Today’s discussion is going to be lighthearted and friendly.  I need a break from the heavy lifting.

What is your most memorable experience in a church service?

Please exclude salvation, baptism, and such.  We all should remember those and praise God daily for them.  I am talking about something out of the ordinary.

What is the funniest thing you ever saw happen in church?

We are human and should be able to laugh, even in church.  I believe God laughs at us more than we might imagine.

Please share your stories.  I am sure there are many.

Love you all

Tags: Church, Discussion, fun, great memories, Love, Praise, Salvation, town hall, Tuesday

Just a few things I want to say.  This is the tagline of this blog.  A tagline is a brief description of what a blog is about.  When I started this blog I really did not know for sure what direction I was going to take with it.  Was I going to try to teach biblical concepts?  Was I going to comment on the church?  Was I going to reflect on my personal walk with Jesus?  Was I going to be serious or sarcastic?  I decided to use the tagline I did because frankly, I was not sure.  But I did know that whatever I said here would be my own thoughts, my own opinions.  It is still that way.  It has not changed.  What I say here is not necessarily backed up by my wife, family, friends, church, or anyone for that matter.  I do ask the Holy Spirit for guidance but that is in no way saying for sure that God is okay with it either.  It is simply just a few things I want to say.  And so is the following.

I really don’t understand how so many people can read something and not have a clue what the writer was trying to say.  Take for example the last post that I wrote.  It was about the need for all of us to grow in our relationships with each other.  I used a real group in my church, The Bridge, to start it off but that was not the focus.  But some readers went no further than that.  Instead, someone, and maybe more than one, took it as another opportunity to see me in a defensive position, trying to take up for this new group.  They took it upon themselves to put into action some things that hurt at least two people.  Since these are supposed to be my family, also followers of Jesus, this simply saddens and amazes me.

I do not have to defend this fellowship of young adults.  The evidence that it is good and godly comes directly from the attacks that have been launched against it already.  It is evidently offensive in some way to others.  And Jesus warned us of these things.  So my question is simple.  Who exactly is trying to cause division here?  The Bridge has brought a couple of people back into the fold already yet the verbal attacks from others have almost sent a couple of members in my church fleeing.  Who is on track as far as the mission is concerned?

When are we going to stop feeling threatened by things that are outside of or do not include ourselves?  When are we going to realize that we have to sacrifice some things that maybe we are a little too dogmatic about to reach our kids and grandkids?  When are we going to realize that relevance is not synonymous with degradation as concerns the gospel?

I am at a fork in the road as it concerns my own future already.  There are some very important decisions that I am about to have to make: decisions about life, both secular and spiritual.  I wish that the people of God would not keep on adding to it like they seem to be at the moment.  I wish my “family” would make it easier instead of harder.

You may think that I just say this out of habit but it really is from the heart.  I…

Love you all

Tags: blog, Church, Holy Spirit, jesus, Love, mission, Personal, Relationships, Relevance

I am constantly amazed with the way God seems to enrich my life.  I have played a small part recently in the development of a young adult fellowship in my church.  It was sorely needed so that relationships, growth, and  discipleship could be established among the few couples and singles that we have in attendance.  A few of them did not have a lot of opportunities for these things in church because of worldly interference such as work and children or mission interference such as working in the children’s departments and ministries.

The new group has a name and it is The Bridge.  This name was chosen because a bridge is something that connects.  A few people in my church have looked at this new group with concern, having let their minds go to thoughts such as division, separation or even revolution.  The Bridge has none of these things as an agenda.  The Bridge is a place for fellowship, for accountability, for biblical discussion amongst peers, and simply to celebrate our King in a way that is relevant to their age group.  As a bridge it is decidedly connective.  Connecting the individuals in this group to each other and the group to the lost in the community of like mind and interest and finally to the older generations in our church are the main goals we have in mind.  As one of the group, Wayne, put it; The Bridge is an addition and not a subtraction in our church.

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Heb 10:25NIV

As some of you already know, I used to be a loner.  I was introverted and pretty much hated everyone.  Then I met Jesus and entered his Kingdom as a child and servant of God and started the process of change.  As all of us know, God sometimes makes supernatural changes in us in certain ways immediately but he seems to do this in various ways.  Some may be miraculously delivered from addictions to tobacco for instance while another may not.  One way I was not changed was in my attitude towards assemblies, groups, fellowships, and even church.

I immediately started going to church but only for the Word of God, not for the people.  I would be the first to my vehicle when church was over, waiting sometimes not very patiently for my wife to finally be ready to leave.  I did not need anyone but Jesus and that was fine with me.  The roles have now reversed.  My wife often is waiting on me.  Somewhere along the line in my concerted attempt to love everyone, a bridge was built.  I was connected to the rest of the Body.

As the verse in Hebrews states, we all need to be connected to each other and never stop meeting or assembling with each other.  Why is this so important?

The main reason is, of course, the mission.  We are not a bunch of spiritual Rambo’s, furtively making our way through the jungles of life attacking all the spiritual forces we find aligned against us.  We are instead part of a unit of elite, trusted soldiers that must train, fight, and rest together.  The enemy is out there and he likes nothing better than finding one of us cut off and alone.  We cannot make it alone, even if God is there with us, simply because God decided long ago to work through us.  And the work he does through us is for others, not ourselves.

Another reason is the thing that brought this post about.  We need each other for the joy it can bring.  The relationships between believers enrich us, fulfill us, and mature us.  I was pretty good at being alone at one time.  But most of you probably don’t need to be told, being alone is not very fun or fulfilling.  Some of you also know the terrible, depressing feelings that come from loneliness.  I no longer fight depression.

And love is simply amazing.  Not the emotion but the true attribute called agape.  Intentional love, as it grows from being something we make ourselves do, to something we want to do, and finally to that thing we just do, does so much good for each of us individually and for the Kingdom that it just naturally spills over and flows out.  It is contagious.  It is life changing.  It is life enhancing.  It is rewarding and enriches not only ourselves but others, and especially the Body of Christ.

We need each other and even more so as we see the Day approaching because the enemy’s activities are ramping up.  I believe the final onslaught is here.  For our adversary, it is all or nothing.  We must stand and even more, continue to advance the Kingdom and we cannot do it or make it alone.

Build a bridge.  Be a bridge.  Protect your bridge.

Blowing up bridges is one way all enemies seek to divide and conquer.

Love you all

Tags: accountability, Believe, Body of Christ, Church, Enemy, Fellowship, jesus, joy, Kingdom, Life, loner, Love, mission, peers, Relationships, Relevant, Servant, Trust, Work

In case you haven’t heard, another useless church slaying occurred Sunday.  A pastor was shot and killed during service and a couple of others were wounded.  The story can be found here and other places.

This was just another senseless attack in a ever increasing string that has occurred lately.  No one so far even knows what the motive for this one was.  This murderous interruption to a worship service has many in the church discussing the issues of church safety and the carrying of weapons in church services.  There are also larger issues to discuss.  So if you would, I would like to read your feedback and answers to these questions.

Do you think Jesus is okay with any of his followers shooting someone in self defense?

Do you think it would be wise for just anyone to carry a gun in church?  Would you?

If you would carry a gun, under what circumstances would you use it?

If you are against all of this, carrying weapons and using them, then what do you think is our role in protection of ourselves and others?

Finally, what caliber would Jesus recommend?

That last one is just a light hearted one meant to keep us from getting too angry in case we disagree.  But this is a very serious topic and I have read a lot of opinions already.

Care to share yours?

Love you all

Tags: caliber, Church, jesus, Murder, pastor, protection, Self, self defense, Service, town hall, Tuesday, Weapons