the mills of the gods

The mills of the gods grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine.

How many times did I hear my father say this. 100 times. 1,000 times. It was one of his regular refrains. Although he died in 2002, I still hear his voice.

Many of you do not know this, but for a year, he led a choir for the 8:30 service. He was a member of our church from 1995 until 2002. My Dad.

The mills of the gods grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine.

It took me years to understand what this saying means. It means that the trouble that you cause your parents, will come back to cause you trouble in time. It means that it takes a while for God to make things right, but eventually, He does.

You think one thing is going on, but there are other things going on. The mill is still grinding, making things even, making them right.

I am going to start saying this to my children. The mills of the Gods grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine. When God makes it right. it may take a while, but God always makes it right.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

seeing the best in others

On Saturday I am doing a funeral [Lord willing] for a woman about whom the following testimony was given: "she saw people as God sees them." When you think about it, this is a great compliment and a pretty profound way to live.

When you see someone, are you easily annoyed by them? Do you ever catch yourself judging others for some reason? We are so good at being human. It comes so naturally to us.

But, if we can just pause for a moment and really look at the other person. They are one of God's miracles too. They may be broken and shattered by life, but they were still created in God's image.

I find that when I look and see the best in others, they usually live up to my expectations. And when I don't the same is true. I think we have great power to bring out the best in people by just taking a moment to simply love them.

Who has God put in your path today? Do you see them or are they invisible to you? Do you see them as God's sees them? Try it and see if it doesn't make a difference.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Last night

Last night I had a blast. I drove to St. Joe. 1 hr, 15 mins. I am a slow driver. You know, take your time, see the sights, listen to the birds sing.

I had a wonderful meeting with a leadership team from Ashland UMC. What a friendly, joyful bunch! They pastor, Gary Dewitt is also a super guy. We talked church and ministry, and it was just a very enjoyable time. I hope they enjoyed it as well. They reminded me of the good folks at Woods Chapel.

Then I drove home. Pressure off. Day's work is done. just drive home and enjoy the drive. I thank God for MP3 players. Put all of your favorite music on and you can just click to the next one if you don't like what is playing. Several songs just blessed me.

The house that mercy built, by Point of Grace
Blessed be your name, by Matt Redmond.

Then there were some oldies. God likes oldies too.

Convoy, by CW McCall 1975
The Mississippi squirrel revival, by Ray Stevens 1984
Ain't no mountain high enough, by Diana Ross [w/o supremes] 1970

Don't those songs make you grin? Good stuff. Good vibrations. A great drive on a wonderful night. May we find more joyful moments this day.

it's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Hip Hop

Last night at Dream Team/Church Council, one of the new ministries that was launched was a hip hop ministry. Now what is a hip hop ministry? I don't know. I have never been a part of one. But it involves dancing, Christian music, and young people.

I don't think that I will like this kind of music, and I know I can't do the dancing anymore, but if the young people want to come out for this on a Friday night, I am all for it. I will never forget the scene from the movie Sister Act, when the young people open up the door to the empty church. They have just heard the awesome new music, and they come and open the back door. The priest stands up and waves them on in.

That is what our churches ought to be doing. Waving in the young people. Having things in them that make the 51 year old people [like me] uncomfortable. The joy of seeing and reaching young folks makes me truly happy. I can put up with music that isn't my style. What about you?

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

devotion time

There is a wonderful story about the child of a rabbi who used to wander in the woods. At first his father let him wander, but over time he became concerned. The woods were dangerous. The father did not know what lurked there. He decided to discuss the matter with his child. One day he took him aside and said, "You know, I have noticed that each day you walk into the woods. I wonder, why do you go there?"

The boy said to his father, "I go there to find God.""That is a very good thing," the father replied gently. "I am glad you are searching for God. But, my child, don't you know that God is the same everywhere?""Yes," the boy answered, "but I'm not."

So what does that story mean? It means that sometimes, we need a change of pace. We need to find a holy place. A place that is holy for us. We need to get away to a quiet place, not because God is only there, fact is, God is everywhere. Sometimes we need to get away, because we are different, we are different devotionally when we get away.

We listen better, we see better, we hear better, when we get away to a place of seclusion. Go find a quiet place.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

transformers

[I am writing this post because the concepts were on my mind, not because someone is unhappy]

Transformers. I don't mean the toys that kids play with. I mean the kind of transformers that you find on an electrical pole.

The power comes in on the big lines. It is concentrated and dangerous. Just lift up a ladder and hit the line and you will find out how powerful it is. I have done two funerals for people whose ladders touched the power lines.

Anyway, the power gets to the transformer where it is reduced to a voltage that is useable in your home. It gets smaller so that it does not electrocute us when we plug in the toaster.

I was talking to a friend on Friday about Richardson's book, Creating a healthy church. In his book, he talks about transformers. About how we Christians, and church members can transform anxiety from the deadly, destructive force that it can be, and reduce it's painful effects in the life of the congregation.

Some people do the opposite, they take a small thing and get all charged up over it and make it into a big thing. Sometimes they even try to get others upset over whatever it is.

As a Christian, we need to be about reducing anxiety in our families and in our congregations. We need to provide a culture in our churches where unhappiness is welcomed, but also healed. By applying God's love to whatever may be upsetting someone, we can heal them and avoid an upset fruitbasket. When church members get unhappy it is easy for them to get off mission. When we are focused on our mission, we are usually too busy to stay unhappy for long.

Are you raising the level of anxiety in your church or lowering it? Every church has good in it, let's focus on that and build from there.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

singing birds

I awoke this morning to the song of the birds. I listened very carefully, because that is what my pastor asks me to do. There was no fear in their songs, only joy. And I say songs, because there were many different kinds of birds singing. Each song, though different, was beautiful. The songs all sort of combined to a cacophony, a symphony of praise.

Some one asked, "why does the caged bird sing?" There are several answers to this question, as it has been posed in literature and philosophy. My favorite answer is this: the caged bird sings because he has a song.

That's it. If you have a song, you have to sing it. That reminds me of the words of Oscar Hammerstein:

"A bell is not a bell until you ring it.
A song is not a song until you sing it.
And love was not put in our heart to stay.
For love is not love until you give it away!"
even if you feel like you are in a cage.
{I added that last line}

Its a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

multiplication.

Multiplication. times. The multiplication tables. Plant a seed and it will grow. Depending upon the circumstances, more will grow the following year. Two years ago I planted tulips in groups of three. Now they are coming in, 9, 12, 14 in a bunch.

When you do something good, it inspires you and others to repeat the act of kindness. To pay it forward. Plant some beautiful things. Share God's love. The resulting harvest will not be fully seen this day, week or year. For a kindness shared, a love given, will take root in the hearts and lives of others and make the world more beautiful, year after year.

Do not underestimate the beauty of an act of love.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

values

This is one of our favorite sayings on staff at the church. When values are present, no rules are necessary. When values are not present, no rules will help.

Job descriptions at work, rules at school, and laws in a country are not needed for those who "get it." They just naturally go about doing the right things. Somehow, they have learned the things that are necessary for success. The rules don't bother them, because they were keeping them anyway.

I have been reading a very good book called "the starfish and the spider." Part of what it is about is how every part of the starfish works in concert to fulfill its purpose. The major organs are replicated in every leg. Cut a starfish in half, and it doesn't die, you end up with two.

What does this mean for the church? The church should be an organization in which every member, every leg, "gets it." We are all working in concert together to make disciples and to connect people to Jesus Christ. We are not doing this because the book of discipline says that we must, we are doing this because it is embedded in the DNA of a Christian.

What is embedded in your DNA? If the government closed the churches, {I am not suggesting that they will} would you continue to be a Christian? If your pastor moves or dies, do you quit the church? What of the Holy Spirit is resonating within your life so that you just know what you are about, and innately go about doing it?

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

boss

I used that word on Sunday during the sermon, and it seems that alot of you found that interesting. "Boss" not as the person in charge, but "boss" as we used the term when I was 13. Boss, meaning, cool.

Many of you laughed, but I am sure that you had funny words that you used when you were young. Everyone is looking for a way to fit in.

I think that is still true. We all want to fit in. How do we do that. Usually by some sort of identification. I may be a fan of this particular sports team. If they win, I am happy, if they lose, I am sad. I may wear clothes that indicate that I run with a certain group. I may try to look sporty, or young, or dignified. People buy cars that make them feel a certain way. Identification.

All of my friends said, "boss" cool. So, I was one of the crowd.

Here is the thought that I have been trying to get to. What if we stopped worrying about what others thought of us. What if we stopped trying to impress others? What if we were so secure, confident and healthy that we could drive any old car, wear any type of clothing, and root for every team?

What if we were so comfortable in our skin that we just took it all in stride. Just lived. Not trying to prove anything to anyone. Just be yourself, for better or for worse. Something inside tells me that is how Jesus lived.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Not all dogs

I could have killed him. Lou the dog. Not all dogs go to heaven. His future is suspect. Saturday he was outside for a long time. He is kind of like a kid. When you don't hear so much from them, you wonder what kind of trouble they are in.

I went outside to check on him. He was eating something. I assumed it was p- -p. I can't say it, but you know, dogs eat it sometimes for some reason. I yelled at him. I told him to stop eating that.

When I got closer, I noticed that he was eating something else. A baby bunny. I looked around, it looked like a bunny war zone. That dog had found a nest of bunnies and had caught and killed six of them. Bad dog. Very bad dog. And all of this was the day before Easter.

I picked up the bunnies and put them in sack. They found a place of eternal disposal.

If you know any rabbits, tell them not to put their nests in our yard. Lou the dog has no mercy on rabbits. He is grounded for two weeks. I wish he could catch squirrels.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Thank you

Thank you for a great Easter. Maybe my best one in 51 years. All of the services were great. The gym was full at 10:10. The hospitality teams did great work and the music was excellent. My Dad's favorite music was Handel's Messiah. All of the pieces on the table yesterday were awesome. Both of the choirs were totally boss.

I just felt so full and hardly nervous at all. Just blessed. So blessed to be alive, so blessed to be a pastor. So blessed to be a part of the Woods Chapel family. Thank you all so very much for a wonderful day.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

one day

In the movie "City Slickers" Curly told Billy Chrystal to find that "one thing." That one thing in life that made it all worth living. He also told him that he could not tell him what it was, Billy would have to find it for himself.

What if you had one day to tell the story. One day to let everyone know the most important things in life. What if tomorrow would never come, and today is your only and final opportunity to speak the truth about God, about people, and about life.

Today is Easter. Today is the day. Each of us have the chance today to remind ourselves and one another, what it is all about. I for one am looking forward to it more this year for some reason. I thank God that we know what the one thing is. Faith in God through our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

It is a most beautiful day in God's world, how can we not see the good?

Easter

Tomorrow is Easter, and if God gives me the breath of life for the day, I will do what I do every Easter since my Mom died.

I will get up early and go to church. I will arrive about 6:15am and the place will already be beautiful. I will shake lots of hands and preach 4 sermons.

If things hold true as in years past, I will feel more nervous than normal about the message and how it is received. Easter is like game day for preachers. It is almost like every other Sunday is practice. Now that is not true, every other Sunday matters a ton, but there is a lot of nervous pressure on Easter. It is kind of funny when you think about it, because the message is always the same. Jesus is risen. That is the Easter message. Just preach it, preacher. There is no other story for Easter.

After church I will go home and change clothes. We will drive out to Olathe to Cathy's parents house. We used to all go in one car, but now, who knows. Two or three probably. Everyone can drive now.

At Grandma's house, the women will sit in the kitchen and talk loudly. And they will all talk at the same time. The men will sit in the other room and watch golf.

I have a question. If Grandpa is still alive, and he is, why is the place just called Grandma's house? Like Grandpa is a squatter or something.

There will be an egg hunt for the little ones. Food. Honey baked ham and the trimmings. There will be at least one nap for me somewhere on one of Grandma's couches. Later there will be board games and laughing. Then, everyone goes home. All in all, it is a very good day.

Something that has come my way in the last year is that Aunt Lavonne doesn't drive anymore. So, it has fallen to me to pick her up. She lives in North Kansas City. I have really come to enjoy this. She is so pleasant, and she is so appreciative of little things like me opening the car door for her. On the drive to Olathe and back, she tells me stories about when she was young and who she was married to, and when that bridge over the river wasn't even there. It is a very enriching experience for me to spend time with her.

Well, that is Easter. He is risen. Tomorrow.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.