A series of gains and losses: What is your life?

The financial markets ended 2011 relatively flat–no significant change, neither up nor down for the year. Along the way in 2011 investors experienced a lot of wild swings, but the ups and downs, gains and losses, pretty much netted zero. Informally, we might say that “it didn’t amount to much.”

I am not thinking about financial markets. I am thinking about our spiritual lives. Interesting comparison. The spiritual life is different, but the same. Spiritually, some ended the year up, some ended the year down, and some ended the year where they began. True of individuals. True of churches.

Think with me about the comparison and applications. The book of James poses the question of today’s title: What is your life? James’ response is that life is brief at best. Jesus spoke to the question of life when he spoke of gains and losses. What is life about? How does one measure life? What is gained if that of ultimate value is lost? What exchanges are you willing to make? Life is a series of gains and losses, a series of exchanges.

We come into this world with nothing. From a physical or temporal perspective, we will leave the same way. We brought nothing into this world; we will take nothing out. Along the way, we experience numerous gains and losses. A short list of things gained or lost might include family, friends, education, knowledge, wisdom, experiences, skills, faith…. You can make your own personal list. Some gains are a natural part of life; some gains are hard won. Some losses are inadvertent and unavoidable, some are a part of life’s normal shifts and changes. Many gains come as a result of sacrifices and the decision to give up something else.

Think not about a year, but about a life. What will be the net result of your life? Which priorities are worth pursuing? When all is said and done, what will you have said and done? It is not folly to give up what you cannot keep to obtain that which you cannot lose. Each day in 2012, I will exchange something I have (a day of life) for something else. The days of my life will be a combination of gains and losses. My goal is to end up with that of eternal, lasting value.

2012 Bible Reading: It’s Not Too Late to Begin!

The New Year has come, we have passed the 24-hour mark on our way to 8784! Many New Year’s resolutions have already been broken–crashed and burned on the first day!

A good resolution is to fill our minds with the word of God. My personal approach is two-fold. (1) A part of my Bible reading each year involves large sections of Scripture read in an intensive effort. I find this especially valuable in my Old Testament reading as it allows me to connect events in historical sections or to consider the message of a prophet as a whole. (2) I also keep a chart in my Bible which allows me to mark off sections when they are read, regardless of the reason for the reading–Bible classes, during sermons, personal reading, research, etc. This chart is available online: Bible Reading Chart.

Another alternative is to use the 5×52=260 plan for New Testament reading. This plan uses only five days each week to read the New Testament in a year. Scheduling only five days allows ample time for catching up or other readings. I have published a plan using this approach: Daily Devotionals for 2012.

Good News!–this schedule begins TODAY! The schedule begins in Matthew and ends in Revelation, but alternates between literary types during the year. The published schedule includes a selected textual reading from each chapter for those who struggle to read an entire chapter daily, along with a devotional thought based on the text.

Just Thinking….Religious Novelty

Today’s title does not suggest that it is a novelty that I am thinking. I am thinking about novelty in religion.

I have been rereading Jeremiah. How has novelty become desirable, even an asset, in religion? Judging from news reports from around the globe, it seems that the more unique and strange the “religious” event, the more likely it is to draw a crowd.
Jeremiah speaks certain judgment against religious novelty, calling for a return to the old paths. That the faith journey must be lived out in the current cultural context is not denied. My concern is not with efforts to live a contemporary faith. My concern is with a process that continually syncretizes the Christian faith with newly discovered religions, especially Eastern religions. It seems that the stranger and vaguer the religion, the more attractive it is in our world.

The new world of religious novelty demands new frameworks and descriptors. Moving away from a “non-denominational” claim, are some groups more accurately described as “omni-denominational”? Are some churches, despite Christian roots, now “omni-religious”? A world of religious syncretism and strange admixtures of religious practices calls for fresh analysis–fresh thinking and preaching and teaching.

What word does the Bible have for those who would be led away by religious novelty? The Old Testament prophets might be a good place to begin!

No bad sermons allowed!

I was tempted during my years of full-time preaching to post a small sign on the pulpit–visible to me but not to the congregation. The sign would have read: NO BAD SERMONS ALLOWED!

Let me begin with a disclaimer. I have preached my share of bad sermons. In my early preaching efforts, there were possibly more bad sermons than good ones. I was a novice, it took time to find my “preaching legs.” I took minimalist, fluffy bulletin articles and turned them into sermons. I too often began with a sermon idea rather than with the Word of God. It pains me to think about and admit what sometimes passed for sermons.

Along the way as my preaching journey developed, I determined that my primary commitment would be to preach good sermons. I committed to spend the necessary time in preparation. (Some weeks you mine for ore all week long and still find very little precious metal by the end of the week!) I committed to Bible study and Bible reading. I committed to reading broadly in related materials and books. For several years, I read the New Testament through each month. I tried to read a book a day, although sometimes a book a week was all I could manage. Yes, I have read the books in my personal library–numbering near 5000 volumes before I began to give away books I had read.

From my undergraduate days, I remember a discussion (argument, disagreement) with my roommate at Oklahoma Christian College. I affirmed that a preacher ought to know or have an idea about the meaning of every chapter of the Bible. He said it was impossible. Today, I admit that this is a difficult goal. I have not reached the level I desire, so it remains a constant challenge. Think with me. We who preach and teach are the “experts” in the Word. We stand up and say we are speaking for God. We say that when we speak, God speaks. We claim that we are providing the exact word from God that is most needed in the life of the church at a particular moment. How can we do that if we are not careful, diligent students of the Word?

Good sermons attract listeners. People come to church to hear a word from God. Good sermons on Sunday nights bring people back. I spent 25 years in full-time ministry before I began serving in Christian higher education. Through those 25 years, it became a point of pride (healthy, I hope!) that Sunday night attendance stayed consistently high–usually near 75-80% of Sunday morning attendance. I know the claim–we live in a different world. My heart of hearts yearns to reclaim a full-time ministry to test the theory–good sermons bring people back on Sunday nights. There are numerous examples of this truth in the denominational world where thousands assemble on Sunday evenings to hear God’s Word.

I told my preaching students that if they only had one good sermon on a given Sunday, to preach that sermon on Sunday night, since the folks would continue to come on Sunday mornings out of duty. The principle has validity. Do not preach the dregs on Sunday night. Do not preach the leftovers. Do not make do with second best. Do not depreciate the Sunday night crowd with fluff and stuff. Preachers! On Sunday nights, you are sharing with the cream of the crop. You are in the midst of those who are ultimately making a difference in the local congregation. You are among the most committed, most serious, and most faithful Christians. They will forgive your inadequacies–but do not take advantage of them and demean them with spiritual junk food!

2012 Bible Reading Plan Available Online

I have posted (but not linked) the 2012 Daily Devotional and Bible Reading plan. This plan allows a person to work in each chapter of the New Testament during a year–either reading an excerpt which is included with the devotional thought, or the entire chapter. (Details of the plan appear at the top of the Devotional Index Page.) An effort is made to reflect the content and importance of each chapter in the accompanying devotional thought so that the daily devotionals generally reflect the message of the New Testament.
The 2012 devotional and reading plan follows the same book order as in 2011. This plan allows the Bible student to alternate between different types of biblical literature (although the series does begin in Matthew and conclude with Revelation). Following the same book order has another advantage in that those who are completing the March 2011 to February 2012 reading plan can begin to use the 2012 plan immediately and still complete the 2011 readings.

[Again, you can check out my past “Bible Study” blogs to help you think about the Bible reading plan that will best meet your own personal spiritual needs and goals in the coming year. What is most important is that we have a plan.]

Do you know what you’re talking about?

The conversation was interesting–a retired entrepreneur turned preacher and missionary, a company executive, a couple of business professionals who serve as mission committee members, and yours truly. The discussion topics ranged broadly, but generally came back to our shared faith concerns as Christians–ministry and missions.

The statement caught me off guard, “You can tell when someone knows what he’s talking about!” Wow! So you can! The follow-up statements were expected and more predictable. Long hours of preparation, study, and thought are reflected in the way a person speaks and what that person says. A broad orientation and deep study are immediately obvious. Some of it is maturity–but some people grow older and still don’t know what they are talking about! Some of it is having and learning from experiences–but some people have had a lot of experiences but haven’t learned much from them.

“You can tell when someone knows what he’s talking about.” The statement is a generalization, so there are exceptions. The listeners must have also a basic awareness. Inexperienced and immature Christians may fail to recognize “fluff” in a class or sermon. Even elders can be deceived. Some speakers seem to know what they’re talking about, but do not.

Even though the statement is not true at all times in every situation, it is generally true. It has enough truth to suggest a goal for those of us preach and teach in full-time roles. Let’s make sure we know what we are talking about! Study deeply enough to be able to deal with the potential difficulties and questions in a passage or text. Prepare so that others, even the most biblically literate and spiritually astute, recognize that you know what you are talking about!

It is shameful when preachers stand before a congregation and talk about what they do not know about! It happens for many reasons–lack of study, borrowed sermons, Internet sermon sources, poor preparation. It is embarrassing when a preacher talks about what he knows not, failing to address major aspects of the subject at hand. It is dishonest when a preacher fails to do what he is hired to do–speak a clear, certain word from God for this congregation at this moment in history.

It is an audacious thing to claim to speak for God. A good first step is to make certain you know what you are talking about!

2012–God is good!

The weekend filled with the expected and with the unexpected. The expected was working on 2012 mission scheduling–our ministry and mission calendar now has slightly over 120 days of training seminars and workshops. Add some travel days, and it is clear that God is providing opportunities to participate in the advance of his kingdom and cause.
The unexpected was the opportunity to preach and teach three times yesterday at Northwest-Houston. In addition to helping with a Sunday morning Bible class by filling in for a teacher who was ill, the opportunity came to preach to the Spanish congregation on Sunday morning and to lead the small group discussion in Spanish on Sunday evening.
I plan to publish the 2012 calendar later this month. A few possible openings remain. Let me know if we can confirm a speicific date for evangelism or mission outreach, for teacher and leader training, or for a Christian family focus.

2012 Missions and Ministry

This weekend will be devoted to working on additional scheduling for my missions itinerary for the upcoming year. I currently have nine Latin American mission visits confirmed for 2012. My goal is to spend about half of the year in Latin American mission activities devoted to leadership development, teacher development, and strengthening Christian families. The other half of the year will be used for preparations, writing, and U.S. ministry opportunities.
Several 2012 slots are open for stateside seminars and workshops–let me know as soon as possible.
I have a few 2012 dates remaining depending on the flexibility of the local churches. I am also scheduling for 2013.

Are We Serious?–Members

[The first paragraph below is an introduction to this brief blog series–reprinted from the first entry in the series.]

In a recent conversation with a brother in Christ, our discussion turned to the challenges facing the contemporary church. As in other conversations over the last few years, the topic soon turned to a single question: Are our churches more and more filled with people who are “not very serious” about Christianity? This raises several questions–and a series of blog challenges!

Are our members serious? I realize there are many measures of Christianity. Various people have different reasons for what they do or do not do. I do intend the following to be an indictment of those who are incapable of more. But as one brother observed, “Not everyone who is ‘providentially hindered’ is.”

Have we developed an acceptable version of Christianity that does not require much commitment? You tell me….
When Sunday night attendance is 1/3 of Sunday morning….
When only half of the members attend Bible classes….
When it is nigh unto impossible to get volunteers for various service projects….
When weekday activities are sometimes attended by less than one-fourth of the congregation….
When people listed in the directory seldom if ever show up, but nothing is said or done….

Our pews are filled with unserious people whose lives too often reflect only a token commitment to Christianity. Jesus deserves better!

Are We Serious?–Ministers

[The first paragraph below is an introduction to this brief blog series–reprinted from the first entry in the series.]

In a recent conversation with a brother in Christ, our discussion turned to the challenges facing the contemporary church. As in other conversations over the last few years, the topic soon turned to a single question: Are our churches more and more filled with people who are “not very serious” about Christianity? This raises several questions–and a series of blog challenges!

Are our ministers serious? How does one measure serious? Different people would give different answers. Serious is reflected in focused activity, evangelistic fervor, time spent, quality work, external indicators of commitment, a growing church? None of these is a sufficient measure by itself–ministers who are serious about their work probably combine several of these continuously in their ministry. (I am admit that I am hard on ministers–in part, because I am one.)

For me, serious was two things–evangelistic emphasis and investing time (believing that quantity time will lead to more quality time). According to research, one evangelistic minister can be the different between a plateaued congregation and a declining congregations. One year I challenged the church that we should have a baptism per week–and by the end of the year, itw as a reality. Early in my ministry, I committed to investing time in ministry matters. I read the New Testament voraciously and repeatedly. I memorized hundreds of verses, entire chapters, entire books. I regularly read through the Bible. I read supporting materials. Jan and I visited every member within the first year of beginning a new ministry. We knew where people lived and something about them. From time to time, we called every member in preparation a special series or campaign. I kept track of time spent, a diary or journal to know what I was doing and why. By Wednesday of most weeks, I had worked 60 hours (remember that Sunday is a work day for ministers). I really worked on Sunday. We used Sundays for visiting and contacts, follow up with visitors–because everyone was home and available.

My observation and interaction with ministers more and more suggests that few ministers are willing to totally commit in such ways to a calling that we claim is from God. God has claimed our lives and called us to exemplary service. Committed ministers are a first step toward committed members. Ministry is plastic, not everyone does it the same way. But commitment should be a given. When the members are saying that the minister doesn’t seem to be giving it a wholehearted effort, some one ought to wave a red flag!