Super-Size My Worship, And Give Me a Side-Order of Pastoral Visits

The longer that I am in ministry, the more I see how consumeristic our society really is. For the most part the church has become a place where a person asks, "What can I get out of this experience," instead of, "What can I give God through this experience." People will stay as long as their needs are being met, but if the church down the street can offer more for the dollar they put in the offering plate, by next Sunday they will be attending the church down the street.

Now I know that this is not always the caase and many of our churches have those people who would be the ones to go down with the ship. I thank God for the people who get what church is really about. It is those people who give you support when everyone else has turned their backs on you. It is those people who pray for you until...no, they pray and pray and pray. It is those people who have caught onto the vision that God has for the Church and are willing to see it through until fruition.

Going back to the first group of people - how do we help people to see that church is not really about them? In our attempts to help people heal and have their needs met through programs and services, have we fed that consumeristic mentality? I'm not saying that we don't bring the healing salvation of the gospel to people or even that we don't offer things like nursery and junior church, but how do we re-establish the number one reason for church?

Speaking of Gifts...

Okay, I'll be the first to admit that I'm a little on the sensitive side with certain things in life. One of those such areas is with the gifting that God has given me. Over the last few years I have discovered that I am a natural encourager. I love to encourage people. Sometimes I am just so filled with love and joy and gratitude that I just can't keep it in. The problem with this is that people don't seem to know how to handle it. It's not like I go crazy and wrap my arms around them and shower them with kisses or anything, I just speak from my heart what I am feeling at the time. What usually happens is that people will then make fun of me for encouraging them. Here is where the sensitivity comes in. When I encourage people, I am putting myself out there; I am doing what goes counter-culteral which is why most people have a hard time dealing with it. When they make fun of me, part of me never wants to encourage someone again, but the other part of me knows that I can't help but encourage people because that is what I was created to do.

So there it is. I share this simply as my way of dealing with my struggle and nothing more. I will go on, and I will likely keep on encouraging. Sometimes it just helps to get it out to deal with it.

The Beauty of Music

I have always loved music. I can remember delivering newspapers as a kid and I would usually sing as I slung the papers to the front steps of the homes. There would be times when I was just so happy that I would actually try to make new songs as I covered my route. I can imagine that the people I passed thought that I was crazy or something because I don't have a gift when it comes to writting music, but I didn't care because I just wanted to sing.

When I was in middle school, I promised my parents that if they got me a guitar I would practice every day. Well, they got me a guitar but it just sat in my room collecting dust. I wanted to play the guitar but I just didn't want to put the effort into practicing it. That's the cool thing about getting older. I have come to realize that some of the joys in life take hard work and discipline.

Last December, I purchased a new guitar, this time making the promise to my wife that I would practice it and not allow it to collect dust like my first guitar. I'm older now and a little more mature, and I now know that I can make this piece of wood with strings attached to it make beautiful music, but it takes hard work and discipline. While I am no Sween or Billings, I am learning how to make music. There is something inside of me that is not simply content to have music played for me...I desire, I crave to make music myself. And while those around me may think I'm crazy with what they hear coming from my guitar, I know that God considers my music beautiful. And that's what I think is the beauty of music. I am not playing my guitar for you or for me, but I am playing it for God and if I only ever play it for Him, that makes all hard work and discipline worth it.

So Many Questions

Just when I thought things would slow down after the summer, the fall is here with changes to our youth program, 4 flights out of state, and baby prearations. I wonder when I will be able to catch my breath?! I have a question to ask, and I know that asking questions have been the flavor of the month in the world of bloggardom but it is a question that has been on my mind for quite some time. So here it is,

"Should we be giving opportunities to teens to load up on sugar and caffine at youth events, when they are already consuming such large amounts to begin with?"

Allow me to put this in context for you. By opportunities I am meaning a snack shack at youth camp, an espresso stand at youth, prizes for games that involve candy and soda, a soda machine in the youth room, etc., all in the name of creating a fun, relaxed atmoshpere. I just read an article that said that the new drug for this generation is not crack or speed, but caffine and I believe that it's true. Now more than ever, kids are eating less meals with their families because everyone is so busy and the meals that they do eat with them many times are not healthy. So let me know what you think.