The Peril of Intentions

Years ago, the pastor of the church I attended while in college once said during worship: “Good intentions, like crying babies should be carried out immediately”.

That is a very troubling statement on several accounts. First of all I don’t agree with the notion that babies who cry, which is what they do, should automatically be carried out. I know of many adults who are louder than crying babies, especially those who snore, and we don’t dare carry them out. Second of all good intentions, acted upon immmediately can cause much harm.

And that apparently is the case with the Baptist “missionaries” caught in child “kidnapping” charges in Haiti. According to several articles, the team was filled with good intentions. But those good intentions were acted on too quickly and hence has landed them in jail. They should have made double sure they had all the proper paper work and were following the law.

We may not agree with the laws of the land, but we are admonished in the Scriptures to obey the law. And when we don’t there will be consequences from disobedience to those laws.  And the ten “missionaries” are reaping the results of not following all of the laws. Ignorance of the law is no excuse. Good intentions is no excuse either.

How many times in our churches  have people with “good intentions” torn down and attacked fellow Christians. Good intentions have ruined many good churches. Good intentions have stymed and stopped the flow of God’s spirit. Remember Ananias and Sapphira?They apparently had good intentions.

As much as the ten Baptist in Haiti had good intentions. They would have been wise to slow down and do things the right way. Working through proper channels may have afforded them a better response. Instead the consequences of thier good intentions may harm future work from Christians in the area.

The Grand Poo and His sidekick

Maybe, just maybe Davis is done with his thinly disquised “tale” of the Wade administration and his hatred for him. He not so cleverly has written a boring diatribe to attack an administration that is long gone. He just can’t “hep” himself.

Gee, should I write a tale about the Grand Poo and his sidekick. Nah, it too would be boring. It is as my teenaged kids would say, “so last year”.

So will they ever stop crying about the past? Will they ever stop slandering and spreading lies? Probably not.

I am reminded of the verse:”Any man putting his hand to the plow and looking back is not fit for the kingdom of God.” Please don’t misread me, I am NOT saying the Grand Poo and his sidekick are not Christians. I am saying they have messed up farmland, due to spending too much time in the past.  They have not kept thier eyes looking forward and leaving the past behind.

I am excited about what God is doing in spite of the criticism of the Grand Poo and his sidekick. God is still God.

Blogs and Negative Comments

One of the advantages of having your own blog is that one can “screen” out any negative comments.Even if what they say may have a hint of truth to it, zing them off. Send the nasty comment into the netherlands. Why no one has to even think you are recieving negative comments. It might even come across that everybody likes what you write.

When I get negative comments here, I post them. If they are ugly and personal they get zinged. Attack my family, blocked they become. Constructive criticism, bring them on. Healthy debate is alway good.

I guess a person could “control” the debate if necessary with a blog. One could set it up as if only one view is articulated. I suppose some do this to stroke low self-esteem egos and make them look better than everyone else.

But then again blogs are under the control of the writer. So really they aren’t good sources of information. They are good sources for gossip, innuendo, slander and other nefarious means. I person could destroy another person with a blog. Spread a false rumor and don’t allow for correction, then see the person slandered just get hurt more and more.

But we Christians should know better. We ought to be the opposite of the rest of the bloggers. We ought to be honest and truthful, even if it hurts. We should be kind and gentle to all.  Maybe living out the Beatitudes is what Jesus really had in mind. And it is not easy. That’s why we need His spirit to lead and guide us.

Faith put to the Test

The little church I pastor is suddenly having a surge in attendance. When I arrived exactly five years ago, the attendance would float between 30-40 or so. It had slowly but surely risen in the last year to 65 or so. But in the last two months it has jumped into the 70’s range. As a matter of fact we have had three Sundays in the last two months of over 80. The last two Sundays we have had 83 and 86.

Don’t get me wrong I do not spend time tallying up numbers and put them on a growth scale and do computer analysis of those numbers. I used to do that, but have not done so for many years. I try not to worry and fret over numbers. Of course if there is a downward trend, then yeah, we need to find out what is going on.

I say all this to say, we are at the place in our church history where we need more fellowship hall/activity space. When I arrived five years ago, the idea for a new fellowship hall was mentioned by a couple of deacons. I felt that the timing wasn’t right. It seems that when the church built the current fellowship hall they built it too small even then. I guess some were into “Banzai Church Growth”.

But now with so many new families with kids coming, the need is urgent. At the same time we have several people attending our church who are building/ construction guys. We have the expertise in place. And so with all this new stuff in front of us, I proposed to the deacons that we look into forming a research committee to study ideas for a new building. The congregation has approved such a committee and we are starting our research.

I realize there will be some who will bemoan starting a new building program with the economy being like it is. I completely understand that. It is a very tough time to deal with money right now. Gee, just saw gas prices in the 2.65 range this morning. ugh. That isn’t good.

I am quickly reminded that God does His work regardless of what our economy is like. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. And praise God He is still in control. I had one person corner me up and talk about how expensive this endeavor could be. I stated, “How much does a lost soul cost?” He said, good point.

Trusting God will be put to the test during this time. How many churches built buildings during the Great Depression? How many church buildings went up in the early nineties with high unemployment and high taxes?

Our little church has increased it’s budget this year. We have not had a downturn in finances like others. Admittedly, if we have a few older church member funerals and we will have a downfall in giving. Again that is where we trust God to meet our goals.

Do we only trust God in good economic times? Doesn’t our faith gain the greatest test and endurance during tough times?

Pray for our church as we move forward in uncharted territory. His name be praised.

Bold Leadership

Been reading with interest Rick Davis’ blog on leadership issues. Rick has some good insights on the subject. He has challenged me to think in terms of leading the little congregation I serve forward in boldness.

Our little church has been coasting along for a very long time. It has strived to be relevant without changing very little.  As one church member said in a business meeting, “Stop messing with our church. We like it just like it is.” She was and has been opposed to just about any change in the last four years I have been here. Many of the younger members realize that we must change in order to grow. The older members don’t like change but reluctantly go along.

Leading a church to change the way they “have always done it”, is hard. The older I get the less I like change. I am becoming more and more accustomed to routine and honestly it scares me. It means I am becoming the person I have always complained about!! So I am asking God to lead me to be open to change even if I don’t like it.

Just changing the order of worship is an event here. Even now some are wanting to “go back” to the way it was four years ago. The only changes that have been made is the addition of one song and the announcements at the end. Everything else is as it has been for more than 30 years. I am afraid we get into a routine and miss great opportunities for spiritual growth.

And the same is true in leadership. We can keep doing leadership as we have always done it and get the same result. I am not happy with the same results. So with motivation from Rick’s blog, I am leading the church in some bold moves. I realize I risk being heavily criticized and harshly condemned. I also know some will probably leave. And some will get on board and be very excited.

When ya been burned like I have in the past, it is easy to just coast along and don’t rock the boat. But for the congregation I serve, coasting along means death very soon. Inside of ten years it will no longer exist, as well as many in the area. Being bold may have a negative impact and cause us to consider a move from here. But it is either we go forward or we die. So really we have no other choice. Pray for me and our church.

Rewriting the Bible?

There is an article posted on the Baptist Today page about a group of conservatives who are “rewriting the Bible” to reflect current conservative viewpoints.

For example they claim that the passage from Luke where Jesus says: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do”, is a “liberal” insert and wish to remove it from the text. Golly gosh, dang, gotta a passage that doesn’t fit your theology, why just cut it out and bammo, ya got a theology you can be comfortable with!!

That is the thing about the Bible, it has lots of passages that make us uncomfortable. Like “turning the other cheek” or loving your enemies. Or how about “doing unto others..”.  The Bible cuts us to the quick. But when boneheads like this conservative group decides to “cherry pick” and pull out passages they don’t like, that goes beyond the pale.

I suppose they are gonna “cut” the passage about Phoebe being a deacon, or how the Bible uses the word “inspired” instead of inerrant. The contradictory suicide accounts of Judas will finally match up in thier version. Jesus will no longer be head of the church, the pastor will be so deemed.

Where does rewriting the Bible to our liking stop? That’s just it, it won’t stop. It will become a book to our liking and then have no power left.  It will no longer be sharper than a two edged sword. It will become a dull useless book to place among the other books on our shelf.

BGCT Hurt by Economy

As much as others have tried and failed to convince me that the supposed decline in the BGCT is due to nefarious reasons, it just isn’t so. The decline is running right along side the economic slide our country has been in for a while now.

Admittedly the convention has lost some to that other convention. But were they really part of the BGCT in the first place? And with the departure of those churches we have lost some income and attendance at the annual convention meetings.

For the most part, the drop in giving and attendance has been due to the decline in our economic state.  Am currently reading the recently published biography of George W. Truett (excellent book by the way) and in this book, it chronicles the decline in attendance and giving within the BGCT during the early 1920’s and in the 1930’s with the depression . FBC Dallas was hurting financially as well as many other churches struggled along side them.

The BGCT had to cut staff greatly during the financial crisis of that day. And so it is today. This decline in money and attendance is nothing new.  Oh, I know some want to place blame on leaders etc. The blame game was going on in that day too. J. Frank Norris was notorious for his constant rant against anything BGCT and attacked many of the leaders personally. Truett, B. H. Carroll and many others were considered the reason why the BGCT was in decline.

As I was reading the book, I saw so many comparisons to our current situation. The convention suffered but it recovered greatly. The same is true today. Granted it will take some bold leaders and dreamers to lead us into untested areas. Maybe it is high time, the old guard steps away and let’s some younger leaders step up to the plate.

I realize asking the “old guard” to move aside and let the young lead is a very difficult thing to ask. I know, even in my own congregation that is hard. “Why they just might mess things up!”  They are the future of our churches as well as our convention. God will mold them and use them if we will let them lead.

I am hopeful and trusting that God will do what God needs to do in the future with the BGCT or whatever name it may be called down the line. It may not be as we know it, but God is still God and well, aint nothing we can do about it. God will prevail, if we let Him.

“People Like That”

Just finished reading an article about a church that started a homeless shelter within its building. It all started when the pastor let a man sleep on one of the churches couches.

That was one year ago and now there are 23 men staying in the church. The come from rough and tumble backgrounds. Some right out of prison with no place to go, some struggling with drugs and alcohol. The Sunday School class rooms have been converted into sleeping areas for the men. The pastor has the men sign an agreement that they will follow all of the rules and regulations in order to stay there (how horrible, to make people abide by rules!!) if not they are promptly asked to leave. They are required to be involved in Bible Study and worship times while there. Many lives have been changed through this ministry.

But in the article it mentioned that when the pastor went to the congregation to get approval to do this ministry and let the men stay in the church.  Half of the congregation left saying couldn’t be around “people like that”.

Never mind that Jesus Himself hung around “people like that”. I guess you could say this church had some of what I call “blessed subtractions”. I would have gladly said to those leaving the church, “Don’t let the door hit you on the butt on the way out!!”

We are all called to minister to “people like that”. And when we do we will be criticized and marginalized by many. Especially among the “self-righteous”, we will be astricized and in many cases pushed out of the church. Why we can’t have a pastor who really reads and follows God’s mandate to minister “unto the least of these”.  

 As I write this post, I am preparing to go to the county prison and minister to “the least of these”. I told the two men I am to see, I would not turn my back on them, no matter what.  Some might say I am wasting my time. I go to show that Jesus didn’t waste His time dying on the cross for my sins and saving my life and exhorting me to go in His name.

Give Thanks, with a grateful heart!!!

 

Is Montoya really Gone?

Went to his blog and see where it is shut down. Well, well, well what do ya know. He really did go away.

Oh, but he will be back, mark my words. He just can’t stay away from controversy. He will dream up something else to fight about.

Anyway, he is gone for now.

My Post Convention Thoughts

Let me say at the outset how thankful I am to the BGCT for providing the scholarship funds for staying at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Houston. It was a spectacular place and one of the nicest I have ever stayed in. Having said that, I was disappointed with it on several counts.

When I got there  was only one elevator was working so that was a pain–alas not the conventions fault.

Was disappointed to find out the hotel was just a tad over 1 mile away from the convention center complex. I thought it would be much closer and within walking distance. Hotel did not provide any shuttle to the convention center. One of the local churches took care of that. But it was, at least for me, infrequent in pickup and drop off times.

Was also disappointed that the Hyatt Regency charges you to park in thier garage!! One would think that was part of staying there. They charged $25 a day. You could park elsewhere but it was $15 a day and they charged you to come and go.

Got into Houston tired and hungry, so thought about having room service. The cheapest item on the menu would have cost me $15.00, which included room delivery of $3.50 plus 19% gratuity. Because of the elevator issue mentioned earlier it would take an hour and a half to deliver. So I just went to bed hungry.

Was afraid to “use” anything in the room, for fear they were gonna charge me for that. Thankfully they didn’t charge for using thier beautiful bathroom!

The convention attendence itself was down from the past. As mentioned before in earlier posts, none from my Association came. Several said they didn’t want to make the drive into Houston, or that it was too expensive. I understand that completely.

I did run into several friends from past conventions, but did notice it was poorly attended. High cost of gas, food and lodging may have played a big factor.

The two workshops I attended were full. One was Evangelism in the Small Church, with Cecil Deadman and the other was Care with Dr. Joel Gregory. Both were excellent and I enjoyed and gained much from each.

Opening session on Monday was great. The worship and preaching was excellent. The business portion went smoothly and were actually ahead of schedule. Afternoon session gets the same praise.

I ate at some one of provided vendors at the convention center. Didn’t want to hassle with going all the way back to the hotel and getting my car and driving to a place to eat. The vendors were overpriced and not much to eat. Had a coke and hotdog, and it cost almost ten dollars!! Was still hungry after but just couldn’t afford much more than that.

By evening on Monday,I was bushed and didn’t return for the evening session. Didn’t trust that the shuttle would be on time and frequent enough. So just walked to Subway and crashed for the evening.

Debated on attending the Tuesday morning session. Honestly my only draw to attending the morning sesssion was to hear Dr. George Mason.  Again was skeptical about the transportation to and from the convention. Not only that I had to be checked out of hotel by noon. Plus I was to drive to Ft. Worth for a hospital visit. So I choose not to attend the morning session and instead take my time and drive up to Ft. Worth.

The “goody” displays were nice,but honestly, they are after attending the convention at least seven times, starting to look the same. I enjoy meeting people there more than anything else. Seeing old friends is what makes the exhibit hall nice.

So here is my complaint, it was all too expensive for this poor preacher. I had the budgeted money for it, but gee wiz, can we do this thing cheaper!! Most don’t come because of the expense. Or they just don’t care for the drive to far away places.

Understand that next year it will be in McAllen. I am debating on that trip. Talked to a pastor friend and we might car pool there. It is a good ten hour trip for us, but we can swap out the driving and that would be nice.

So BGCT you gotta find better places to meet that don’t eat us alive financially!! Hotel bills are ridiculous, dang I sound just like my dad. I might bring a camper next year. Depends on gas prices. I just hate paying so much for a room that you only use to sleep in.

Why not keep the convention in more central locations within the state? Less driving and more accomodating for the whole state.

Could the convention be streamlined to allow for more preaching and worship? Let’s be honest, by the time Tuesday rolls around for the annual sermon, attendance usually is pitiful. People that drove a long way, have to hit the road to get home in a reasonable hour.

I realize businees portions are a part of it, but can we place it differently? What about having a Preaching conference before or after? Just a thought.

In the ABC/USA, they meet biannually. And attendance at this events are greatly attended.  Just wondering if that is feasible. Could have strictly business meetings in the alternating years, and have them at smaller venues.

Anyway those are my thoughts. I enjoy going to convention, just don’t like the drive to far away places and the high cost of the venues.