Think about it

Just read this from another blogger .... something to think about ...

As pastors, we have a tendency to burden our people with excessive expectations. The average Joe church member can't possibly do everything you say they should do. Don't believe me? See if this list defines some of your expectations of the Christians who attend your church...

- Attend church service weekly.
- Volunteer during another service
- Attend Bible study or Sunday school or midweek service (whatever brand your church offers).
- Serve in a ministry that helps the poor and needy.
- If you are a leader (and we know who you are), then we'll have a few more meetings to attend, contacts to make, events to organize and teams to rally.
- Attend periodic special events hosted by the church.
- Be a great husband or wife and invest time in your marriage.
- Oh, and make sure you are involved in mens' or womens' ministry.
- Get in a small group and meet regularly.
- If you are a man, you must be in a mens' small group for accountability.
- If you are married, you probably should also be in a couples group if you care about your spouse.
- Read your Bible every day. Anything less than 30 minutes is probably not enough.
- Be a good citizen. Vote and get involved in your community.
- Give ten percent of every penny that you make. And give to the special offerings. And give to the kids going on the missions trip. And give to the building fund.
- Go on a missions trip. Been on a local trip? Overseas is your next step.
- Invest in relationships in your neighborhood and at your workplace. - . Invite people to church. Every week. The purpose of that, of course, is so you can get them to church so they can do all the above.

This list wears me out just reading it...and I'm a pastor! Just think what it does to normal people in our church. They keep trying and trying, doing and attending, but then life catches up and they feel like they can't ever keep up with our expectations. They feel deflated.

Because on top of everything we expect, everyone else in their life also has expectations of them. They have sports events to attend and in-laws to keep happy and PTA events to organize. They have complicated family relationships to navigate, second jobs to find so they can put braces on the kids and keep food on the table. And many of them are involved in really good endeavors building into their communities or helping the under-resourced.

Sometimes I think we need to get a clue. We need a wake-up call. Some people are saying (or thinking), "Hey Church...we're just not that into you. You are teaching us some great things and we are growing in our love of Jesus. But we can't possibly do everything you are asking...give us a break!"

In a culture that is ever more complex and insanely busy, if we really want to help we will find ways to help them integrate a walk with Jesus in the context of their lives. We will ease up on our expectation of attendance and activity--and instead focus on spiritual outcomes. WARNING: This is VERY difficult to do because it is so hard to measure--and church leaders LOVE to measure stuff (me included!).

If you know of a church hitting a homerun in this area, I'd love to hear about it!

Have a great Day

David

Somthing to think About

I read this blog entry from one of the other blog sites I read often ... something to think about.

I have been asking myself a question a lot lately, “What are my priorities costing me?” Or, said another way, “What are my excuses costing me?” My choices are most likely determined by my priorities. There are plenty of ideas about life that I have floating around in my head, but I usually don’t like the sacrifice that they cost me. For instance, I love the idea of living a deep life full of rich relationships and adventure. But, I often find myself settling for TV and shallow conversations with those I love. I can say whatever I want, but depth is not a priority. In this case I will make excuses that justify how I am living or what I am or am not doing, but these excuses come with a cost. It is a strange form of self-betrayal. Some of things I say I genuinely want to do…I simply don’t do. I betray the Spirit of the Lord within me. He has given me these new longings and affections. I also betray myself. But, in another way I completely satisfy myself…my laziness, my procrastination or my own selfish desires (Romans 7:21-25). It gets messy when I think about it.

So, what are your excuses costing you? Health? Spiritual vitality? Relationships? Your marriage? Don’t fool yourself…you are really great at justifying why you are the way you are. You can also garner a whole list of allies who will agree with you and feed life into your excuses, but you are still missing the point (Proverbs 12:15). There is a cost involved, and we usually understand it on the back end of a poor decision, fractured relationship, health issues or a life full of regret.

It is God’s good grace toward me that He is pressing this question on me. I want to run it through every area of my life. I really do want to drink deeply and steward this life well. I want to walk faithfully and fully with Christ. I want to love my wife like Christ loves the Church; commend the works of the Lord to my children and invest in my overall health now…not when I am out of excuses. It will take action over intention. These will all take sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2). Nothing could be more worth it.

Have a Great Day

David

Think about This

Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Application questions:

1. Are you easy to correct? How would a close friend, spouse or parent answer this question?

2. How do you typically respond to receiving instruction or correction—appreciative? Begrudging acceptance? Indifferent? Impatient? Defensive? Dismissive?

3. The bible sayst, “The heart of a fool can always find an excuse for ignoring correction.” What excuses do you make for discounting correction and instruction? What do these responses reveal about your heart?

4. Increasing foolishness turns away from those who bring instruction or correction. Are there ways that you are isolating yourself from those who are bringing correction to you? What would change look like?

5. What are one or two practical ways you can grow in pursuing and loving instruction and correction?

Have a great Day