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The psychology instructor had just finished a lecture on mental health and was giving an oral test. Speaking specifically about manic depression, she asked, "How would you diagnose a patient who walks back and forth screaming at the top of his lungs one minute, then sits in a chair weeping uncontrollably the next?" A young man raised his hand and answered, "A basketball coach?" Enjoy March Madness! Michael
Duduit, Editor Click here to visit "I Was Just Thinking" (Michael's blog) for insights and observations about faith and culture issues. Recent topics: Moral judgments not welcome. There's still time for you to join us in Cambridge this April! Visit www.preaching.com/icop to learn about the International Congress on Preaching this April 17-19 in Cambridge, England, sponsored by Preaching magazine.
Keeping your church hidden The blog Church Redone recently offered an interesting post on "10 Ways to Keep Your Church from Being Discovered." Among the "suggestions": * Don't have a website: This is the information age, even 107 year old women have blogs, but not your church. No church website, no blog, no flickr account, and don't podcast your sermons. Knowledge is power and providing me easy access to information about your church might empower me to learn more or even visit. So even if you must have a website, make sure it is poorly designed, lacking in information, hard to navigate, out of date and doesn't have an rss feed to make things even remotely easy for me. * Don't answer your phone: Regardless of what time I call (weekday, weekend, morning, afternoon, evening) don't answer the phone and don't have an answering machine or voice mail for me to leave a message or prayer request. If you do have voice mail, don't include your website address, service times or directions to your church on your message, and don't ever answer the phone on Sunday mornings. That way when I'm lost en route to service, I'll have no choice but to drive around aimlessly until I give up and go home. * Lack clear signage: Even if I'm determined to visit your church, you have several on site options to discourage me. The first is to play hide and seek. Is your church in a nondescript building or on a street with several other churches? Have absolutely no signage; none, whatsoever. Except maybe on the mailbox, where you abbreviate things beyond comprehension. If you run a Christian school, put up a 10' x 14' sign just for it, so I'll be led to believe the building is only a school. * Ignore Visitors: Despite your best efforts I have found and attended your church. In fact, I even filled out a visitor's card requesting more information. Don't acknowledge my visit in any way. Don't call me, don't send me a thank you card, don't answer any of my questions or give me any information about how to become involved or learn more about Jesus. Also don't have any literature available to provide visitors and don't train your volunteers to be courteous or helpful in anyway. Among the other items: Be completely inactive in the community; Allow misinformation; Have inadequate parking/seating; Respond half-heartedly to inquiries; Be evasive about your beliefs; Lie to me. (Click here to read the full post.) http://www.churchredone.com/10-ways-to-keep-me-from-discovering-your-church-26
Standing alongside In his Tuesday Mornings newsletter last week, Tom Barnard shared this: The Bible is literally full of stories of heroism. One of my favorites is found in 1 Samuel, Chapter 14. The "hero" is Jonathan, son of King Saul. With only his armor-bearer backing him up, Jonathan took on an outpost of Philistine soldiers and almost single-handedly killed twenty of the enemy. It is a story of courage, but there is a story within the story. Jonathan had at his side a young armor-bearer, whose name we do not know. While Jonathan was experienced in battle and was equipped for hand-to-hand fighting, all we know about the armor-bearer is that he was young, that he carried Jonathan's armor, and that he cleaned up after him. Verse 13 reads, "Jonathan climbed up (toward the outpost), using his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer right behind him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and killed behind him." This is a story of war. You won't find it among Bible stories to tell to young children. But it is there. And one of the powerful truths in the story is that without his armor-bearer standing with him, backing him up, the end result might have been much different. We all need someone to stand with us when we are facing threatening times. We need people to pray for us, to stand with us, to support us, and at great personal risk, to "go to the wall" for us. (Tuesday Mornings, 3/13/07. To subscribe to this free devotional, send your name and email address to barnard22@cox.net.) Pastor, has God called you to be an "armor bearer" for a friend or colleague in ministry? And are you a faithful encourager of the "armor bearers" God has placed beside you?
Show your scars In an interesting article in the March 6, 2007 issue of Christian Century, Pamela Fickenschur talks about her experience of leading an Emergent congregation called Spirit Garage, and how the insights gained from mountain biking compared to ministry. One of those biking observations is: don't be afraid to let people see the bumps and bruises. Show your scars. "To a lot of people, being authentic means that our brokenness is evident. There is no smooth polish or veneer put on our failings as individuals or as a community. People weep openly in worship and are not afraid to say exactly what they think about the church, about God -- and about the mess the world is in. "While many traditions have taught preachers to leave the "I" out of their sermons, postmodern audiences are hungry for the messenger and the message to draw closer together. Personal experience is granted far more authority than academic learning or even the scriptures themselves. I had to learn to preach in a way that approached testimony more than exegesis. "Of course, there is always a danger in acts of self-revelation that the gospel will be buried under the focus on personal experience, that the 'for example' of God working in my life will be heard as the example. Moreover, the preacher has to be very cautious about his or her motives for self-revelation. Does this story add to or detract from the power of the gospel? My personal rule of thumb was that I needed to reveal my scars, but never my open wounds. If God had worked in my life to accompany me through difficulties, to heal wounds, then that witness could powerfully reach those who were hurting now. But my current struggles of faith were not to be worked out in the pulpit." (Click here to read the full article) http://www.christiancentury.org/article.lasso?id=3059
ILLUSTRATION: Easter Marty Boller tells the story: A pastor is giving a children's sermon on Easter Sunday morning. "Can anyone tell me what happened on Easter?" Silence. The pastor, persisting, asked again politely, "Now I know that someone here knows what happened on Easter a long, long time ago." Again, total silence. "Finally, visibly frustrated, the pastor asks more forcefully, "Somebody please tell me about Easter Sunday!" Finally, little Johnny slowly raises his hand. "They killed Jesus!" "That's right," said the pastor, "And then what?" "They put him in the ground and he was there for 3 days!" (Johnny spoke with more confidence). "Right!" the proud pastor affirmed, "and then what?" "And on Easter morning, Jesus comes out of the ground!" "Wonderful!" the pastor joyfully agreed. Then Johnny continues, "And if He sees His shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter!" A lot of people are like little Johnny -- they know bits and pieces about the Easter story, but the details are not all that clear . . . (from sermon "Easter: A Place for Honest Skeptics," SermonCentral.com newsletter)
ILLUSTRATION: Worldliness, Commitment In a recent edition of the Brentwood Baptist Daily Devotional email, pastor Mike Glenn wrote: "When I was younger I didn't have to decide. All of my decisions were made for me. What I ate, what clothes I wore, when I got up and when I went to bed -- all of these choices were made for me. As I got older, I was allowed to make more and more choices, but some choices were never left up to me . . . where we lived, whether or not I went to church. I remember I could express my opinion, but I would never be involved in the decision. "For a long time, we in the Christian community were lulled into thinking that we didn't have to make a choice. After all, we were told, we live in a Christian society and everyone respects the traditional Judeo-Christian values. You can just live in our culture and be a pretty good person. "Our faith, however, has never been about being a pretty good person -- but about being radically transformed into the likeness of Christ -- and that doesn't happen by accident. It requires a choice -- lots of choices. Not only does it require the choice to accept the free salvation offered to us in Jesus Christ, we have to keep choosing every moment to follow His way through the world. "Now, the world is drawing the line and forcing Christ's own to declare their allegiance. We are faced with a choice, just like Peter and John. They chose to obey God -- you and I must make the same choice. I hate to be blunt about it, but this world is not a friend to God. We can either be a friend of God or we can be a friend of the world -- but not both. Peter and John were right. We have to choose. So, choose well. Your life is depending on it." (www.brentwoodbaptist.com)
ILLUSTRATION: Confusion, Names A little girl named Cindy, when asked her name, would reply, "I'm Mr. Sugarbrown's Daughter. " Her mother told her this was wrong, she should say, "I'm Cindy Sugarbrown." One Sunday the pastor saw her in the hall after Sunday School, and said, "Aren't you Mr. Sugarbrown's daughter?" She replied, "I thought I was, but mother says I'm not."
ILLUSTRATION: Dreams, Farming The school of agriculture's dean of admissions was interviewing a prospective student, "Why have you chosen this career?" he asked. "I dream of making a million dollars in farming, like my father," the student replied. "Your father made a million dollars in farming?" asked the dean, much impressed. "No," replied the applicant. "But he always dreamed of it."
"Before we can pray, 'Lord, Thy Kingdom come,' we must be willing to pray, 'My Kingdom go.'" (Alan Redpath)
On the preacher's bookshelf . . . Proclaiming the Scandal of the Cross (Baker), edited by Mark D. Baker, offers a variety of examples of ways to present the atonement, using images and metaphors developed by C.S. Lewis, Frederica Mathewes-Green, Brian McLaren, and many others. Baker seeks to provide insights that see the atonement from perspectives other than the penal satisfaction model. Whatever your theological approach, you'll find much to inspire and provoke thought. What Women Wish Pastors Knew (Zondervan) by Denise George is based on the responses of hundreds of Christian women in a national survey when they were asked, "What do you wish your pastor knew?" Pastors need to be aware of the insights these women shared about their personal lives, their hurts and dreams, and their views of the church. Denise George (who has written for Preaching in the past) provides a valuable resource for church leaders. John D. Witvliet's book The Biblical Psalms in Christian Worship (Eerdmans) offers a host of ideas for spoken, musical and visual resources for using the Psalms in worship. I particularly appreciated the section on "Praying the Psalms." This volume will give you new insights into the Psalms and new ideas for worship. (Click on the title to go to the Amazon link for more information or to order a copy.)
ILLUSTRATION: Time Progress A Louisiana man was overheard saying, "When the end of the world comes, I hope to be in Louisiana." When asked why, he replied, "I'd rather be here because everything happens in Louisiana 20 years later than in the rest of the civilized world." (from Austin Tucker of Shreveport, LA)
Plan
to be with us in Cambridge for the There's still time for you to plan to be part of one of the most exciting preaching events of the decade as you attend the third International Congress on Preaching, April 17-19 in Cambridge, England. This event is only held once every five years, so the next one won't be until 2012! ICOP 2007 will feature an amazing team of preachers and teachers, including N.T. Wright, David Jeremiah, Alister McGrath, Calvin Miller, Dave Stone, J. Alfred Smith, Michael Quicke, Timothy Warren, Robert Smith, Mike Glenn, Michael Milton, and many, many more. You'll enjoy stimulating addresses on the Congress theme, "For Such a Time as This: Preaching Truth in an Age of Idolatry." You'll hear challenging sermons, and you'll participate in practical workshops on a variety of preaching-related topics. There's still time to register, and airlines are beginning to announce airfare sales, so make your plans now to be with us. To learn more (and register online), go to www.preaching.com/icop or you can call 800-527-5226 (toll free inside U.S.) or 615-386-3011 (outside the U.S.)
From the sponsor of this week's edition: Preaching With Power Preaching with Power (Baker), is a book featuring 20 interviews from the pages of Preaching magazine. Preaching with Power includes interviews with preachers like John MacArthur, Haddon Robinson, Lloyd John Ogilvie, Rick Warren, Adrian Rogers, David Jeremiah, Ed Young Jr., T.D. Jakes, Andy Stanley, and eleven more. Click here to learn more or to order your copy today.
Best Excuses if You Get Caught Sleeping At Your Desk "They told me at the blood bank this might happen." "This is just a 15 minute power-nap like they raved about in the last time management course you sent me to." "Whew! Guess I left the top off the liquid paper" "I wasn't sleeping! I was meditating on the mission statement and envisioning a new paradigm!" "This is one of the seven habits of highly effective people." "I was testing the keyboard for drool resistance" "I was actually doing a "Stress Level Elimination Exercise Plan" (SLEEP) I learned at the last mandatory seminar you made me attend. "I was doing a highly specific Yoga exercise to relieve work-related stress. Are you discriminatory towards people who practice Yoga?" "Hey! Why did you interrupt me? I had almost figured out a solution to our biggest problem." "Someone must've put decaf in the wrong pot." "Boy, that cold medicine I took last night just won't wear off!" "Ah, the unique and unpredictable circadian rhythms of the workaholic!" "I wasn't sleeping. I was trying to pick up my contact lens without any hands."
And finally . . . Some pastors talk about the turkeys who attend their church. This pastor meant it literally. Rev. James Huff, pastor of Lambs United Methodist Church in Wales Township, MI, recently led a memorial service for the wild turkey that was part of their congregation. According to a March 14 AP story, Huff said the turkey regularly attended Sunday services and greeted people as they arrived. "He would kind of wait for me to come in," Huff told the Times Herald of Port Huron. "He knew when I got there. Service was about to begin, and then he would sit on one lady's car until we were done." The turkey died last week after it was hit by a car. Douglas Bishop, the church's music director, said congregation members noticed the bird wasn't there last Sunday. The fowl never missed a service, he said. Better than a lot of church members.
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