The Organized Organism


              The church you serve is an organization. Evidence of this includes budgets, flow charts, roles, groups, methods, power bills, coffee, etc. You may be part of one of those really cool anti-organizational, we just follow the Wind groups. You still are an organization. Just run out of coffee and you’ll see. Someone will have to get some more. Someone will pay for it. Organization, every church is one.

                The church you serve is an organism. It is Voice, Angel, Myth, and Person. The church grieves, works, sins, celebrates, prays, seeks, longs, regrets, hopes – as one. The church is alive.

                The organism and organization are interactive yet distinct. The church’s organizational structure is designed to serve the values and mission of the breathing organism. The organization can get crossways with the organism. The organism can be ignored, thinking that the organization is the seat of life. This gets everything mixed up. This is idolatry. There are lots of proper organizational structures for churches. Organisms are very similar. Organisms all need the same food for life.

                I have been part of two interviews over the last two months that illustrate this. Ron Cook, Jamie McCallum and I spoke with Roger Fredrikson and David Fisher. These two men have both had fruitful ministries. They both love pastoral ministry and have written about aspects of it for others. They were both extremely gracious and insightful. I doubt if either of them would have been successful in the other one’s context.  Their approach to church organization is different. The commonality between this is seen in the life of the organism. They both love God and maintain friendships. They are aware of their own need for grace and pursue the Spirit. They prayer for the health of the organism and labored for a functional organization. They reminded me that a healthy spirituality is the most important aspect of pastoral ministry. Organic functioning must precede thoughtful organization.

                Young congregational leaders are wise to note the value of both the organization and organism. We should care about organizational needs and work for wise and efficient methods and structures.  . We should lay down our lives for the organism.   I thought I’d scribble this down so that I wouldn’t run away.

               

.

Breathe







I am grateful for the men and women that I share life with.  I’m indebted to these friends. Some are mentors, some peers, and some protégés. Each mediates the presence of God and teaches me as I (hopefully) add a little something to their experience.  This week I was reminded that breath is important.
                I met with an undergraduate ministry guidance student from Baylor yesterday and we discussed Brother Lawrence’s notion of practicing the presence of God. This very bright student was a little stumped about how to get this going so I suggested stopping eight or ten times during the day to simply take note of the fact she was breathing. Breath is symbolic of the Spirit. God is present and our breath can prompt us to recognize the goodness and mercy that hounds us all day long.
                I went immediately from this meeting to a meeting with Ron Cook (I think of Doc Cook as my pastor), Jamie McCallum, and Roger Fredrikson. Dr. Fredrikson joined us by phone. The purpose of the call was to discuss ministry with the 90+ year old pastor. Jamie read his book, The Church That Refused To Die as part of her ministry mentoring experience and I tagged along for the ride. It was a special phone call.
                Dr. Fredrikson imparted wisdom, gave a word from God, and prayed. He closed our conversation with a brief encouragement from John 20. He pointed to John 20:21b as our mandate, “…as the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” Then he said, “And then Jesus breathed on them. That’s what will happen in your churches. God will breathe again and again.” There’s the hope of renewal!
At the end of his book Dr. Fredrikson talks about the posture of the kneeling, open, repentant, expectant spirit. He says that it is only in this posture that we receive God’s greatest gift – the intimacy of Himself. When we come before God like this, “Then, He fills, baptizes, and immerses us in His own life.”
                Breathe on us Holy Spirit. Renew Your Church. Renew your churches. Amen








Friendship: The Unfinished Story



This is the last message in the series, Frienship. This series touched a deep place in my heart. I pray it did the same for my friends called FBC Waco.

…lead me to a rock that is higher than I.

 

                We find our voice in the book of Psalms. The psalms give us words in the seasons when our own words fail. The psalms crack open our hearts to let in the joy and pain of our sisters and brothers. The psalms are mine. The psalms are yours. The psalms are ours. The psalms are God’s.  

                The psalms weep and shout.  The psalms patiently instruct. The psalms refuse to hurry. The psalms do not blush at repetition.

                Above all, the psalms stake turf on the planet. They serve as a storm weathered steeple pointing to God. They direct us to the biblical God of comfort and consternation. I have been driven to tears reading many of your reflections on the psalms. You have met the Easter Lord in the midst of the words. I am excited about us hearing from these words as we make our way to Advent. Let us cleave to the rock that is higher.

If you have not sent in a response to the questions – What is your favorite psalm? Why? please consider doing that today.
My email is msowden@fbcwaco.org.
Our mailing address is 500 Webster Waco, TX 76706

 



 


I'm not going to say @#$% anymore.


I grew up on a construction site in Mississippi. I was around guys with names like Poochy, Chicago Lee, and Swistich. They knew how to cuss. I have struggled for years (often without much success) to avoid following in their poetic footsteps. Of the four letter words I try not to use the toughest is the b-word. Busy. It's profane and common as pigs tracks but most of us use it so we can feel important. I've decided to stop.


I took part of a day last week and attended a preaching conference at Baylor's Truett Seminay. I often cross I-35 to recharge at Truett.  Craig Barnes gave the lectures and the q and a was rich. One student asked him about how he found time to write with such a busy life. This is the distilled version of what followed -

I studied under Martin Marty and asked him the same guestion. He cut me off mid-sentence and told me not to be busy. Busy is boring. Everyone is busy. Be scheduled. 

Here's my strategy for battling busy:
Quit saying you are busy.
Do not be busy. Be scheduled.
Busy people feel like victims.  Refuse to be a victim.
Busy people often suffer from the deadly sin sloth. Busy is it's weird manifestation. Don't be a busy sloth.
Buy a calendar and watch and learn how to use them.
Learn that each moment is sacred so do one thing at a time. Pay attention.

Have a great day y'all. Don't talk @#$%!






I Have Called You Friends


 
 
Walking with Christ: A Guide for Weekly Scripture Reading and Prayer

 

What is this?

We are busy people. Our days are jam-packed with noise, demands, and obligations. Most of us long to be closer to Christ and to each other, but we frankly don’t know where to start. We want our families to spend quality time praying and reading Scripture together, but our days are hectic and evening comes before we’re ready.  As a church we will provide you a simple tool to carry home each Sunday.  This guide will help you slow down, remember the message you heard, and engage the biblical texts in a deeper way.  It will remind you to pray and reflect on God’s presence in your life each day. Together we can strive to be a people who not only hear God’s word but allow it to take root and transform our lives every single day. 

 

What do I do with it?

The guide is divided into three points.  You can do all three in one sitting or work through one a day throughout the week. The guides can be used for personal reflection or as a tool to use with your family or friends.  Each session will conclude with a children’s challenge.  This will give parents several ideas to help bring the passage to life for the whole family.

September 2-8, 2012

John 15:9-15

To begin each exercise, spend a moment in prayer, quieting your mind and asking God to speak through God’s Word. Read John 15:9-15 slowly and as many times as you need to, in order to really hear what is being said.

 

1.    This idea of being a friend of God is not unique to the gospel of John. Throughout Scripture we see a God who initiates relationship, friendship even, with his people. As we look at these passages throughout the week, we will recognize God as the One who first offers himself to us. We will then ask what God requires of us, as those who desire to engage in this dynamic, divine friendship.  

 

Read James 2:23.  

Abraham believed in God, it was counted to him as righteousness, and he was called a friend of God. What does it mean that Abraham believed in God?  He walked the earth before the law was given, and before him no official covenant had been made. What was belief for Abraham? To grasp this may help us understand how we too live into this friendship with our God.

 

Read Genesis 12:1-4.

Who initiates this conversation? 

Who offers the promise of commitment and faithfulness?

What is the evidence that Abraham believed God?

 

God comes to Abraham, a man of little significance and influence, and tells him to leave all he knows, trusting that God has something in store for him greater than Abraham could ever have imagined. “So Abram went, as the Lord had told him”

God offers Abraham a promise. Abraham listens.  And Abraham moves forward trusting that promise.

It seems for Abraham belief was about more than just thinking the right things about God. Belief was only complete when action was paired with understanding. 

 

How will your belief in God (in God’s character, in God’s promise, in God’s will) affect your actions today? 

 

Abraham’s life shows that a friend of God believes in God. True belief will always incite us to action. 

 

2.    Read Exodus 33:11.

Moses, too, experienced this friendship with the Living God. We catch a glimpse of how this friendship developed by looking back at Moses’ call.

 

Revisit this story in Exodus 3-4. 

According to Exodus, 3:1-2 who initiates this conversation?

According to Ex 3:7-9 who offers the promise of deliverance and faithfulness?

How does Moses’ response to God differ from Abraham’s?  How is it similar?

 

Like Abraham, Moses took the time to listen to God’s voice.  He actually turned off the beaten path and marveled at that burning bush until the Lord spoke from within it. In your relationship with God, do you consistently take the time to stop moving, stop talking, and simply marvel and listen? Take a moment to do so even now.

 

From his listening Moses heard a difficult word. He did not accept it without further thought or negotiation like Abraham. Instead he argued and offered other solutions. In the end, however, he followed. He stood before Pharaoh, then before the parted sea, and then before God and all the people.  

There is room for genuine dialogue in a friendship with God.  Not that Moses handled the situation well, but in the midst of his doubts and fears, God still extended the invitation to be God’s friend.

It seems Moses’ friendship with God was the result of a willingness to listen, the courage to engage and dialogue, and ultimately the trust to follow.

 

How will you carve out space to listen to God this week?

In which ways are you currently dialoguing with God concerning what God is calling you to do?

Are you willing to follow, no matter how this dialogue ends?

 

If so, we may be considered the ones who speak to God as one friend speaks to another!

 

3.  Read Matthew 11:19.

Jesus continues this tradition of the God who initiates friendship with humankind. As he walked the earth, Jesus noticed those who needed him most and took the time to enjoy a meal with them. The tax collectors and sinners were invited to reciprocate this act of friendship by following Jesus as he left their home and went on his way.

 

If Jesus walked the streets of your neighborhood today, can you imagine him choosing to knock at your door?  Of all the people he could eat with, can you imagine him choosing to eat at your table?  Today, ask God to help you believe that God really does choose you to be a friend. 

 

Imagine your meal with Jesus coming to an end.  He gets up, ready to move on to the next place.  Where is going?  Are you willing to follow? 

 

To be a friend of God we must be with God.  Just as God has chosen to be with us spiritually and  physically, we too are asked to be fully with Him. Are you with God?  God is most definitely with you!

 

Children’s Challenge:

·     Ask your child what it means to believe something.  Explain how the things you believe affect the way you act.  For example, if you believe the brakes on your car really work, then you’re willing to drive 70 miles/hour on a highway. If you believe your paycheck will come at the end of the month, then you will pay your bills this month. And if you believe your child will make good choices, then you will allow him/her to have some independence.  Explain how it is the same with God.  If we really believe God loves us and cares for us, then we will live in a way that pleases God.

·        Tell your child about your best friend growing up.  What made this friend so special?  What did you enjoy doing together?  What did you talk about?  How is your friendship with God similar?  How do you want your friendship with God to grow?

·        Ask your child to describe one of his/her friends.  Ask if they would be friends if they never saw each other and never talked.  Explain how our friendship with God is not so different.  For it to grow we have to make time to really be with God.  Tell your child how you make time to be with God. 

Praying With Old Dr. Carroll

B.H. Carroll had a heart for emerging ministers and devoted much of his life to preparing them for ministry. He was deeply concerned for them and wanted each of them to flourish in a fruitful ministry. He also grieved over the ones that began and stalled out or didn't really get going at all. Listen to this -

It is said that there are a thousand Baptist preachers in Texas, regularly ordained, who are neither pastors of churches, nor missionaries, nor teachers in schools - men without any charge. Was God mistaken in calling these men to preach, or were the churches mistaken in putting them into the ministry with undue haste? Doesn't such a lamentable fact as this vaste horde of unemployed men call upon us not only to exercise more caution in the matter of ordination, but to offer devout, earnest, and long continued prayer to God that we may make no mistake? Is it possible that some of these men failed to find employment because not apt to teach others, or because, though apt, they would not study to show themselves approved unto God; others because, having put their hands to the plow, they look backward, and others because they are not willing to endure harndess as good soldiers of Jesus Christ? And if there be any of these possibilites, does it not indicate that sin lieth at the door of the churches, which without due consideration, and especially without importunate prayer, laid hands on men who were not called of God, nor sent? Ah, me! What a question is this ministerial question! Brothers, if ever you find yourself out of objects of prayer known to be lawful, concentrate your devotion on this point: Pray for preachers! Pray for wiser churches!

There are a host of additonal reasons why their are ministers struggling with placement. Carroll touched on some possibilites that can be laid on the minister. Some blame can be laid on churches who fail to look beyond superficial hindrances when considering a candidate. Whatever the reason, a minister without a place of ministry is a "lamentable fact." I get to pastor college and seminary students. It is a joyful and and at times heartbreaking charge. The issue of ministry placement is heavy on me. I've decided to join old Dr. Carroll in praying for preachers and wiser churches. Please help me out with this one.

Red Letter Prayers: The Model Prayer




Walking with Christ: A Guide for Weekly Scripture Reading and Prayer

What is this?
We are busy people. Our days are jam-packed with noise, demands, and obligations. Most of us long to be closer to Christ and to each other, but we frankly don’t know where to start. We want our families to spend quality time praying and reading Scripture together, but our days are hectic and evening comes before we’re ready.  As a church staff, we love to see the people of God connecting with the heart of God.  And, thus, we will provide you a simple tool to carry home each Sunday.  This guide will help you slow down, remember the message you heard, and engage the biblical texts in a deeper way.  It will remind you to pray and reflect on God’s presence in your life each day. And all the while, you will be on this journey with others in the FBC family!  Together we can strive to be a people who not only hear God’s word but allow it to take root and transform our lives every single day. 

What do I do with it?
Each week the guide will be divided into three points.  You can do all three in one sitting or work through one a day throughout the week. The guides can be used for personal reflection or as a tool to use with your family or friends around the dinner table or before bed.  There will be room to take notes and record your own thoughts and reflections.  Since you will receive a new sheet each week, you are encouraged to purchase a notebook so you can keep the materials in one place. Each session will conclude with a children’s challenge.  This will give parents several ideas to help bring the passage to life for the whole family. Use this in whichever way you feel it will be most effective in your life and in the lives of your family and/or friends. 
August 12-18, 2012
Matthew 6:9-13
As this week’s sermon looks at the Model Prayer it seems appropriate to focus especially on pausing in the midst of a busy day and actually praying. Before beginning each day’s exercise take a moment to sit in silence and prepare yourself to meet with God. Read through the Scripture passage several times, asking God to speak to you through His Word.

1.      Many of us have recited the Lord’s Prayer more times than we can possibly count.  For some, it has become so familiar that we can pray the prayer without really praying the prayer. The Message translation of the Bible has a modern version of the Lord’s Prayer that offers the same meaning with renewed language.  In this season of prayer meditate on this translation, line by line, taking the time to actually think about what we are proclaiming, confessing, and asking.


Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what’s best—
As above, so below
Keep us alive with three square meals
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others
You’re in charge!
You can do anything you want


You’re ablaze in beauty.

Yes. Yes. Yes.



2.      The Model Prayer begins with adoration. The Father is acknowledged as one who is holy and exalted. The verses before the Model Prayer tell believers not to heap up empty phrases and fill their prayer with meaningless words.  There is no secret formula that must be spoken to invoke God’s presence.  Rather than begging God to open Himself up to us, prayer allows us to intentionally open ourselves up to the God who is always present. Jesus is not speaking against long, thoughtful prayers, but rather, against prayers spoken to a god who is picky and difficult to please.  When our prayers to the Lord flow out of genuine hearts longing for an intimate relationship there is plenty of room for adoration.  In fact, there is something very humbling about remembering the names of God throughout Scripture and praying a prayer of praise as they cross your mind.  Take some time to remember all the ways God is named and described. As you think of each word honor God for who God is.



3.      Jesus says that confession should be a consistent part of our prayer life. “And forgive us our debts…” Too often we downplay our sin and pray the detached, blanket prayer- “and forgive me for all my sins.”   When we hurt someone in a relationship, our apology and desire for healing seems most sincere when we actually acknowledge our mistake and name it.  To name our sin for what it is constantly reminds us of our need for grace.  As you pray today, name your sins and trust that the Lord is faithful to forgive them.



“As we also have forgiven others.” We should not expect the Lord to do something for us that we, as God’s children, are not willing to do for our brothers and sisters. Who in your life do you need to forgive?  Are you willing to make a step in repairing that relationship today?



Humble confession is followed by a renewed awareness of God’s grace. This awareness will naturally lead to a heart of gratitude. As you pray, take the time to thank God for the many ways God has been good to you. 



Finally, pray for others and yourself.



Children’s Challenge

·         Throughout the week help your child memorize the Lord’s Prayer.  As they learn it take the time to explain each line in a way he or she will understand.

·         If your child already knows the Lord’s Prayer it would be a fun activity to rewrite it together.  Talk about what each line says and ask, “What do you think this means?” For example, “Your will be done,” could be reworded, “God, do what you want!”  This can become a prayer you write together and pray together regularly as a family.

·         Choose 4 different times this week to teach your child different ways to pray. One night focus on adoration and help them think of the many names of God. On another night talk about sin and explain how you also sin. Ask God for forgiveness together.  Spend a day thanking God for your many blessings. You may want to have a small Thanksgiving dinner that night and share your praises around the table.  Finally, take a night to teach your child how you pray for family, friends, and strangers. Finish by praying for one another and yourself.


Red Letter Prayers




I hope this new series - Red Letter Prayers encourages your prayer life.  We at FBC Waco have begun offering take home spiritual formation guides to accompany each Sunday morning message. Jamie McCallum, our Associate Pastor for Congregational Life, is writing them for us. Enjoy.


Walking with Christ: A Guide for Weekly Scripture Reading and Prayer



What is this?

We are busy people. Our days are jam-packed with noise, demands, and obligations. Most of us long to be closer to Christ and to each other, but we frankly don’t know where to start. We want our families to spend quality time praying and reading Scripture together, but our days are hectic and evening comes before we’re ready.  As a church staff, we love to see the people of God connecting with the heart of God.  And, thus, we will provide you a simple tool to carry home each Sunday.  This guide will help you slow down, remember the message you heard, and engage the biblical texts in a deeper way.  It will remind you to pray and reflect on God’s presence in your life each day. And all the while, you will be on this journey with others in the FBC family!  Together we can strive to be a people who not only hear God’s word but allow it to take root and transform our lives every single day. 



What do I do with it?

Each week the guide will be divided into three points.  You can do all three in one sitting or work through one a day throughout the week. The guides can be used for personal reflection or as a tool to use with your family or friends around the dinner table or before bed.  There will be room to take notes and record your own thoughts and reflections.  Since you will receive a new sheet each week, you are encouraged to purchase a notebook so you can keep the materials in one place. Each session will conclude with a children’s challenge.  This will give parents several ideas to help bring the passage to life for the whole family. Use this in whichever way you feel it will be most effective in your life and in the lives of your family and/or friends. 



August 5-11, 2012

John 17:20-24

To begin each exercise, spend a moment in prayer, quieting your mind and asking God to speak through God’s Word. Read John 17:20-24 slowly and as many times as you need to, in order to really hear what is being said.



1. John 17 allows us to overhear Jesus’ final request before his arrest. There is something significant about “finals.” When long-time television hosts retire they usually have a final show with a farewell speech.  When someone knows their time on earth is almost done, they often offer a final word to loved ones. If you had a final prayer to offer on behalf of your loved ones or for this world what might your prayer include?





What does it mean that Jesus’ final prayer on earth was a prayer for us?







Today, what would it look like for your life to serve as at least part of the Father’s answer to Christ’s final prayer?





2. In this passage, Jesus is speaking to God about us.  We are not really invited into the conversation except as eavesdroppers.  Thus, it seems that what Jesus asks the Father is not something we can make happen on our own initiative.  We can simply be open to God’s movement in our lives. When believers comes together in one accord, and when the light flows from us and touches a hurting world we must remember that we are not the ones doing this. God is. We are simply called to let God reign fully so God can move freely in and through us.  



How do you feel when someone prays for you?





How does the fact that Jesus spent some of his last moments praying for us and not with us challenge you in your pursuit of holiness today?







3. All of Jesus’ final requests are still waiting for fulfillment. The people of God do not yet live as one. Our sins, fears, and failures keep us from really being with the Father as the Son was with the Father. When the world looks at us, more times than not, they do not think twice about a loving God who sent himself to be with them. And for all of us who are still waiting for that day when God’s Kingdom will come in full, we have yet to really see the glory of Christ but in a tiny glimpse here and there.  Jesus prayed a prayer that was not immediately fulfilled. Jesus prayed a prayer that two thousand years later has yet to be fulfilled. And yet, Jesus prayed a prayer.



What prayers have you prayed again and again that remain unfulfilled? 







How does Jesus’ final prayer give you hope to pray your prayer once again?





Children’s Challenge:

·         Share with your children the ways you pray for them when they are not listening.  Explain why you ask God for these things. 

·         Tell your child about a time someone prayed for you and how it made you feel.  Ask your child if you can pray for him or her, and then ask your child how it feels to have someone pray for you.

Explain to them that Jesus prayed specifically for them in this passage, and that he still prays for them today.

·         Ask your child, “If you could ask for anything, what would you ask God for?” Help him or her turn this longing into a prayer and discuss how we continue praying even when the answer doesn’t seem to come.

·         Let your child know about something you have prayed for, for a long time. Explain how Jesus’ prayer gives you hope to keep praying each day.

Red Letter Prayers

We begin a new message series at FBC Waco this Sunday. The title of the series is Red Letter Prayers. It will include four expository sermons on some of the prayers Jesus prayed. I believe these texts will shape us in powerful ways.





8.5.12 - The Lord's Prayer, John 17:20-24

8.12.12 - The Model Prayer, Matthew 6:9-13

8.19.12 - The Garden Prayer, Luke 22:39-46

8.26.12 - The Cross Prayer, Luke 23:34


I have enjoyed preaching through our root values this summer. One of the most interesting parts of our congregational DNA is our colorfulness. This is the root that may need the most explanation. We are a church of strong personalities. FBC Waco has a large number of passionate leaders. When I drew the tree illustration for one of my mentors (and FBC Waco member) he laughed as I explained the colorful root and said, “Yes, that’s true.” This root is a blessing that requires a certain spiritual and emotional depth. Untended, our colorfulness is a liability. Strong leadership must be wed to civility, wisdom, and forgiveness.
            Martin Marty once observed, “One of the real problems in modern life is that the people who are good at being civil often lack strong convictions and the people who have strong convictions often lack civility.” We need to be passionate and civil. Kindness and gentleness are fruit of the Spirit. If we live in the Spirit of Jesus we will be civil. Church conflicts often occur because Christians think bluntness should have been listed as spiritual fruit. It was not.
            Civil behavior is born of wisdom. We can measure this by judging the words we use. R.T. Kendall once encouraged his congregants at Westminster Chapel to use an acrostic to help them decide when and how to speak to each other. The acrostic was NEED. N – Is it necessary? E- Does it emancipate? E- Does it energize? D – Does it dignify? These questions help strong people remain strong and stay out of trouble.
            When we bump into one another in our attempts to do the Lord’s work we need to be quick to apologize and quick to forgive. Forgiveness is God’s gift and plan for a broken world. Jesus modeled it and has called us to follow in his steps.
            I am grateful for the strong personalities in FBC Waco. We are not a boring group of folks. We have members that know how to be great in a legion of areas. This means we have a special obligation to be good.
           
               





 
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