What would you do differently?

You have likely heard the question, “What would you do differently if you knew you had a limited time to live?” Various answers have been given. One answer heard fairly frequently is, “Nothing would be different. I would just keep doing what I always do.”

Today is the first official day of my “retirement” from full-time ministry. (In my case, that only means I have traded a weekly preaching appointment in a local congregation for the opportunity to present seminars, workshops, mission work, interim ministry, and to do a lot of guest preaching.) What will I do differently today? Not much. I have already walked. I have an early morning lab appointment. I will hole up in my office and prepare next Sunday’s Bible class. I will work on missions projects and prepare upcoming lessons and sermons. I will translate some materials I have already written from English to Spanish. I will do some Greek reading; I will do some general Bible reading. I plan to drop by the hospital. I will do some website work.

All in all a pretty uneventful day–but a day spent to the glory of God, devoted to advancing the Kingdom Cause around the world. It will not be much different. But….I will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am doing it because I want to and not because I have to.

It’s Sunday Again: Priorities

Today I conclude my full-time preaching assignment with the Main and Oklahoma Church. A couple of days to conclude the month, and my full-time ministry assignment will also end. I have ended ministry assignments before–and always begun another one. My ministry now counts 40 years of full-time ministry, six churches (one with two tenures), two universities, at least six interim ministries, and the opportunity to preach in hundreds of churches across the nation. What makes this ending different is that I am not planning another beginning. I do not anticipate another full-time ministry assignment.

I do not consider myself an expert, but I can make some claim to the adjective “experienced”. I have preached full-time in the northern regions of the US, and also in the south. I have preached in churches of all sizes–preaching in special series in some of the largest congregations of the churches of Christ, and preaching also in some of the smallest. When all is said and done, what is the most important factor in church growth, ministry, preaching?

My answer is, “The ability to establish and stick to priorities.” It is not easy to put first things first. We are easily distracted in the church, and in ministry. We seek the wrong things for the wrong reasons with the wrong methods. We get things out of order. I heard from a former student recently–he has over a decade of preaching experience now. He is a counselor to other preachers. He reminded me of my continual encouragement to discover and preach the dream.

Many churches (and church leaders) have forgotten the goal. Without a goal, we may deceive ourselves and consider ourselves successful. But in reality, a person or a church without a goal has little possibility of much forward motion. The church must constantly search for and employ new methods that touch the hearts of people in culturally consistent ways. The church, and those who preach and lead, must never forget that the church is ultimately about salvation. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost, and telling the world about the Jesus we follow as king can involve no less. His purpose is our purpose if we are faithful learners (disciples).

If we don’t get much else right, let us get this right! The goal is connecting people to Jesus so that they might be saved eternally. Ultimately, the success or failure of our activities–including our preaching–can be measured by no other standard.

Welcome to Life!

I suppose you have noticed….the nature of life…life is full of problems.
We returned home earlier this week to find the air conditioning unit not functioning. Fortunately, the fix was an easy one–new fan motor and relatively inexpensive (as AC repairs go!).
Jan’s car stopped last month–then it started up again. After driving the car several hundred miles, the repair shop did not identify any problem. We picked it up and have driven it another hundred miles. But Jan is not very comfortable with the idea of driving it very far–especially since the trip to her mother’s involves some areas of southeast Oklahoma where cell phone service is not available. Time to look for a different car.
The house insurance bill came. The annual premium did not go down. It went up quite significantly. At least the due date is still a month away.
Basic, routine medical checkups this year have bumped up our medical costs–Jan says we are only $500 from meeting our high deductible. That sounds like a “good news, bad news” statement to me. Good news is that future costs (few anticipated) will not involve so much out-of-pocket. Bad news is that we have spent a lot out-of-pocket in this calendar year.

I suppose you have noticed….the nature of life…life is full of blessings.
We were warmly received last evening at church after a four-week absence. We are blessed with a wonderful church family–in fact, we are blessed with multiple church families who love us and care for us.
We arrived home safely on Monday after about 1000 miles and 16+ hours of driving.
The evening and early morning temperatures have moderated–the attic fan is pulling in fresh, cool air this morning, and the morning walk was invigorating.
We are able to pay the house insurance premium.
God blesses us with opportunities to make a difference through ministry and missions.

Life is not perfect. Life is what you make of it. The most meaningful life is focused on something beyond life here on planet Earth.

Delightful!

I am writing this post early morning–today is a travel day. After four Sundays of temporary, interim ministry in Michigan (four weeks, including travel), we are returning home today. Today’s title brings two truths to mind.

First, it is a delight to be part of the kingdom of God and Christ. Spending time with brothers and sisters in Christ is always special. Renewing friendship and fellowship, meeting new friends in Christ, remembering, celebrating, encouraging, anticipating. The time we spent with the church in Lansing was delightful. Heaven is a wonderful place!

Second, I am glad God gave us homes. Homes provide stability and comfort, familiar surroundings and the basic tools of life. It is amazing how many things one misses when one is away from home–not only the “stuff” of life, but also the relationships of life. Proximity to things and people reminds us of our identity–family, friends, even furnishings. Most of the furnishings in our house are unchanged over the last 30 years. The Bible describes heaven as our home. Heaven is a wonderful place!

Tribute: Carl Heffington

I received word last night that our dear brother in Christ, Carl Heffington, has gone to be with his Lord. Jan and I first met Carl and Claire during a trip to Guatemala. They were seeking to make a difference in their little part of the world. They are examples of what every Christian can do when we are serious about the world into which God has inserted us.

We enjoyed attending Carl’s Sunday evening English Bible class in Antigua, and enjoyed seeing the work that was progressing in San Lorenzo and the surrounding area under their tender encouragement. Our prayers are with Claire and the rest of the family. Pray today for God’s missionaries–wherever they may be. Pray that you might see the place where God has placed you as his missionary.

Every heart where God dwells is a missionary. Every heart where God does not dwell is a mission field.

We are family; we can get over it!

I had never heard the phrase applied to the church, but I immediately liked it!

Opting out of a family is not an option. I did not choose my family, but I am in it for the long haul. I cannot get out of it. My family is imperfect.  We have our warts; we have our black sheep.  I can make my family as good a family as possible or I can make it a disaster. I can harbor grudges or I can constructively work to heal relationships.

Families are imperfect because the people in those families are imperfect. Problems are inevitable. Difficulties come; conflicts arise.  The church family is not immune. The determining factor is in how we respond. Are we family or not? If we are family, the best option is not hard to see. We are family and we can get over it!

Special Memories

Today is our wedding anniversary: 1969 – 2010. Our forty-first anniversary by the way most people count–82 years of marriage by our count. WE have been married 82 years–41 for me and 41 for Jan. There’s a story behind this story.

We were married on August 15 and thought little about the date we had chosen until Valentine’s Day rolled around the following year. Six months. Six months for me, six months for her. We got out the top of our wedding cake and celebrated one year of marriage. No problem until August–now what to do? We celebrated two years of marriage. And thus have we gone forward now for 41 years and 82 celebrations. (We have to be careful how we say it and how we respond to questions.)
Someone says, “Well, if you’re going to count that way….” We respond, “You only get to count that way if you started that way–we’ve celebrated another year 82 times!”

This year I get to preach on our anniversary. Someone said, “You have to work on your anniversary.” I said, “That’s a good thing.” Jan and I are not the only ones noticing this year. The church is going all out for this one–special luncheon at Red Lobster with a group of Christian friends, cake and ice cream reception this evening after worship. Lots of greetings and well-wishers.

We have many special memories among our 82 celebrations–it is amazing how many of them we remember. (It is also amazing how many of them we do not remember.) This will be one of the special ones–#82. Thanks to our spiritual family at Holmes Road that helped to make this day a special memory!

Being “Family”

At the risk of “unleashing” rejoinders about assembly guidelines such as those in 1 Corinthians 14 (decently and in order), I observe that last Sunday evening’s gathering was for me refreshing.

Here is some of what I saw.

  • I saw the little dog on the front row. Explanation given by our sister in Christ: I went to visit friends and I couldn’t get back home in time to drop off my dog and then get back to the church building. I hope it’s okay. My response: as long as we make sure he is included in the count!
  • I saw the 3-4 year old child who left the auditorium by himself and was running up and down the center aisle during the sermon looking for the row where his parents were seated.
  • I saw the child held by his father as his father prayed.
  • I saw people move during the assembly at times some would consider awkward.
  • I saw the church family not in a hurry, taking time to surround the Lord’s Supper table together, in the auditorium, to contemplate the death of Christ that binds us together. (It has been a long time since I saw Sunday evening communion served in the auditorium while the entire assembly waited in prayer and reflection.)

I concluded that I have become so accustomed to accelerated, sterilized worship assemblies where children are removed from the “adult” activity, that I had almost forgotten what it is like to be family. Family where people are informal, laughing, sharing, helping…. Family where people linger long because they hate to say good-bye and leave. Family where a Sunday noon meeting is no problem–we have all afternoon to eat. Family where children are present–watching, learning, laughing, and following their own agendas part of the time (as children are prone to do). Families where those who were not able to be present on Sunday morning are among the most honored and those who must be greeted and included.

We give a lot of lip service to the fact that the church is “family.” I wonder if those who visit us and observe our typical interactions would conclude the same?

Boomerang Preacher?

It happened last week. I was introduced as a “boomerang preacher.” I had never heard the phrase before so I was anxious to hear what was coming next since the person speaking, a sister in Christ, had just introduced me to one of her friends and was describing me. She continued, “Every time we cry ‘help’, he comes to rescue us.”

I have contemplated her statement. Her statement reflects the nature of ministry. Paul went back to congregations to encourage and strengthen those he loved; he wrote letters; he was present in spirit if not in person. Effective ministry in the context of a church builds relationships that are not quickly broken.

Jan and I have “boomeranged”. We have returned to churches to assist in special times of need. We have returned for special series and meetings, weddings and funerals. We maintain contact. We have been invited to consider second tenures in most of the congregations where we have ministered. We don’t want to “boomerang” in ways that hinder the work and ministry of those who are currently working to advance the kingdom in those churches where we have worked, but it is hard for us to imagine spending ministry time with a church without building lifelong, eternal relationships. We love to see brothers and sisters we taught and baptized into Christ still faithful after years have passed. We love to meet the families of couples we have married.

We hope our “boomerang” efforts help those with whom we minister. We know such efforts help us. Such experiences remind us of where we have been. They remind us who we are. Most of all, they remind us that “God is God, and God is good.”

When Life Cannot Be Explained

As Jan and I were driving to Michigan recently, we received a phone call as we were near Ft. Wayne, Indiana. An elder in the church we were scheduled to visit (a church where we previously ministered) was calling to say that he had been summoned to the hospital because a dear sister in Christ was in the hospital and not expected to live. When we arrived at our destination a couple of hours later, we learned that our sister had deceased just a few minutes earlier. That evening, I went to the home to visit with her husband and some of the family.

The rest of the story. This sister had always said that she wanted me to preach her funeral. Her husband observed that had I not already had plans to come be in Michigan, that I would have been coming anyway. I was honored to be able to minister, the family was comforted, and we leave the explanation to God!