Dynamic Worship

Dynamic worship is from the heart and as individual as the relationship we have with God. It is a mature time of devotion to the creator carefully developed and practiced like a long daily walk over familiar ground. The more you do it, the better you become at the journey. GM and Jeanne both imparted great wisdom for us in their posts on the last blog, and I appreciate it very much. However, if this is all true (which I believe it is) what do we do for the young or spiritually young? How do we harness this wonderfully mature perspective on worship and translate that into something a spiritual babe might find appealing. I have heard many a mature Christian say something like "Oh, it doesn't really matter that the lesson or the song service is good, it only matters that your heart is right". Amen, but that type of a "worship service" doesn't always speak to our searching visitors or even to some of our less grounded, less mature members.

So let me go back to my original question and refocus it a bit. What are the key ingredients of a successful, dynamic, effective worship experience (here's the tricky part) that will draw people from the community and draw our fringe members closer?

I'd like to take a second to highlight some of what GM posted last time because I think she's right on the money, but she also illustrates the difficulties. Here goes:

I think a dynamic worship service comes down to, basically, having a JOY in sharing the WORD. I don't want an 'entertaining' preacher-I can turn the TV on to be entertained-I want a preacher who is COMPELLING! And I don't think a song leader has to have a lot of talent....but enthusiasm is good, along with a nice mix of old and new, fast and slow hymns. The prayers should be spoken for everyone present.....if they're too personal it feels like we're eavesdropping and if they're too bland, then it's difficult to have that 'connection'.

For the record, I agree 100% with everything listed above, but let's consider it for a moment.

Premise: Dynamic worship = Joy in sharing the WORD!!! Amen, amen amen! We can really stop here and be technically correct, but there are people out there who have difficulty finding that joy, so there must be something more to do.

Preaching: Not entertaining, but rather compelling. Amen again. I agree totally. I often use the word "Engaging" rather than compelling when saying the same thing, but I think both are good. My problem is that what compels me or engages me is someone who is skilled at one of two things, orating a well delivered lesson, or imparting some insightful Biblical information. What that does for us is to garner and keep our attention. It captivates us and holds us and doesn't let go until the end, and if he's really good, he'll leave us wanting more. The tricky thing is that if I was talking about a book, movie or TV show when I made that last statement, you could say it was an "Entertaining" book, movie or TV show. So even though in our worship services "entertaining" has a bad taste attached to it, when push comes to shove, it still applies. I'll admit that that term mostly holds a feel good, positive (cushy) connotation, whereas "compel" or "engage" can be cut to the heart convicting and still be effective. I've been compelled by something that wasn't so entertaining. Point? This too takes maturity to wade through the differences. We have many who are capable, even adept at this wading, but also many who are not. We must find a way to reach those who are not.

Songs: Not a lot of talent needed, but a good mix of old and new, fast and slow hymns. Please allow me one more Amen. Amen! Still though, I have a little difficulty here. I'm a song leader at church. I'm by far not the best song leader you've ever heard, but I can read music and carry a tune if you give me a big enough bucket. I think I have a relative feel for tempo, and I try (try very hard) to mix the songs up (old, new, fast, slow). Can I just take a moment and say that this is a fairly difficult task. By the time I get the time signature, the key note (or at least the starting pitch) find it and blow it on the pitch pipe, remember that tone and modulate to and sing the starting note, follow the music and the words, making sure to move my hand in the proper beat pattern in the proper tempo, oh and I have to also make sure I'm worshipping while all this is going on, it's no wonder that there are times I break out in a cold sweat. Oh, and then we can add in the option of running a power point thing for the overhead projector. At this point, can I say that I've far exhausted the small bit of talent that I have. I do my best and hope for the best. I pray that the congregation will overlook my sour notes and accept what I do in the worshipful manner in which it is given. For the most part, I think they do, but here's the kicker, what about the new Christian, the visitor, or the person who needs that extra something to hold them to their seat? I'm quite sure I've not lead too many song services that inspired a visitor to return. I've had song services that inspired members to come to me and thank me for singing a certain song or a certain type of song, but I've also had members complain about my singing of the same song or type of song. How exactly do you spell "Arrrrrgggghh!"?

Prayer: Not too personal or to bland. GM, I agree once again, but again, I find difficulty in the application. I realize that this isn't exactly a tightrope that we have to walk, but most men have difficulty at first simply getting up to pray in public. Often they get over this fear by practicing and getting up with a fistful of phrases like "guide guard and direct" or "our most gracious heavenly Father" or "until the next appointed time" and then we often find ourselves listening to canned prayers that are passed down through the generations. (Please don't be upset with me for posting all this, I'm talking about myself and my difficulties, and not pointing fingers or throwing stones at anyone else).

I guess what I'm saying is that when you take this "Worship" thing out of its box and examine it closely, it gets pretty tough. When you further try to make it effective for everyone in the building regardless of their preferences or spiritual level it becomes even harder. And when you try to do all of that within a certain time frame ... well, good luck!

Both GM and Jeanne gave good advice on worship last blog. GM, thanks for letting me use your suggestions for this post. The last one I'll use is also the first one I used. Joy! This is personal! God has made it personal. I have come to know that the best I can do regardless of what I'm doing up front is to truly and deeply attempt to worship. If I mess up a song, God will forgive me. I'll keep worshipping. If I goof up the beat pattern, I'll stop waving my arm around altogether (half the people in the congregation couldn't care less anyway) but I'll continue to worship. If I stumble over a prayer or get choked up in emotion, I'll keep worshipping and hope everyone else does the same. At best, I'll get a few things right a couple of times. At worst, you'll see me for the failing but forgiven man that I am with my neck out there on the public forum, but I pray that what I do (that what we do) reaches to God in Spirit and in Truth. If it does, I'm sure he is willing to accept it.

Dynamic Worship

Do you have a dynamic worship service at your congregation?

What makes it dynamic and effective? This question has come up quite a lot lately. As we seek to worship our wonderful God, is there a practical way to manufacture a meaningful worship experience for the majority of the congregants? Does it simply take a really good song/worship leader, or is it something more? Let me propose a short list and let you add to it what works at your congregation:

What makes a dynamic worship service?

1. Entertaining minister

2. Very talented Song Leader

3. Everything fitting within the 1 hr. time frame

4. A good devotional talk at the Lord's Table

5. Short prayers

6. Heartfelt prayers

What combination of these or other things makes up a dynamic worship service for you?

Long term church goals?

What is your congregation's long term vision? Do you have one? Is it generally known by the whole of the membership? Is it effective?

As most of you know, the congregation I attend is beginning a new phase with a new minister. There has been a lot of emotion in this process and a lot of confusion in the mix. Pulling back together after a set of events surrounding a change like this is difficult. Add to the normal difficulties a group of nearly 30 men who stepped in through that time to try (very difficult though it was) to fill the previous minister's ample shoes, and you have a tired, disgruntled group of people at best.

Now infuse a "new guy" and hope that all the folks who've been working hard for this long lag time don't throw their collective hands in the air and say "okey-dokey new guy, its all yours!" More than that, try and draw those tired Christians into a cohesive core to continue keeping on keeping on.

To this end, do you feel that a long term vision would be beneficial? What type of vision would you suggest? Does a church dare set a numbered goal; i.e. "We want to reach 1000 members in 10 years"?

I'll take any thought and any comments.

Tom

Wednesday Worship (part 2)

Jeanne M. wrote some very profound things in the previous posting, here is one:

Just as I eat more than one meal a week - or a day - so I need more "meat" from the scriptures than is given in one - or two - hours on Sunday. But then I want to be with the brothers and sisters every opportunity that is presented to me. Study alone is good, but study with others helps me learn from their thoughts, just as reading blogs from those I admire and know have well-thought out ideas to present does, too.

Thank you Jeanne for that wonderful insight. What you said rings very true. Would any of us - I mean any - dare suggest that the spiritual food we receive from 2 hours a week is enough to sustain us? Yet, so many people try to survive on that or less. Granted, someone one will say that they don't need to come to church to get spiritual food, they can read their Bible at home. This is very true, you can read your Bible at home. I'll go a step further and say we should absolutely read our Bibles at home, frequently. I'm not sure how we can truly survive without this study time. But let's take this food analogy a little further.

How would our meals fare if our moms choose to not be involved in them. Speaking for my house, we would be hungry a lot because I'm not the best cook. Moms involve themselves in our meal time gatherings because if they aren't involved, we probably wouldn't eat. Now I can imagine the objection; the preacher is there to feed the people who come on Wednesday night, so why do they need me? Even as a very small child I remember sitting around our table at home. When my Dad asked me to pass the salt, I passed the salt. He could have gotten it himself, but I'm part of the family and it was my part to do for him. I may not be the preacher or the song leader, but I can still pray. I can still share in someones sorrow. I can still pass the salt. We are family and we gather together as all families should. When one of us weeps, we all feel sorrow. When one of us celebrates, we all feel joy.

There is internal Christianity and there is external Christianity. Internal is a spirit thing that is between me and God. It is very personal and very powerful. It is the place where my spirit and His Spirit communicate and where the Holy Spirit takes my heart and gives it to the Father. External Christianity is when I take that relationship that I have with God and the Spirit through Jesus and share it with people around me. I'm not just talking about preaching, but rather living. Doing what I can to take care of the needs of others. Being a shoulder to the crying, a light through the darkness or an echo in times of joy. External Christianity is born from Internal Christianity. It gives back though because External Christianity when given from the heart is a gift not only to the person you help, but also to God. In our efforts, we come near to God, and when we do that He comes near to us.

We may feel we don't need Wednesday night worship (or Sunday night), but maybe Sunday and Wednesday night worship needs us. How much greater impact would the service have for everyone involved if everyone was involved.

I told you I would share something that Patrick Mead said in his blog at www.patrickmead.net/tentpegs so here it is:

I confess: even though I understand that these times together aren’t a requirement, I find myself becoming legalistic when I think about them very long. They ARE good and, if done right, are highly beneficial… but God didn’t order us to attend them and elders overreach when they make a law God’s wisdom didn’t require Him to make. At the same time we must humbly realize that "daily and from house-to-house" was the pattern of the early church. We’ve cut that down to a couple of hours on Sunday and an hour or so on Wednesday and STILL we chafe under that "burdensome" duty! What a bunch of wienies we are!

What a bunch of wienies we are! (I think I'll end with that)!
Tom

Wednesday Worship

There is an apparent trend among American Churches wherein many congregations have ceased holding a mid-week service and a popular argument to accompany the move. Firmly ensconced on one side of the argument are those who adamantly proclaim the familiar mantra from Hebrews 10:25 which states, "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching." A wonderful verse and an effective argument for getting together.

Others however are equally cemented within their view that the scriptures defining New Testament worship never call us to a specific mid-week service. There's is also a securely defensible position. Searching the New Testament will provide, to my knowledge, a gaping hole where the command to meet on a specific mid-week day should be.

In view of this, how do we handle Wednesday nights? Should we worry about the lag in attendance and view it as a less than favorable sign of the spiritual maturity of the absent congregants? Should we approach them concerned, pray for and with them and encourage them to more frequent attendance? Should we pull out the Hebrews 10:25 mantra and scold them for their shortcoming? Or should we back off, live and let live? As the trend toward skipping this particular service begins to take hold within a congregation and fewer and fewer come, is the only alternative to cancel the service?

I have further views on this, but I thought I'd toss it out there for your consideration. I've enjoyed reading a posting on this from Patrick Mead's blog and I'll bring up a couple of things he said in further postings.

Tom

Picnic on Friday, zoo on Saturday

The kids at the zoo.

Butterfly faces, what fun! These lasted until the girls wanted to play with Christian and his friend Justin in the sprinkler at home, then the butterflies were gone.

Fourth of July picnic at the house. Good food, good friends, good fellowship, a pool for the kids and most of all, no rain. What a wonderful day we had to spend with our church family.

Still more ancient notbook (are you tired of these yet?)

What I have done for you

The stars are silently placed in their high perch in the heavens, with a thought the sun begins to glow and the earth is formed. In a beautiful garden, life is breathed both into a man, and into a world and in a whisper on the new wind, words are spoken, “This is what I have done for you.”

Time is created and rolls swiftly on its course and blessings cascade on the world one after another like cool waves of the sea on a sunny shore. A heavenly smile is continuously cast upon earthly children and in a cheerful exalted voice that rides on a sunbeam again it is proclaimed, “This is what I have done for you!”

Then the world falls and the life given becomes stagnant in disobedience and offensive in sin. The gift of life is horribly abused and the only possible true punishment is the loss of that gift. Thus enters death into the world and sorrow finds its way into the heart of the Creator.

Time again passes on the on the blue ball and though some continue after the true and the right, others become self-absorbed and gods unto themselves. With the penalty of death still hanging over their heads the people continue on in their own designs without pause or prayer to Him who Is. Yet in his forbearance, he allows it to continue.

A baby is born and grows into a healthy young man and at some point in his years he realizes that he is living in a world which he made. Perhaps he notices that the flowers seem to look like a far away dream, or maybe the crisp air curls around his face like a kiss as he walks in the morning hours. Perhaps while sitting in a grove of trees, a robin lands on his knee and sings the sweet song of love as one sings for a friend. The boy grows in body and spirit and comes to understand his power and purpose in the world that he created. Once again the light from a heavenly smile beams down on the small globe. With the presence of God on earth the very air seems to shout, “This is what I have done for you!”

With his mission forever in front of him, Jesus gathers his flock and begins to teach them how to please the One who Is; life for the sake of love, and love for the gift of life. But still hanging like a noose, is the punishment of death. To be pure and just, that debt must be paid.

With signs given and miracles shared, the teacher moves across the face of his world. Some follow true to him, others leave when his teachings come in conflict with their desires. Others despise him for shattering their shallow packaged lives. Growing room must be forged out of the protective fences built by the prideful and self-important.

In his eyes shine love while in theirs grow the glare of hate. He teaches strangers of brotherhood and they treat brothers as strangers. They want nothing but to take his life not knowing that his life is ultimately the very gift he will give to his people, his world.

In a garden, dark from hours past the man kneels and prays. His heart is given as his body will soon be. From his forehead flows sweat as from his eyes flow tears. The trusted followers sleep on their watch as an angry crowd appears. Jesus is taken, not with swords and clubs, but with the kiss of one he had called friend. Force doesn't bend him to their will, but his obedience to the will of his Father in heaven.

An already dismal night grows even darker as time slowly passes in what has come to be the most eventful night in history. On a rugged pole with a splintery crossbar hangs the man who had known the sent of a flower before he came close enough to smell it. His love is poured out in blood. His heart, the heart that beats in time with the rhythm of all creation, is nearly crushed by the weight of the sins of the world. This great man who had done nothing wrong speaks with his last breath, “It is finished.” …

… and in heaven the One who Is turns away from his Son and speaks in an eternal whisper to each person in the world, “This, is what I have done for you!”

Tom Shuff

Drowning

With his shirt plastered to his chest, the six year old boy who had been fishing with his sister and father tried desperately to keep his head above the water. His pants were soaked with the dirty brown lake water and the extra weight pulled him under. If he had time to regret he may have felt sorry for not listening to his dad warn him to stay close by. Staying alive was more pressing than regret. The swirls of water washed around his head and the long deep stems from the lily pads wrapped around his arms and legs making it nearly impossible to stay afloat. He tasted the bitter water as he opened his mouth desperately wide for air. His attempts for oxygen brought more water into his stinging nose and throat. Scrambling to the surface he tried to scream, but his cry for help only proved to give him another mouthful of the dirty lake. Fortunately his eleven-year-old sister was nearby and capable of a more than healthy scream.

Down below the water again, and then with little legs frantically kicking he faught back up. It was then that he opened his burning eyes to see something he would never forget. As a photo in his mental album, this picture would forever stay with him. There on the shore, running along the slanted hill that ringed the lake, came his daddy. The sight of him casting off cumbersome articles of clothing, zigzagging between trees, pushing through thick branches and shedding knots of tangled fishing line took on the mystique of a man taking off his glasses and shirt to reveal a large “S” and a billowing red cape. In an instant the man was wet and the boy quickly found himself safely in the arms of his father. Through it all, the man never took his eyes off his sinking son.
Forever, the son remembers.

There is another who remembers. He recalls being pinned to a wooden cross where he waited for death to creep slowly and excruciatingly into his beaten body. He remembers the morning turning into day as he and his two companions slipped into the approaching darkness. He remembers the tears that were shed by the woman standing at the base of the next splintery death post. But most of all he can’t forget the voices. The collective voice of the mob was burned in his mind as it screamed hatred and scorn till hearts burned furious and throats burned raw. He remembers the voice of a dying thief as he ridiculed out of fear and selfishness, “If you are the Messiah, save yourself, and us.”

But then time gets jumbled and his memory a little hazy, like the world suddenly started spinning and speeding by too fast. He recalls saying something, but it takes a while to match thought with word. He remembers trying to defend the man who hung between him and the blasphemous thief. He recalls making a hopeless request. He, a man who had sinned his entire life and who had come to this wretched and deserved end approached the man from Nazareth with a plea that could only come from a drowning man. Drowning in sin, drowning in pain and drowning in death he made a very simple plea. “Teacher,” he said looking to the ground past his blood soaked feet, “Teacher, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

The response could have been the worst rejection the man had ever suffered; it should have been. Instead he was given the greatest gift of his life. He was thrown the lifeline for his soul. The drowning man was pulled from the gaping mouth of the grave.

With dried blood on his cracked lips, the forgiving voice of Jesus uttered words that will forever play through the man’s mind. “Today, you will be with me in paradise.” And with those words Jesus dove into the man’s sinful heart and pulled him out of the black waters of spiritual death. There was an instant when Jesus was wet with blood and cold with the sins of others; an instant when the sinful drowning man found himself safely in the arms of his Savior.

The same Jesus who spoke those words on that cross makes the same promise to all who choose to live for him today, and paradise waits. Through it all, He never takes his eyes off his sinking, struggling children.

Tom

Take a kid fishing day

So there we were, all piled out of a bus to a certain spot I know of, with our children in tow and fishing gear ready for a wonderful day of fishing. In the picture below you'll see us in the distance. I'm in the blue shirt, Christian (my boy) is to my right (your left) and Audrey and Kayleigh are beside me. About twenty-five people were involved in one way or another.


It was a very hot day and there far more people involved than there were fish. Although I have to put on my "proud daddy" hat for just a second because the two fish that did get caught were caught by my 5 year old little princess Audrey. Yay for her!

We went back to the church building and had a wonderful lunch (mostly thanks to John and Debbie who cooked and prepared the meat and some desserts, Rene who prepared enough potato salad and beans to feed a small army {other things were brought but I don't know to whom I should credit), and Cindy and Dawn who coordinated and orchestrated).

Thank you Lord for friends, for our children, and for a wonderful day (oh, and for Audrey's fish).

Tom

Happy Memorial Day

Preparing to leave for a Memorial Day Picnic with our fellow Christians. I'll update everyone in a while.

Tom

Finally Moving Forward

Hello all. I've lost count of the time since the congregation here stepped into the thirsty land of trying to function without a minister. It is no secret that I deeply miss the man and the family we had. I said prior to their moving that I was sure that God had a plan for them and I believe that has proven true. It has taken us some time and the process has not been without its share of difficulties, but we have finally moved forward. As of sometime in late June or early July, Bill McGee will come here and take up the post of minister for us. It is my hope and prayer that the days, months and years following his arrival will prove productive days blessed by God. May we reach out to this community and share with them the truth that comes from knowing Jesus. Please pray for us in this time.

ON a personal note, fishing will still not be the same.

Two Things Today

Light the Fire

Last evening we had a wonderful time of singing hymns and spiritual songs around a blazing campfire at one of our members homes. This was followed by smores, perfectly roasted marshmallows, brownies and other goodies. It was a wonderful evening of family, friends and fellowship. During times like this I am often taken back in my (wild) imagination to what it must have been like for the disciples and Jesus when they were traveling from place to place, or after a long day fishing when they would settle around a similar fire and eat and sing. Tomorrow is Sunday and I'll appreciate the padded pews and PA system, but it was good to feel, for a second, a little of the way it might have been back then. So if you get the chance to sit around a blazing fire with its light flickering orange on the faces of brothers and sisters in Christ, do it.

Have you ever stood in the family, with the Lord there in your mist,
seen the face of Christ on your brother?
Then I'd say you've seen,Jesus my Lord.

Have you seen Jesus my Lord? He's here in plain view.
Take a look open your eyes, He'll show it to you.

This is the one song I forgot to sing last night (visualize me kicking myself)

Real or Photoshop

I want to do a fun new segment that allows you to give your input on what can be done with pictures these days. I'll put a picture or two on the blog and you get to guess if the picture has been significantly doctored. I'll begin with this image currently on display at http://tomsplace4photos.wordpress.com/.



So my questions are: is this picture Real or Photoshoped, and what do you see that makes you think it's been changed?

For return visitors, I had a picture on of Hilary Clinton demonstrating a fictitious hostage situation in Bosnia (just after her sniper incident) in which she had a little blue water gun pointed at her own head. Thinking that this may bother someone I had a pole to decide to keep it or not. One of the options was "take the picture off, it's horrible". I told myself that if I got one vote of this kind that I would remove it. Well, true to my word, it's gone. My apologies to anyone who this picture bothered. Unlike a politician I will not make excuses as to why I put it on, nor will I defend it in any way. I meant no offense, I was wrong. It's gone and that's that.

We can continue this game with the blueberry picture. For the record the Hilary picture was absolutely "Photoshoped".

Blessings,
Tom

Lead Zeppelin

No, I’m not talking about Robert, Jimmy, John and John Paul, a mean guitar riff or even a reunion tour (past, present or future); I’m referring to the inability of my last blog post to get off the ground. Oh well, it was Monday and I did toss out something very difficult to deal with.

You see, there are verses in the Bible that sometimes go under explored. Most of the time we can quickly point them out if the verse in question supports our vista while debunking someone else’s.

“Why, if they’d just take the whole Bible, instead of only part of it …”

I’ve said it myself many times.

It seams so clear, what I read in the Word of God. This verse obviously means “this” and that one surely says “that”.

But then, along comes a passage that is somewhat more difficult. What then? We read it of course. We have too; it is part of God’s Word. Speaking only for myself, I find that it becomes easy to “gloss” over a difficult passage; to quickly read through it so to minimize my chair squirming.

Let’s be honest for a second, we aren’t going to understand everything God has put in His book (at least I’m not). Still though, that fact needs to be balanced with a healthy dose of “What in the world does that mean?” questioning.

Is this kind of questioning good to do or is it not?

I sat in a Bible class once while we discussed the way Jesus healed the blind man at Bethsaida. You’ll recall the story found in Mark 8:22-26 where Jesus spits in the man’s eyes and puts his hands on them but the healing doesn’t seem to "take" and the man can only see what looks like “trees walking around”. Jesus touches him again and then the man’s eyes are opened and he sees everything clearly. In class, I asked the question “Why did Jesus heal the man in this way?” One of the men thought I shouldn’t ask that question. He thought me disrespectful to question his method. I explained that I meant no disrespect to the Master, only that perhaps there might be something to learn from asking this question (and the many other questions that come to us in our study time).

Was I being disrespectful or was I digging in the Scriptures?

And what of our previous blog post (I mean besides “the crickets”)? Does Paul's mention of "baptism for the dead" in 1 Cor. 15:29 change anything for us? Let me make three statements and see if this pushes us to any further thought processes (and please allow me the freedom not to necessarily believe what I state herein).

1. If I can be baptized for someone who is already dead, then I can argue that baptism is more of a symbol of a relationship with God and less of a critical factor in the development of that relationship.

2. If baptism for the dead is viable without the dead person’s consent or agreement, then I can argue that infant baptism is certainly valid (since the infant is at least alive at the time of the baptism).

3. Also, if baptism were so important to the early Christians that they would go so far as to be baptized for someone who had died, can we afford to blink at its importance for us today? (Alright that was a question and not a statement, but who’s counting?)



My thanks to all for letting me play "devil's advocate" and especially to Jel for sharing in the sweet melodious sounds of cricket chatter with me (last post). I've laid out a few thoughts here that could be discussed, but I'll also re post the picture of the confused lady with the Bible so we can talk about how silly that is, if nothing else.


Thing Two:
Please go see the movie by Ben Stein “Expelled, No Intelligence Allowed”. He is challenging “Big Science” on evolution and intelligent design. I don’t know if this has been highly publicized, but it should be. Here is a link to his site.
"http://www.expelledthemovie.com/"
Thanks,
Tom

The Everging Generation Part 2

Continuing in discussion of Dan Kimball’s book “They Like Jesus but Not the Church”

In chapter 2 Dan states that “Today, Christians are known as scary, angry judgmental, right-wing finger-pointers with political agendas”. Seriously, that’s a section heading. He quickly adds the caveat that “most of us don’t” fit that stereotype, but still the point is made. In our last blog, Lisa posted the comment about how we are perceived to be (I’m paraphrasing here) un-fun, hypocritical, narrow-minded, rule followers who don’t necessarily live any better lives than do many non-Christians. I don’t disagree with either Lisa or Dan in their comments. I think we would all agree that the best answer to this problem is to simultaneously have all Christians everywhere to put down their judgmental machine-guns and their pious platform shoes and begin to share the love of Jesus with the lost.
Problem; with all the different denominations (each with subsets and split-offs) firing plenty of ammo out their own stained-glass windows (carefully aimed at the neighboring churches similarly painted stained-glass windows) how can we possibly hope to change this viewed stereotype? If that is how the world views Christians (especially in non-Bible-Belt communities) how do we go about combating that impression? Do we join the throngs of Kum ba yah singing, tolerance preaching, everything’s okay as long as you want Jesus in your heart, people? If that is the answer, I’ll lead the song, the band, the rap or metal group. Here are the words, everyone get ready for the down beat.
Kum ba yah my lord, Kum ba yah! Kum ba yah my lord, Kum ba yah! Kum ba yah my lord, Kum ba yah! Oh Lord, Kum ba yah. Someone's crying, Lord, Kum ba yah! Someone's cry … Alright, you get my point.

As much as the world wants us to say “Everything is okay”, everything is not okay! There are some things that God warns us against doing and other things that God commands us to do. Can either of these be ignored? How do we strike a balance between sharing the truth and the Spirit of Jesus and not being scary, angry judgmental, right-wing finger-pointers with political agendas?
Three questions:
1. Is this really how the world sees us?
2. Do you find any validity in it?
3. Should we be content simply to be the “Faithful Few” on the “Narrow Road”?
Thanks, Tom