A Godly Example

I've had a night and a little bit of a morning to reflect on yesterday's events. No doubt about it, yesterday was a BIG day for the Curry church of Christ. Yesterday, one of our Shepherds (who has been guiding us for longer than I know) announced that he was stepping down from that position. At first, I was a little surprised and a little worried for the congregation. But it didn't take too long for my thoughts to switch over where they need to be - on my former shepherd and his wife.

I love that godly couple more than they'll ever know. And they have had more of an impact on my life than what they could ever imagine. He has been example for me of what a Christian husband, father, businessman, and church leader should look like - he has shown me by letting me watch is life. So once I got done worrying about myself and the congregation, I starting thinking about these two wonderful people. And then I started praying for them. I am so blessed to have that kind of an example of humility, strength and courage all wrapped up in one man.

By stepping down he put his family and the church first. He understood that, for whatever the specific reasons, that he was not at point in life that he felt he should be leading the church in that capacity. I have known of too many others in his position that made the wrong decision and remained with the Eldership for the wrong reasons, or with only half their heart invested in it. He had the courage and humility not to do that.

Let's not forget that a title is something you take on. But leadership is a role that it given to you by the very people who are following your lead. He may not be wearing a specific title - but I'll still be following close behind him.

I love you guys.

Exposure Youth Camp

Check out the promo video for Exposure! It's already September. December will be here soon!

Are we acting like the Jews?

So what's causing our congregations to stop growing and as a result, start dying (or at least letting atrophy take hold)? I wonder if a little bit of it is because we're acting like the Jewish Christians described in Acts. Check out these scriptures for yourself.

Acts 10:1-22; 34-35 It took a vision from God and three men sent to get him before Peter would consider preaching to a gentile.

Acts 11:1-3 When word got back to Jerusalem (where all the Jewish Church leaders were) that Peter had preached to (and ate with) Cornelius they demanded an explanation. So Peter had to explain to them about his vision and how it was God who sent him to do it.

Acts 11:19-22 This scripture describes how the Jewish Christians who had fled Jerusalem after Stephen was stoned had only shared the gospel with other Jews. But there was an exception. A few men were preaching to the Gentiles also. And when the folks in Jerusalem found out, they sent Barnabas up to Antioch to investigate the situation.

Now, I don't think we blatantly do what they did. These Jewish Christians were purposefully prejudiced against the Gentiles. And as a result, they were willing to "allow" or "accept" that the Gentiles were being converted - but it had to be done on their terms. More specifically, they had to become Jews (conversion) first, then they would be deemed acceptable for conversion. I don't know if we can paint with a real broad brush on this, but I don't think we'd be completely wrong in saying that some congregations are a little guilty of this.

For example, we are certainly guilty of confusing habit, tradition and custom for scripture - there's no denying that. And when our habits, traditions and customs are disrupted, we get disrupted. That's not inherently wrong. That is, there's nothing wrong with customs and traditions. But it is wrong for customs or traditions to be placed at a greater importance than people and their souls. Or, like the Jewish Christians did with circumcision, require people to accept our opinions, before we accept them. That's not right, and it alienates people. And when people are alienated they leave or don't come back. That's one reason for a lack of growth.

What do you think?

Church Growth in Walker County

Okay, so here's recommitment number 1. No more lay offs for more than a few days. Hopefully I won't need another recommitment. I've already got enough of those going. I think I'm on number 4 with my promise to myself that I'll start working out again and get back in shape. :-) Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only one in that boat.

Last month I introduced a new topic that I want to get into a little - the state of the Church. Are we growing? Are we not growing? Why are some congregations able to grow and others are dying? Here we go . . .

Since I've been in Jasper, I've heard three different comments (from three different people) that essentially stated that the church in Walker County is dying and they don't know why. I haven't done any research on this (though it probably would be a good study). But judging soley from comments made people who have been around a while and checking old bulletins from a few congregations, I can tell that it is probably true that the church "numbers" are in decline. In fact, for a few of the congregations the numbers are down substantially.

This is a good moment for pause. How do you define a dying church? How do you look at a particular congregations and say, "that congregation is dying," or "that congregation is growing?" Here's my answer, if there isn't consistent numberical growth, then it's dying. That's sounds a little harsh, but once a congregation stops growing it's only a matter of time before it begins declining. And it should really be pointed out that when our own kids make the decision to become a Christian, that really isn't growth in this sense. To me that seems more like maintaining.

So back to the thought. If the church in Walker County is dying, then why? Starting with the next post, I am going to spend a little time trying to answer this question. I welcome your comments. I think a discussion on this topic is well past due and well worth the time. If you are a regular reader, please encourage your friends to check us out. I would love to have input from as many people as possible. I look forward to your comments.

The Church

Most of the posts on this blog are generally devotionally focused. I think that means that I write with the hope of you being drawn closer to God or being challenged to think more critically about your relationship with God. Here's a litle different post.

Where do you think the Church is heading? What direction? Is it a positive direction? A negative direction? Do you see the Church growing? Do you see the Church in decline? For the individual congregations that are experiencing growth - what's causing it? What does that say about the spiritual and religious landscape of our society?

These are a few of the many questions that have been on my mind for some time. I have taken a lot of time to really discover my beliefs and thoughts on these questions. And I'm going to try and answer them over the course of the next few weeks.

Who Am I? Who Are You?

I love this scripture! It's such a great encouragement to me. Check it out.

10"Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt." 11But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?" 12And He said, "Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain." 13Then Moses said to God, "Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you.' Now they may say to me, 'What is His name?' What shall I say to them?" 14God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'"

It's easy to see why this verse is so encouraging to someone who has a heart to serve the Lord, but who sometimes gets lost in self-doubt. That's a perfect description for me. Deep down in my heart I feel like God has a plan for me. But sometimes I am so scared to jump out there and go for it. But every time I read this scripture it's a great reminder for me that the "I AM" has got my back.

On a personal level, there's really not much difference between Moses and me, or you. He was a regular guy with great leadership skills, a ton of potential and almost as much self-doubt. The way that I strive to be like him is that he fought through his apprenhension, his fear, his doubt and he just got after it. That doesn't mean he didn't go back to the great "I AM" every now and then for a pep talk. But he stayed in the game and he allowed God to use him. I hope people can say that about me. What about you?

Anger Poured Out

I had the chance to speak at the 6th Avenue congregation this week. This was the home congregation for Gus Nichols. It was really kind of neat to speak from the same pulpit that such a great and impactful preacher called his own for so many years. In case you aren't familiar with Gus Nichols, he was really instrumental in the growth of the church in the early and mid twentieth century. He started countless numbers of congregations in the western half of Alabama. He's really left a great legacy, particularly in this area.

I was asked to speak on James 1:19-20 - about being slow to wrath. I had never preached on this text before; and preparing this lesson on anger was a little more challenging that what I anticipated. But it was really benefical for me. Hopefully, the family there got something out of it as well. I want to share just a little of what I studied. Hopefully, you can take something from it.

Anger is one of those sins that really hits close to home with most everyone. I've known a few people in my life who I don't think ever struggled with anger - but for most of us, this is a common vice. There's a verse in Ephesians that people go to, to try and assuage their conscience when it comes to their anger. You may be familiar with it too. It's Ephesians 4:26 and it says

Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.

This quote, along with a few references to Jesus' anger with the Pharisees (Mark 3:5; et.al.) are missused and misapplied so much. Grab your Bible and check out Mark 3:5 and look specifically at what got Jesus angry. And then check out the Romans 1:18 and 2:8 where it talks about God's wrath.

Now just think to yourself, are the things that get you going the same type of things that got Jesus and the Lord worked up? Are they in the same category with what God's wrath is going up against? Probably not. Jesus was angry with the Pharisees because they had a hard heart. And God's wrath has been and will be poured out on all sin. Those hardly match up with idiot drivers, kids that don't listen, an incompetent boss or an umpire that you're convinced is cheating your kid.

It's really kind of humbling when you think of it in that context. So does that mean that you're sinning if you get angry for any reason other than a reaction to sin? I honestly don't know the answer to that. But I do know that James 1:19-20 says to be slow to wrath (or anger) because anger does not bring about the righteousness of God. After studying verses 18-21, here's what I came to realize about anger: it does not bring me closer to God, it does not solve the issue that instigated it, it does rob me of the fullness and the joy that I am supposed to experience (v.4)and finally, it does not take away the pain that caused it in the first place. Only Jesus can do those things.

God bless you!

What does your letter say?

One of my favorite scriptures is the first three verses of 2 Corinthians. Check it out.

1 Are we beginning to praise ourselves again? Are we like others, who need to bring you letters of recommendation, or who ask you to write such letters on their behalf? Surely not! 2 The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves. Your lives are a letter written in our[a] hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. 3 Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.

This scripture is so neat in that it reveals two messages to us. Do you realize that (if you have accepted Christ as your Savior) you are living out someone else's letter? Everything you do and don't do, and everything you say and don't say reflects back on someone. Paul said that the Christians in Corinth were his letter and that their lives were the only recommendation that he needed. What type of recommendation letter are you writing? By your actions today, what did you write? What about this past week - what have you written?

There's certainly here to think about. I think probably the most important letter we write is the one we write to Jesus. With our life we are in the process of writing a letter to Jesus. And with our choices and decisions we pen our letter. What are you telling Him?

God Bless!

Why?

Let me ask you a question - an onion question. Huh? What's an onion guestion? Glad you asked. An onion question is a question where the answer never seems to stop. The more you pull back layers, the deeper you get into the answer, the better and more fulfilling it becomes. This reminds me of the movie "Shrek," where Shrek and Donkey are on their way to rescue the princess and the onion topic comes up - "Ogres are like onions!"

So here's the question: when it comes to faith, religion, spirituality, the Bible, why do you believe what you believe? Where do you get your frame of reference? Where do you get your conclusions? Where do you get your answers to questions? I LOVE to ask "why?" when I am having a spiritually-based conversation with a student or am teaching in a class. I could ask why four or five times in a row. And it's so much fun for me to see students pull back the layers and slowly discover their own faith.

Too often we let ourselves (and our kids) own a faith that isn't theirs. We use rhetoric that we're comfortable with to teach others our beliefs and we seem to miss the step where we help them to own the beliefs for their self. I think this, more than anything else, is the reason that we lose "churched" kids when the get older - and especially when they go off to college, move out, etc.

So next time you're sitting in a bible class and the teacher says something you've heard a hundred times (or more) ask why. Then keep asking and answering "why" another three or four times and you'll start to get to center of the onion.

God Loves You!

Does God have confidence in your family?

Genesis 18:19 reads, "For I have know him, so that he will command his children and household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment, that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which He has spoken about him."

This is a really neat verse. It is a powerful statement about the Abraham's faith in general; and God's faith in Abraham specifically. In this passage God had no problem putting all his eggs in one basket so to speak. He made a statement of fact when He said that He knows that Abraham will command his children and household after him and that they will keep the way of the Lord.

This got me thinking, does God have that same type of faith in me? I think he probably hopes great things for me as a father and husband. But I'm not sure if He were referring to me that he could make the same statement (that He did about Abraham). That's actually a little embarrassing. Usually, I do a good job. And I am pretty consistent. But it's those times when I get frustrated too easily. Or those times when I am too tired to sit down and read the Bible to my kids. Or, here's one you might relate to, when I get frustrated when I'm driving. My kids are always watching - and learning - from everything I do and everything I don't do.

What about you? What would God say about your family? Do you think He KNOWS that your family will follow Him and all His ways? This verse sure is a great reminder of our responsibilities. Do yourself two favors: even if you answered yes to the previous verse, think of three things you could start doing better. It could be your families' church attendance. It could be praying before you eat. It could be having better control over some personal sin issues in your life. It could be reevaluating some parenting practices that you have been thinking about. It could be modeling personal spiritual disciplines for your children - like reading your Bible and personal prayer time.

Here's the second favor I hope that you would do for yourself: share this list with your spouse AND your children. Talk about it with them. Believe me when I say that I know how difficult this idea is. But you would be surprised at just how rewarding it could be.

May God bless you and your family. Amen.