I got an e-mail from my radio guy recently. “I don’t think your 30 second spots will work,” he wrote. “They’re not direct enough.”
I appreciated his candor. I know he wants to see the spots succeed. I also liked the fact that he pushed me to defend what I am doing. Not in a “defensive” sort of way, but in a reasonable, confident sense. Continue reading Radio
My book came in the mail today. A few months ago I got to read five chapters of it while it was still being written, and it drew me in.
Jim and Casper Go To Church is the joint work of a devout Christian (Jim) and an atheist (Casper). Over one summer they visited several churches around the U.S. The book contains observations about 11 of those visits. Continue reading Jim and Casper
Sunday morning began at 5:45. By 6:45 I was dressed and ready to leave for Playhouse Merced, our church home. I have a regimen that I complete every Sunday: unlock Playhouse and turn on lights, put out our four outdoor signs, set up greeters table, preach through the morning’s sermon, help set up the children’s classroom, and pray. Continue reading A Good Day
On Thursday I was dreading the thought of giving up my Saturday. I treasure sleeping in, a slow breakfast, and being lazy for one day. But Jeff from Radio Merced gave me a free ticket to the “Nonprofit Management and Marketing” seminar at Merced College.
So the alarm went off at 6:00 AM, and after hitting the snooze a couple of times I reluctantly got up. I can now tell you that it was well worth the effort. It also reminded me of the wonderful resources that are often laying on the ground around us for little or no cost. That was true today. Continue reading Marketing Non Profits
Whenever I have talked with church planters, a common warning comes from them. It’s always something like “Don’t surrender your vision to anyone.”
Many planters warn that disgruntled and baggaged people seek out new churches and attempt to shape them into their own vision. That vision can take the form of a particular kind of music, a church model, or even the kind of people sought after. Continue reading Teamwork
Lead kindly light amid th’ encircling gloom; Lead thou me on;
The night is dark, and I am far from home; Lead thou me on.
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see The distant scene–one step enough for me.
John Newman penned these words in 1833 when he became ill and stranded in Italy on his way to England. The song mirrored his frustration with not being able to see or control the future. I have thought about this song on many occasions and identified with the sentiment. Continue reading Seeing the path
If you become a pilgrim, you cannot live in isolation from others; you cannot ‘purposefully separate from others on the journey.’ As part of personal transformation, you become a member of community.
Radical autonomy, subjectively driven lives, and consumer choice lead in a predictable direction: toward cultural fragmentation.
My sermon last Sunday was about the otherliness of the Samaritan in Jesus’ parable. In the sermon we examined the mandate we have from Jesus to look out for the needs of others. I like what Diana Butler Bass says in this regard. “You cannot live in isolation from others…”
Truly, to be a disciple of Jesus means being connected to the people around us. It means giving them attention and putting their needs above our own. This is difficult to do because everything in our culture is dedicated to “radical autonomy” and living unaware of the people we rub elbows with.
I think that such unselfish attention is extraordinary in this world, and it also gives people who care about others an extraordinary advantage. But you have to be willing to put others first.
I was about to go into the State capital when the voice mail came. “Call me this morning after 10:00. We’ve got lots to talk about.” The voice was pretty insistant and assuming, but I didn’t have a clue who the voice belonged to.
I was one of two day chairs who were escorting Class 22 of Leadership Merced on their Government Day tour of the Capital and conversation with some politicos. We were instructed to turn our cell phones off before entering the Capital because we were going into the Senate and Assembly chambers. Continue reading Friends
I was participating in a conversation recently about evangelism. A question was being raised about how we can get indolent churches to wake up and start noticing the world outside their walls.
There were a few of us contributing to the conversation who were jaded, and a bit cynical, about whether changing the direction of a church is even possible. “Never say never,” we’ve been warned. Okay, there are a few churches that change. Continue reading DNA
I like days like today. It was what I would call a heavily peopled day.
It began at Starbucks. A physically challenged gentleman came to my table and asked me what I did for a living. He was curious about my opened computer.
I told him that I was a pastor, and he seemed pleased by that. He had some other questions about the church, and he finally said, “God bless you.” And he left.
MonoLogue 