Welcome
Its 5.25 am – yes that’s 5.25 in the morning and I am in a car park beside an athletics track. Thank goodness it is light but it is slightly cold and what lies ahead of me is one hour of pain.
I am about to join a new running group – I am thankful that a friend has joined me so I am not alone but it is still one of those moments where you are unsure of what will happen next.
I get out of the car and approach the waiting group. Typical runners – all moving from leg to leg and some are stretching muscles that in a few minutes will be screaming.
Then it happened – the leader of the group immediately extends his hand and welcomes me. Other runners say hello and the ice is broken. My reaction at this point even though I have not yet run one single metre is that this is a friendly bunch AND that I like them.
In the back of my mind is another immediate thought and it is that I will be back. Now this thought shocks me a little as I haven’t trained with them – I know nothing of their training techniques but their friendliness has made an impression. As the training commences I note that the group is continuing that friendliness and I find myself telling people why I am here and hearing their running experiences as well.
Yes I’ll be back!
As I thought about this I realized that it was the group itself that is the reason I’ll be back. The training is great but the group is friendly.
I can’t help but put on my Pastor’s hat. If I was new to Ipswich Region Community Church, would there be a friendliness of spirit that attracted me to think about coming back even prior to the actual church service taking place?
Being an introvert – a committed ‘cave dweller’ I find it so easy to talk to the people I feel comfortable with – you know what I mean – those with like interests, like values, like ideals and similar tastes and as a result I allow no one new into ‘my world’.
I learnt a lesson at my new running group – a simple yet profound lesson – be friendly. It is actually more important than the actual activity – be it that actual run or church itself – it is the friendliness that is attractive. It is the friendliness that draws people back. One word makes the difference – ‘Welcome’.
10 questions never asked?
I love reading other people’s blogs – I love reading their writing style – how their mind thinks – sometimes I agree sometimes I don’t but it never really bothers me. That is usually beause every read makes me think about the issue blogged on.
Perry Noble is Senior Pastor of NewSpring Church in South Carolina USA and I enjoyed a recent blog of his.
He wrote about 10 questions that people who do not go to church ARE NOT asking?
Here is what he wrote!
#1 – “What do you do to disciple people?” (This question is usually asked by people who want to ‘microwave” spiritually, not understand that they themselves actually became mature in the “crock pot.”)
#2 – “Who is speaking this weekend?” (They usually don’t care about the WHO…it’s the WHAT that matters to them.)
#3 – “Are you reformed in your theology?” (Most of them have no idea what in the heck this means!)
#4 – “Is your church spirit filled?”
#5 – “What version of the Bible do you use?” (Many unchurched people don’t even really know there are different versions!)
#6 – “What denomination are you affiliated with?”
#7 – “How many different activities can I sign my family up for in order to add to the insane schedule that we already have?”
#8 – “Does your pastor teach exegetically through the Scriptures?”
#9 – “Are there lots of crosses and pictures of Jesus in your church?”
#10 – “Are you guys pre trib, mid trib, post trib or partial trib?”
Day of Honour
Last weekend our church held it’s annual Day of Honour – it is the ninth year for this celebration. For the uninitiated it is a service held at our church where as a church local, state and federal politicians together with all emergency service workers – police, fire, ambulance and SES are honoured.
Each individual is presented with a gift and the spouses or partners of the politicians are also given gifts as well.
They are brought to the front of the church and then after I speak to them and honour them publicly the church stands and applauds. There are some moist eyes when this takes place I tell you.
This morning I had a coffee with one of the politicians who came last Sunday and last night at a function I also was able to speak to another politician who was also there. Their reaction to the day still amazes me – they hold this day as one of the most important in their calendar. They tell me the emergency services people regard it in a similar light.
Both spoke of the encouragement of the day and their feelings of being made special. They know nothing is being asked of them – they come and rarely does anyone lobby them – they feel safe to be themselves. Appreciation and being thanked is the only motive of the church – after nine years the motive of Honour without wanting anything in return is deeply appreciated.
I personally love the concept of honouring – to add value to someone, to give esteem to, to encourage greatly and to thank and appreciate. Yet why is it that it is still such rare commodity?
In speaking to people I think we don’t honour or indeed encourage as much as we should because in Christendom we have a distorted view of humility. To place someone on the slightest pedestal, to speak highly of them, to edify by speaking of their achievements, to actively build them up is to somehow give that person a ‘big head and that’s dangerous’. That viewpoint is just sad – not to mention wrong as well!
Honouring and encouraging go hand in hand – it is the essence of the Spirit of God – it is God in action. It is above all else absolutely essential to life.
So what to do – why not be totally radical and TODAY send an encouragement to someone – write a note, send an E-mail or dare I say – encourage and honour someone to their face! You may never know what difference at that very moment it may make to someone’s life.
Word Association
I was at a conference this week where one of the speakers was Steve Murrell who is the Senior Pastor of Victory Church in Manila, Philippines, a director of the Real Life Ministries and the co-founder and president of Every Nation, a worldwide family of churches and ministries.
He played a word association test with the delegates – you know what I mean – say a word and then what do you associate it with!
So here it was!
Gloria Jeans – coffee – did you get that one?
Holden – cars
Rolex – watches
Fosters – beer
Harley Davidson – Motor bikes
Church?
Wow – what would you say? Now no doubt you would something and you may well be right but would it be as clear as some of the above?
His answer made me really think. Steve Murrell said that when we say church the word association MUST be disciples.
He went to say that we are not called to build the church – Jesus has that role. We are called to make disciples. Food for thought I think!
The Crowd
I haven’t blogged for quite a while – went on holidays – got busy but really no excuses. It wasn’t as if there wasn’t anything to write about but I wanted to feel passionate about something, then I find writing is so easy.
Well that’s what happened!
I was reading my devotions this morning – in fact it is one of my favourite parts of the bible. It is Luke 15 when Jesus tells the story about the lost sheep, loss coin and lost son.
How many times have I read it yet something was different this morning?
At the very start of this story the writer identifies who was in the audience that Jesus spoke to.
‘Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!’
I laugh every time I read this – ‘notorious sinners’ what is a notorious sinner? What a unique expression! And then he ate with them – oh no! I’m smiling as I type.
These people felt safe with Jesus – they listened to what Jesus had to say – there were multitudes of people who thought Jesus had something worthwhile to say. They listened!
It prompted me to think whether these people would feel safe at the church I pastor.
Would they want to come and then stay?
Would they be judged?
Would they feel safe?
Would they think I had something worthwhile to say and equally worth listening to
I wonder how many of us judge others by, perhaps, their conduct, their clothes, their looks, their attractiveness, their lifestyle and the list goes on.
Jesus never judged people yet provided an environment where they would come and listen to what he had to say.
My mind goes to the crowd again – I would have loved to walk through that crowd – again I am laughing out loud just thinking about it!
Theology of Discomfort
It was easy when I expounded a vision that involved a ministry to those who were abused and traumatised. It sounded compassionate, caring and perhaps even slightly daring. Then something happened! The vision has started to become a reality.
The church commenced a ‘drop in’ centre as a prologue to a residential facility.
People started to come to church as a result – people who had found love and compassion at the ‘drop in’ centre.
Yet they are different than me – different from anyone in the church. They are not like ‘us’. They are the marginalized, outsiders who made me uncomfortable. They smell differently, they do things in the services that ‘we’ don’t do, they walk around in the services, they talk and answer my rhetorical questions during my message and they interrupt me at inconvenient moments.
‘Love your neighbour’ is fine when the neighbour is like ‘us’.
Suddenly my theology is taking a battering. I love the church because the church is filled with people like me. Everything was comfortable, the services attracted people like me, the programs attracted people like me and people liked the church because it suited their needs but God is turning my world upside down.
I am uncomfortable – it is easy to love people just like me. Yet was this the type of love that Jesus expounded?
Embracing the Father’s love means venturing into places we don’t like going, doing things we don’t want to do, being with people we are uncomfortable with, loving them, serving them, embracing them with a ‘not of this world’ kind of love that actually costs us something of ourselves.
It means doing these things in the church not delegating them to the missions department – out of sight out of mind!
When the world sees a church that embraces a love of people who are not like us and treats them as neighbours they will sense that the love the church expounds is genuine. They will see the miraculous beauty of true love and I suspect that people know genuine love when they see it.
It is exceptionally beautiful when a group of people walk out true love to their neighbours through being with people who they find difficult to understand or uncomfortable to be with.
Especially beautiful to God!
Mother’s Day
This weekend at church was a wonderful celebration of Mother’s Day. For me Mother’s Day is a mixture of emotions as I’m sure it is for many people.
My mum passed away 21 years ago and Gail, my spouse, also lost her Mum a few years ago now. Yet despite this I really enjoy Mother’s Day.
There were some amazing moments is church this weekend.
Who will forget when all new mums who had babies since last Mother’s Day stood with women of previous generations who then prayed for the new babies? Three generations of women together – it was so moving.
Then, what about all young people coming forward to write Mother’s Day messages on specially prepared paintings – some of the little ones who cannot write yet drawing pictures on the artwork. To see this happening was beautiful to behold! Some of the children had prepared messages which they copied onto the paintings. I saw one little girl with her note which read, ‘My mummy loves roses’.
And on top of this – all the Mums in the church standing together, gifts in hand, being prayed for by the next generation of young people. Tears flowed – mine included as the generations of the church gathered together as one.
I think that makes church so special – people of all ages, backgrounds and family situations enjoying Mother’s Day together. From the youngest baby only a few days old to the astonishing older people of the church who have been faithful in church life decade after decade.
It is no wonder that I love church!
Letters From The Front
Last weekend our church hosted its annual ANZAC weekend services with the theme ‘Letters From The Front’. Letters were read from a soldier facing an impending battle and also from a soldiers family to their loved one on the front line. After the service many people asked if they could obtain a copy of the letter that was read from Major Sulivan Bullou to his wife Sarah. This is quite a famous letter written during the Civil War in America and can be found at numerous websites – here is one of them – http://american_reflections.home.mchsi.com/ballou.html
The theme of our services centred on the thought – ‘Nothing focuses your priorities in life more then when you are facing a life threatening moment’.
With this in mind the Creative Arts team built a trench on the stage of the church complete with sandbags – portraying a trench of the Western Front. Then i asked people at the end of my message that if they wanted to change some aspect of their life now then come and step into the trench and ‘go over the top’ by stepping over the sandbags.
This would symbolise a step of faith – a new start – fresh beginnings. It was so moving to see people do exactly this – many with tears in their eyes and a determination to make the changes in their lives.
As they left the stage they were given a prayer which read as follows
“Lord God I know that this weekend represents a very important time for me. You have spoken to my heart and I have responded. This ANZAC weekend I have made a decision that I now need to carry through. I have stepped over the line determined to change. I really need your help. So Lord God would you please help me have the courage to not let this decision be an emotional decision that stops here and produces no real change.
Strengthen me Lord
Give me wisdom
Empower me
Fill me afresh with your Spirit
Guide me
Keep your hand upon me
Let your favour be with me
Lord God thank you for loving me so very much that you will never leave me – so as I surrender my life to you afresh this weekend please use me to see your Kingdom extended.
I love you so much Lord
Please hear my prayer and act on my behalf in the wonderful name of Jesus.”
As i saw people moving off the stage – the prayer in their hand I felt so much joy to be part of a church where it’s people take risks like many of them did last weekend. I love the church here in Ipswich – it’s people and I pray that those that crossed over the sandbags last weekend will now make the changes they desire with God’s help.
I hope that you ANZAC weekend was as wonderful and amazing as mine!
