Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Memorial Day
So today we got up and ready early and went to the National Cemetery in Mounds City, Illinois to visit Morrel's grandpa's grave. He was a WW II vet and my husband's hero--the reason he joined the service--and I'm glad we finally went to his grave sight. It was also nice to see all the flags waving high, and the flags placed at each grave, the several families there to pay their respects, and the guy (who I assume is a volunteer) helping people find graves, giving out free water, and shuttling people to graves all while enduring 95 degree weather (at least that's what it was at 10 am). It takes people like that to make something as sad as visiting a cemetery a little better, because you realize there are other people who care about that side of Memorial Day.
We all know what Memorial Day has come to mean, yes? Barbeques, backyard pools, rope swings into lakes or maybe jet skis, beer and wine coolers (for some), or just spending time with family. But why do we even have this holiday off? There are several stories as to how it started. They say organized groups of women began placing wreaths of flowers on the graves of fallen soldiers as early as the Civil War. And there are several states that would like to take credit for the start of the holiday. The point is, though, that the holiday was started because people had a common interest, a need to fulfill, and it may have taken a day off to accomplish it. For instance, when I was younger I remember my grandma would buy arrangements and visit the graves of my uncle and grandpa every year on Memorial Day. Families all over still do this I think. But between the hotdogs and hamburgers the view has been clouded. It's almost like America needed a holiday to let them know when summer starts and Memorial Day was at a prime location on the calendar. Pools don't open until Memorial Day. The fashion world says women can't wear black after Memorial Day. Retailers say we need to save 40 % at the Memorial Day sales. On and on it goes.
I am not condemning. For years all Memorial Day has meant to me is that it's the weekend our family goes to the boat races and end up with a sunburn on Tuesday. I think that has changed for me though. Because although we did get together with family and barbeque today, we also got to visit an extraordinary grave in a cemetery filled with hundreds of identical stones. It is extraordinary because the guy that did a lot of form the man my husband grew into has been laid to rest there. I am one who believes in the Biblical death, meaning when someone dies they rest (sleep) here on earth until Christ returns, but there is something to be said for visiting the dead in respect, and other gestures, like putting up flags at banks, and in cemeteries for the holiday weekend. This year I realized that this is something I want to teach my children and for them to remember. Memorial Day is not just the doorway to summer. It was started and observed to remember those who have lost their lives in combat for this country. Shouldn't we do our best to remember them--whether or not we agree with whatever war we are currently involved in, whether or not they we active duty, National Guard, or reserve, whether they were Army, Navy, or Air Force. These guys died for something other than themselves, for something they believed in, whether or not you do. It makes me proud to live in this country where we have such a holiday. So I hope people continue to remember the real reason behind it.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Ministry Is...[4]
...Never Finished
When the harvest is ready in autumn there is no time to rest--not only for the farmers, but everyone involved. A man from our church works on barges on the Mississippi River and he will tell you, he works 7 days a week during harvest season. Why? Because once the farming is done, something must be done with the harvest. The produce, the grain, it will all spoil and ruin if it isn't put to use. Some will be used to plant more for the coming year and some will be used to feed others. Either way, the harvest can't be wasted.
We mustn't forget this truth. Jesus used farming as an analogy for ministry for a reason. He knew that centuries after his death we would still need this counsel. The harvest must be used or it will waste. So when we have someone in our "field" ready to "harvest", do we stick them in the "storehouse" (church/record book) and go about our farming elsewhere? What do we do with these new believers?
What do farmers do with their produce? Well, they live off some of it for sure. The rest they sell. It can be used to plant future crops, or to feed others, or to make other products for purchase. The point is, none of it goes to waste. That portion that feeds the farmer's family and others can represent the new Christians joining the community of believers, be it a church or other organization of believers. The portion that goes on to plant a future crop can represent those that become leaders or workers, ministering to others with seeds here and there. The final portion that goes to produce other commodities for purchase can represents the many many spiritual gifts that new Christians have to offer a church or personal ministry.
The important thing to remember about these portions of crop is that it cannot do these things alone. The farmer must cook the food to feed the family. The companies must prepare the food for sales. The agriculturists must prepare the produce and seeds for future planting. And the manufacturers must break down certain produce items to create chemicals for household items, etc to sell. The harvest does not do these things on its own. If it was left to do anything on its own once harvested, the whole lot would be wasted. And when we as ministers leave new Christians to their own devices once they're "harvested" and they fall away from church just as quickly as they come in.
Isn't it the same sort of waste the farmer would experience if he left the bail of cotton in the field, or the wheat in the bushels in the barn? Jesus did not entrust to us the task of The Great Commission to do it halfway. Jesus gave us a clear picture of how to so this enormous job. Farming has worked the same way for centuries, and I'm certain that even as Jesus spoke those words to His disciples there was a farmer in his mind doing all parts of this work in a field for his livelihood. We should be working just as hard, because it's the livelihood of Jesus we're talking about.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Ministry Is...[3]
...A well-planned endeavor.
In Luke Chapter 8 Jesus tells a parable of a sower. He says "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown." (verses 5-8). Later in the chapter He actually gives the meaning to this parable: This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop." (verses 11-15). We know from other verses that if we are to be ministers of God, we are to be harvesters, toiling in the fields of potential believers to bring in the harvest for God.
If you know anything about farming, you know that it's a lifestyle. Now, I know very little about farming, but I know that much. I live in rural Southeast Missouri where farmers can be seen on the road or in their fields in giant farm equipment at all ours of day or night. The fact is that the harvest is only part of that lifestyle. What a lot of people don't know is that it takes time to get the soil ready for planting, never mind harvesting. Certain crops grow best in certain chemical/acid conditions in the soil. Some crops grow best in lower basins where moisture collects. Other crops thrive with direct sunlight and daily precipitation. Obviously there are certain parts of the country--or the world--where certain crops grow best.
You've heard the saying "No Farmers, No Food" or seen a bumper sticker that reads something like it, I'm sure. Well, it is true of course. If you knew how many household products aside from food contain corn you'd be surprised. The fact is that we need those farmers for our survival. So, it's fitting that Jesus used such an analogy for his parable. We need to be soul-seeking field workers, just as a farmer needs to produce crops (for their livelihood and survival). They need to have a successful harvest...or else. They could lose their home, their farm, their future crop, their future meals. So they put their blood, sweat, and tears into their work. The plan for the crop of this year may have been in the works 5 years ago. They plan when and where to plant which seed. They plan how much and how often they will fertilize, which fertilizer to use, which irrigation system is best, how often to irrigate. Even a decision like leaving a tree to grow in the middle of their field could affect their crop in 10 years.
I think we can agree that farmers do a lot of work for their harvest. They don't start with the harvest or the plant; they start with the soil. And they work with it until it is right, and then they take care of seeds until they are plants, and then they harvest the final product and send it on its way. The farmer does that. But I think we can also agree that the farmer has to depend on nature to do it's part as well. I say nature but more specifically I mean God. Farmers do all they can to bring in a good harvest, but they have to depend on God to protect their work, to feed their plants, and protect their crops from natural disasters that may destroy the whole field.
This is another way in which Jesus chose this parable perfectly! As ministers we must work, and I mean work hard for our harvest. It doesn't start with stumbling onto a field of perfectly ripe fruits and veggies. It starts with the soil, our environment. If my church isn't healthy enough to grow believers for God, then it needs some more work. If my home isn't inviting to my neighbors, then it needs more work. If my heart isn't open to sharing with others, then it needs more work. This parable that Jesus is sharing speaks through generations. He knew that even today, 2000 years across time, farmers would exist--I mean, of course they would. A man's gotta eat, right?
In Luke Chapter 8 Jesus tells a parable of a sower. He says "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown." (verses 5-8). Later in the chapter He actually gives the meaning to this parable: This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop." (verses 11-15). We know from other verses that if we are to be ministers of God, we are to be harvesters, toiling in the fields of potential believers to bring in the harvest for God.
If you know anything about farming, you know that it's a lifestyle. Now, I know very little about farming, but I know that much. I live in rural Southeast Missouri where farmers can be seen on the road or in their fields in giant farm equipment at all ours of day or night. The fact is that the harvest is only part of that lifestyle. What a lot of people don't know is that it takes time to get the soil ready for planting, never mind harvesting. Certain crops grow best in certain chemical/acid conditions in the soil. Some crops grow best in lower basins where moisture collects. Other crops thrive with direct sunlight and daily precipitation. Obviously there are certain parts of the country--or the world--where certain crops grow best.
You've heard the saying "No Farmers, No Food" or seen a bumper sticker that reads something like it, I'm sure. Well, it is true of course. If you knew how many household products aside from food contain corn you'd be surprised. The fact is that we need those farmers for our survival. So, it's fitting that Jesus used such an analogy for his parable. We need to be soul-seeking field workers, just as a farmer needs to produce crops (for their livelihood and survival). They need to have a successful harvest...or else. They could lose their home, their farm, their future crop, their future meals. So they put their blood, sweat, and tears into their work. The plan for the crop of this year may have been in the works 5 years ago. They plan when and where to plant which seed. They plan how much and how often they will fertilize, which fertilizer to use, which irrigation system is best, how often to irrigate. Even a decision like leaving a tree to grow in the middle of their field could affect their crop in 10 years.
I think we can agree that farmers do a lot of work for their harvest. They don't start with the harvest or the plant; they start with the soil. And they work with it until it is right, and then they take care of seeds until they are plants, and then they harvest the final product and send it on its way. The farmer does that. But I think we can also agree that the farmer has to depend on nature to do it's part as well. I say nature but more specifically I mean God. Farmers do all they can to bring in a good harvest, but they have to depend on God to protect their work, to feed their plants, and protect their crops from natural disasters that may destroy the whole field.
This is another way in which Jesus chose this parable perfectly! As ministers we must work, and I mean work hard for our harvest. It doesn't start with stumbling onto a field of perfectly ripe fruits and veggies. It starts with the soil, our environment. If my church isn't healthy enough to grow believers for God, then it needs some more work. If my home isn't inviting to my neighbors, then it needs more work. If my heart isn't open to sharing with others, then it needs more work. This parable that Jesus is sharing speaks through generations. He knew that even today, 2000 years across time, farmers would exist--I mean, of course they would. A man's gotta eat, right?
Friday, May 11, 2012
Ministry Is...[2]
...Open 24 hours.
We have a Hucks gas station around the corner from our house, and it says in big painted letters on the side of the building "OPEN 24 HOURS". So one night shortly after we moved to the area I went to Hucks in the middle of the night. I don't remember why I was out so late, or what was so important that I drove the 2 blocks to the station. What I do remember is that when I got there they were closed. Lights were on, the employee was inside, but doors were locked. A sign taped on the door said "Closed from 1-2 am for accounting". Imagine my surprise. Could it be that Hucks meant to paint "OPEN 23 HOURS" on the side of their building? I don't think so. I'm pretty certain that they wanted to advertise they are open 24 hours, knowing full-well they intend to close for one hour every night. What if I desperately needed something from Hucks at 1:02 am? What if it were life and death?
I remember when I was about 15 years old and I woke up with the most excruciating pain in my head. I felt like the entire world was echoing in my skull and just screamed hysterically through our very quiet house. My mom being a nurse practitioner knew immediately what was wrong. A bug had crawled into my ear and was playing marching band on my ear drum. She put oil in it to kill it and then we piled into the car and headed to the ER. About 45 minutes later, we stumbled sleepily into their doors in PJs and flip-flops and it was as if they were waiting for us. A nice receptionist waiting behind a desk with crisp white papers waiting to be signed, bright lights lit every corner, smiling doctors and nurses. They went right to work.
Now what would have happened had the ER kept hours like Hucks? Well, I would have had to live with the bug in my ear until Mom could fish it out, but some scenarios would not end so nicely.
In my morning devotional The Chosen by Dwight K Nelson I read something along these lines yesterday. The author compared church to an ER, and it really hit home with me. Our churches should be centers for healing. Sanctuaries, houses of prayer, pretty buildings, and hospitals! Jesus was the Healer, and he expects us to heal the broken hearts that he sends our way, exactly as they come. The staff at the local ER was not the least bit surprised when I showed up in the middle of the night in my PJs--no more than any one would be surprised to walk into an ER and see crying babies, runny noses, blood, vomit, stinky air, and high tension to top it off. These are things we expect to see in an ER when we walk in, because people come to it broken and sick.
So why does it seem churches expect people to walk in off the street as if they aren't broken and sick, in need of a healer? We'd just rather they come in and walk straight up to the podium in khakis and polo, grab a guitar and sing praises. Am I right? But that isn't how people find us. Some people may wander into church with unkempt hair, they may smell like alcohol or have drugs in their system. They may be angry, hurting. They may not have a penny to their names. Yet Jesus expects us to meet them at the door with a bright smile just like the receptionist at the ER. Jesus expects us to be ready for the brokenhearted just as the doctors and nurses are ready and waiting for their patients. They are prepared; they are trained; and they are willing. Any medical professional will tell you that you have to be a certain type of person to work in the ER. That's because you have to be willing to do the dirty work--the hard work.
Jesus was willing to do the dirty work. He repeatedly reached for sinners. He approached them as they were and then started the healing. If He had sat and waited patiently and happily for them to be healed before meeting Him, would they have come at all?
I now understand why it is so vitally important to accept, love, and encourage people just as they appear in our door.
And if we say we're 24 hours, we had better be.
We have a Hucks gas station around the corner from our house, and it says in big painted letters on the side of the building "OPEN 24 HOURS". So one night shortly after we moved to the area I went to Hucks in the middle of the night. I don't remember why I was out so late, or what was so important that I drove the 2 blocks to the station. What I do remember is that when I got there they were closed. Lights were on, the employee was inside, but doors were locked. A sign taped on the door said "Closed from 1-2 am for accounting". Imagine my surprise. Could it be that Hucks meant to paint "OPEN 23 HOURS" on the side of their building? I don't think so. I'm pretty certain that they wanted to advertise they are open 24 hours, knowing full-well they intend to close for one hour every night. What if I desperately needed something from Hucks at 1:02 am? What if it were life and death?
I remember when I was about 15 years old and I woke up with the most excruciating pain in my head. I felt like the entire world was echoing in my skull and just screamed hysterically through our very quiet house. My mom being a nurse practitioner knew immediately what was wrong. A bug had crawled into my ear and was playing marching band on my ear drum. She put oil in it to kill it and then we piled into the car and headed to the ER. About 45 minutes later, we stumbled sleepily into their doors in PJs and flip-flops and it was as if they were waiting for us. A nice receptionist waiting behind a desk with crisp white papers waiting to be signed, bright lights lit every corner, smiling doctors and nurses. They went right to work.
Now what would have happened had the ER kept hours like Hucks? Well, I would have had to live with the bug in my ear until Mom could fish it out, but some scenarios would not end so nicely.
In my morning devotional The Chosen by Dwight K Nelson I read something along these lines yesterday. The author compared church to an ER, and it really hit home with me. Our churches should be centers for healing. Sanctuaries, houses of prayer, pretty buildings, and hospitals! Jesus was the Healer, and he expects us to heal the broken hearts that he sends our way, exactly as they come. The staff at the local ER was not the least bit surprised when I showed up in the middle of the night in my PJs--no more than any one would be surprised to walk into an ER and see crying babies, runny noses, blood, vomit, stinky air, and high tension to top it off. These are things we expect to see in an ER when we walk in, because people come to it broken and sick.
So why does it seem churches expect people to walk in off the street as if they aren't broken and sick, in need of a healer? We'd just rather they come in and walk straight up to the podium in khakis and polo, grab a guitar and sing praises. Am I right? But that isn't how people find us. Some people may wander into church with unkempt hair, they may smell like alcohol or have drugs in their system. They may be angry, hurting. They may not have a penny to their names. Yet Jesus expects us to meet them at the door with a bright smile just like the receptionist at the ER. Jesus expects us to be ready for the brokenhearted just as the doctors and nurses are ready and waiting for their patients. They are prepared; they are trained; and they are willing. Any medical professional will tell you that you have to be a certain type of person to work in the ER. That's because you have to be willing to do the dirty work--the hard work.
Jesus was willing to do the dirty work. He repeatedly reached for sinners. He approached them as they were and then started the healing. If He had sat and waited patiently and happily for them to be healed before meeting Him, would they have come at all?
I now understand why it is so vitally important to accept, love, and encourage people just as they appear in our door.
And if we say we're 24 hours, we had better be.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Ministry Is...
...the MEANS to an end.
When Jesus set forth the "Great Commission" for His return to Heaven, the disciples had all they needed to do the work--and so do we. The passage so very well-known as the "Great Commission" is Matthew 28:18-20 "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'"
Rightly named commission because in issuing such an order, Jesus granted the disciples the authority to go forth in His name and finish his work. The definition of commission includes granting authority for a particular action or function. When leaders issue commissions they make certain that all the facts and resources are present to get the job done. For instance, in the military when a commander issue such a command, it is accompanied by other instructions to finish the task. When the President of the United States issues such commands, it probably comes with a file which includes all of the facts needed to get the job done. One major problem in ministry is that we take this "Great Commission" and make an island out of it. We assume that all we need to know is in this passage--disciple, baptize, teach. We fail to read the "case file" accompanying the command--The Bible. We aren't utilizing the provided up-link to our Commander--prayer.
We as Christians know what we want to do. We know what we're supposed to do. However, it isn't always as easy to want to do the work. It's not easy to want to make the hard choices, take the hard road, take a precious hour out of our day for that debriefing required to complete the task assigned. My husband is in the Army National Guard, and he and his soldier buddies joke and complain about debriefings and what they call "death-by-PowerPoint". The fact is, that the military knows how to get things done. They know how to create leaders (disciple), recruit members (baptize), and follow rules (teach them to obey commandments). They have an age-old system that Jesus also trusted.
It may not be fun for soldiers to spend hour upon hour in a dark room with a projector and a monotone presenter, but it is worth it when the work is done and people are safe.
It may not be fun to wake up an hour before the kids everyday to spend some time in prayer and Bible study, but it is worth it when the work is done and people are safe.
Praise God for leaving us with the resources we need to do it!
When Jesus set forth the "Great Commission" for His return to Heaven, the disciples had all they needed to do the work--and so do we. The passage so very well-known as the "Great Commission" is Matthew 28:18-20 "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'"
Rightly named commission because in issuing such an order, Jesus granted the disciples the authority to go forth in His name and finish his work. The definition of commission includes granting authority for a particular action or function. When leaders issue commissions they make certain that all the facts and resources are present to get the job done. For instance, in the military when a commander issue such a command, it is accompanied by other instructions to finish the task. When the President of the United States issues such commands, it probably comes with a file which includes all of the facts needed to get the job done. One major problem in ministry is that we take this "Great Commission" and make an island out of it. We assume that all we need to know is in this passage--disciple, baptize, teach. We fail to read the "case file" accompanying the command--The Bible. We aren't utilizing the provided up-link to our Commander--prayer.
We as Christians know what we want to do. We know what we're supposed to do. However, it isn't always as easy to want to do the work. It's not easy to want to make the hard choices, take the hard road, take a precious hour out of our day for that debriefing required to complete the task assigned. My husband is in the Army National Guard, and he and his soldier buddies joke and complain about debriefings and what they call "death-by-PowerPoint". The fact is, that the military knows how to get things done. They know how to create leaders (disciple), recruit members (baptize), and follow rules (teach them to obey commandments). They have an age-old system that Jesus also trusted.
It may not be fun for soldiers to spend hour upon hour in a dark room with a projector and a monotone presenter, but it is worth it when the work is done and people are safe.
It may not be fun to wake up an hour before the kids everyday to spend some time in prayer and Bible study, but it is worth it when the work is done and people are safe.
Praise God for leaving us with the resources we need to do it!
Monday, May 7, 2012
We All Have Faith
Thanks to Netflix online streaming, I have been re-watching all my favorite ABC Family shows I watched years ago. A quote from Make It or Break It caught my attention today. When Peyson Keeler and her family are deciding for or against possibly-career-saving back surgery, her mother asks the surgeon how to have the kind of faith it takes to agree to the surgery. The surgeon says to her something like: you have plenty of faith...that it won't work.
That got me thinking--we all have faith, don't we? We all have faith that things will happen, good or bad. Some people are afraid of heights, driving, germs, the dark, etc. They are afraid because they have faith that things will go wrong. How their lives would be transformed if they would have faith that things will go right! Some people have complete faith in hell, but zero faith in heaven. Where does that faith come from?
Sometimes we need to adjust our focus, don't we? There is nothing worse than going through life fearing and dreading everything that could be magical. Next time I see a person afraid or pessimistic I will have to share this insight with them. Someone try and stop me! The assurance that comes with faith in God is worth sharing!
That got me thinking--we all have faith, don't we? We all have faith that things will happen, good or bad. Some people are afraid of heights, driving, germs, the dark, etc. They are afraid because they have faith that things will go wrong. How their lives would be transformed if they would have faith that things will go right! Some people have complete faith in hell, but zero faith in heaven. Where does that faith come from?
Sometimes we need to adjust our focus, don't we? There is nothing worse than going through life fearing and dreading everything that could be magical. Next time I see a person afraid or pessimistic I will have to share this insight with them. Someone try and stop me! The assurance that comes with faith in God is worth sharing!
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