A Centennial Celebration

I have celebrated a few centennials in my almost 20000 days. The first I remember is the Kansas Centennial in 1961. While Jan and I were working with the Fort Gibson church, that church celebrated 1000 months–83+ years.

This weekend the church in McAlester is celebrating 100 years of history. Who are we? We are many things. The names– the McAlester church, South Third, Second and Washington, Main and Oklahoma–tell only part of the story. Some details that are part of the longer story is available on the Church Website:About Us.

The story begins with the arrival of Henry Rains and his family in 1908, through early meetiings in homes and rented facilities, to the first little building erected on South Third Street in 1924. A few members remember that building. Probably, the most well-known part of the story is the years the church met in the renovated Busby Theater (1932-1979) as the Second and Washington congregation.

The website article tells the physical facts–the spiritual realities are written and known only to God….the faithful preachers who have gone forth, the elders and church leaders who have been raised up, the mission work that has been accompllished, the influences that have been exerted–literally around the world. Some of those less visible aspects of the life of this church will be recounted this weekend amidst sharing and laughing, remembering and forgetting.

As is the case with lots of churches, the congregation has had its ups and downs. God is fashioning and transforming in the midst of adversity with love and grace through genuine discipleship and fellowship. Healing is in his wings. The church is learning, “It is OK to have scars.” Scars don’t determine who we are. Who we are is determined deep inside the disciple hearts that God has assembled in this place and church. Pray that this church might be faithful to its claim–“of Christ”–and might be a place where all whose allegiance and loyalty are to Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior and King might find a spiritual home, with help for this physical life and hope for the spiritual life.

Bridge to somewhere, or bridge to nowhere?

In the midst of the national controversy about the Alaskan “bridge to nowhere,” I was reminded of the illustration that pictures a sermon as a bridge from one shore (the word of God) to another shore (human experience or culture).  I couldn’t help but ask myself about my recent sermons, “Were they a bridge to somewhere, or a bridge to nowhere?”

Preachers who build sermons (bridges) must carefully construct both piers.  A sermon ought to have a  solid foundation in the word of God.  One who seeks to speak for God should speak accurately.  One must also seek to make clear how the word of God will land in the life experiences of the hearers.  Most of the sermons I hear or read don’t fail in the takeoff, they fail in the landing.  Where is the sermon going?  How will it touch the other shore?  How will it provide connection between God’s will and the daily experience of the hearers?

I am confident my readers can flesh out the details.  I repeat the question:  Was the sermon you preached (heard) last Sunday a bridge to somewhere, or a bridge to nowhere?

“unChristian”

All of us know deep down inside that Christians are supposed to represent Christ in this world. But according to some recent research, something has gone terribly wrong, especially among the young adults in our society. Using descriptions like “hypocritical,” “insensitive,” and “judgmental,” young Americans share an impression of Christianity that is nothing short of . . . well, the word that comes to mind is “unChristian”. Groundbreaking research into the perceptions of sixteen- to twenty-nine-year-olds reveals that Christians have taken several giant steps backward with this group. The surprising details of the study, commissioned by Fermi Project and conducted by The Barna Group, are presented in the book, unChristian. Here is information about why these negative perceptions exist and how to reverse them, with practical examples of how Christians can positively contribute to the contemporary culture.

The entire title (because subtitles say a lot about an author’s message) is unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity…and Why It Matters (Baker, 2007). The authors are David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group, and Gabe Lyons. If you care about the impotence of the modern church and have a heart for evangelism, get this book. You will read the results of interviews conducted with thousands of young people regarding why they have distanced themselves from church. The book shows mistaken moves on our part and what we can do to correct these errors.

Read the rest of the article.

A “Thank You”, a Request, and a Blessing

The “thank you” is first!  In the third full month of taking the new website and blog public, we have surpassed 4000 monthly visits!  Through 30 days of August, visitors to the site represent 61 countries.  I say “Thank You” to every visitor and regular reader for the encouragement you provide.  By your visits and involvement, you say that this is worth doing!

My request is that you share feedback and reactions and let other readers know what you think.

May God bless you today and may you know his presence in your life as we seek to fulfill his will for us.

When the AC goes out….

The air conditioning went out on my car Tuesday afternoon.  Since the outside temperatures were in the mid-90s, I felt fortunate that I was only about 90 miles from my destination.

Because I am currently a one-car family (Jan has her car in Colorado where she is engaged in grandmothering chores for our new granddaughter) and I need my car every day, I have not yet gotten it fixed.

Since I now drive with the car windows down, I hear the birds in the early morning drive through the countryside to my office.  I smell the new-mown hay.  I also smell the “road kill”–and the “stink gas” from the oil and gas exploration sites.  I hear children laughing and playing when I drive by the park.  I feel the coolness of the breeze in the early morning, In the afternoon I remember the in-car “sauna” from childhood days before many cars had air conditioning.

All of this has caused me to think again about an important lesson.  Most of the time, I drive with the air conditioning on and the windows up.  I am in the world in one sense, but not really in the world.  In the midst of a stimulating and varied world, I remain secluded with my air conditioning and radio.  Now that I am forced to operate (at least temporarily) without air conditioning, I have a renewed sense of being in the world. 

I am reminded that two options are before us as Christians.  #1–We can be in the world and not of the world, living our lives in total isolation in our own little worlds, little touched and touching little.  #2–We can be in the world and not of the world, smelling and hearing and touching the world, feeling the hurts and struggles, and caring about the people around us.  God is calling us to #2.  Isolationism is not the Christian way.

The church and humanism

Patch Adams was in McAlester recently. Lots of folks went to hear him. He is interesting and funny. He supports a lot of worthwhile causes at the Gesundheit Institute and seeks to improve health care in our nation. All well and good–but….

Patch Adams is a humanist. A seminar offered at the Institute next month is entitled “Humanistic Medicine: Constructing Your Humanism.” His is basically an anti-God message. His formula for health and wellness does not include God.

This article is not about Patch Adams–it is about church. Adams was hosted at a local denominational church. Did the church leaders not know the nature of his message? Did they not care? Is the goal to attract as many as possible to our buildings regardless of what compromises are required? Some may think these the questions of a nay-sayer. So be it.  The relationship the church has with false theological systems (like humanism) is important! Will we never heed the warnings of God?

Patch may not know better.  Those who claim to speak for God and represent God’s kingdom cause should!

Morgan Jayne

Yesterday Jan and I were blessed by the birth of another grandchild!  Morgan Jayne is our third granddaughter.  I haven’t see her, but I know she is beautiful.

Jan is in Colorado doing the grandmotherly thing and spending lots of time with big brother Joseph.  God marvelously blesses us when he gives us time for the people in our lives.

I praise God today for his goodness and love.  I pray for parents and children everywhere.  I ask you to join me in that prayer on this day.

Carl Capers: A Tribute

Births are part of life.  This week Jan and I are anticipating the birth of another granddaughter.  Funerals are equally part of life.  Many in our society seek insulation and isolation from death.  I am amazed at how many young people have never attended a funeral.  I am on the “call list” for a local funeral home–a minister on call when a family does not have a minister.  I am amazed at how many families are unconnected spiritually (unchurched).

The first place I preached full-time, I did 27 funerals in 27 months.  Yesterday found another funeral on my calendar.  Funerals are interesting.  Ministers do not preach funerals.  Every person preaches their own funeral.  Ministers only give structure to the memories.   This was a “good” funeral.  Carl Capers preached his own funeral.  His love for people, his love for his family, and his love for the church were obvious.  He was a servant.  He was dependable.  He was generous.  He was special.

In the last days of his life as his health waned, I saw parts of Carl I had not seen before.  He had a sense of humor.  He said to Edna, “You’re probably the best wife I’ve ever had.”  Carl was a philosopher.  As this brother who had been active all of his life became bedridden, he sagely observed:  “A man is real fortunate if he gets to live until he dies.”

Thank you, Lord, for the reminder that I am preaching my own funeral.  Thank you that I knew Carl.  Thank you for his example of faithful service.  A man is real fortunate if he gets to live until he dies.  So he is–and Carl did.

How Should We “Do” Church? (4): Worship and Preaching

WORSHIP AND PREACHING: DO WE REALLY KNOW HOW TO DO CHURCH?

[Note: you can link to previous blogs in this series: (April 20, April 27, May 4) .]

Recently, I was visiting with a friend. He shared an observation from an acquaintance outside the churches of Christ: “You guys have the best preaching around but you just don’t know how to do church.” I do not take that as a blanket affirmation that every sermon I preach is great, but I also believe that we in churches of Christ generally have very good preaching. We respect the word, we wrestle with the word, and in the struggle we learn and grow and apply the word of God to real life situations.

Of more interest to me is the second part of the statement—you just don’t know how to do church. When I shared this statement with a sister in Christ recently, she asked, “What do think that means?” Let me suggest some possible answers.

Most of our churches are stuck in a relatively unchangeable pattern of worship activities that can be little changed without major disruption. Those who have fresh ideas and applications are usually disempowered by our leadership models. Our church dynamics are flawed–we do most things for ourselves. We seem to have little awareness of how spiritual realities and activities might be designed to appeal to visitors. Many churches around us have sold out to attracting visitors with entertainment, stunts, and the spectacular. We must seek to discover how spiritual meaning is communicated to those unfamiliar with the word of God and spiritual realities. If we have great preaching, I would say it is mostly for us, and that we have little idea about how to preach the gospel in today’s post-modern world. We are embarrassed to offer the invitation, do not know what we want our hearers to do as a result of the sermon, and are equally embarrassed at times about God’s desire for a specific kind of response. We are not committed to using people according to their gifts.

We need to sharpen our understanding of the essential nature of baptism so that people do not delay until it is convenient. I believe we are more and more in churches of Christ baptizing for church membership rather than as a clear indication that salvation has come to another soul.

In most places, we need to work on making the worship experience meaningful and rich and spiritual. There is little reason to greet people well if they will leave disillusioned as a result of other aspects of their visit with us.

Life is not easy, but our compromised positions do not help us do church effectively, maintaining high commitment demands. I know I am idealistic, and it takes a long time to move a large ship, but sometimes when I visit in sister congregations, I feel as though I have stepped back in my spiritual life 20-25 years.

May God help us find fresh faith and vitality in our shared worship as we seek to shine as lights in a world of darkness.

A Little Bit Will Go a Long Way

I received an email this week with the estimated cost for a little project in Latin American (Santa Maria del Real, Honduras).   There is a need for $750 to rebuild the wall in front of the church building.  Let me share some background quickly.

 After hurricane Mitch, we feared that the walls of the old building would collapse due to the ground water that was soaked up by the adobe.   I,  along with a group of students from Ohio Valley University, assisted in building a new building in 1999.  Fortunately, the old building survived and continued to be used as a classroom.  Later other groups I worked with added a small pila with restrooms, and a classroom behind the new building.  The old building remained at the front of the property, in poor repair but useful for storage, despite severe roof leaks.  About a year ago, the old building was taken down because of the potential danger of a collapse, leaving only the front wall standing.  That wall, part of the old building, served as part of the front wall for the church property.

With the recent rains, that wall has also begun to crumble and fall and is in danger of total collapse.  The portions that have already fallen present a security problem for the church.

We need only $750.  Jan and I have pledged to help, and at least one other person has also agreed to assist.  We need about $600 to complete this project.  Checks can be made payable to Main and Oklahoma Church of Christ and marked for “SMDR wall”.  The church website is on my ‘blogroll’ or you can email me for more information.  Pray also for this church.  Thank you for whatever you can do.