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.