What Do Oil Companies and Church Have in Common?

I heard something that really bothered me today on talk radio. Yeah, I am a Christian and no I don't always listen to Christian radio. Before you leap to judgment, Jesus didn't always listen to Christian radio either. Well, I mean if there were such a thing as radio I think He would spend a fair amount of time listening to the conversations of pagans. I would like to think that my motives would always be the same as His, but truth is I get tired of the same songs played in rotation. Remember, you can't spell routine without "r-u-t". Anyway, back to the subject at hand. The guy on the radion was fielding phone calls from listeners. Out of the blue, this guy starts talking about how churches should stick to doing what they "ought to do". He never mentioned what that was, but if the church was large he was sure they weren't doing what they were supposed to do. He said that's why he left church years ago. It seems that he recently was looking to buy a car and someone suggested he look into a one year old BMW in a neighboring town. All was well until he found out it belonged to a preacher. Somehow, in his convoluted way of thinking, this meant that this preacher was a bad guy. (It never occurred to him it that he may be just as wrong for wanting to buy such a material item.) Of course, the talk show host admitted that he could count the number of times he had attended church in the last year on one finger, but he was sympathetic with the guy on the other end of the line. Certainly churches that were big and successful were evil. Funny how that logic doesn't apply to high schools, universities, civic clubs, or anything else other than oil companies and churches.
Man, was I ever tempted to give these guys a piece of mind. I was already clutching my cell phone in my white knuckled fist. Don't these yahoos know that the bigger the church is the more they are able to impact society. Don't they realize that there is hardly a day goes by that we don't feed a family, buy medicine for an underpriviledged person, keep children for a fraction of the cost of private daycare or offer counseling to families on the verge of disaster. Don't these whiners care that there will be more than a dozen mission trips originate from Dallas Bay this year or that we offer a state-of-the-art youth building to give teens an alternative to otherwise risky behavior. And then it hit me; they don't care. They are blinded by the god of this world. If they were to ever see the good things that can be done by a "successful" church they might look at the church differently and even at our Lord who birthed it by His blood. My fist relaxed and I didn't make that call to the radio station, but I did talk to Someone about my anger.
Now, where was I going? Oh yeah, I heard about this great deal on a used BMW. See ya around the throne.
Pasor Ken

Beggars,Gunslingers and Spammers

This is Monday morning so after spending time reading my Bible and a few moments in prayer I went to check emails. There were 113 in my inbox. Of those 113, about 25% are really valid. Seventy or better emails tried to sell me something. Everything from making me a better investor to making me more of a man. There is also this bank, that I do not use, trying to update their files so I should click on a link and give them my current information. (I was born at night, but it wasn't last night.) What really confuses me is why these things get sent at all. Do you mean to tell me there are people who fall for such insincere and transaparant schemes? Is the public really this gullible? I hope the truth is that the tiny cost associated with sending these solicitations over the web is so small that these unsrcupulous marketers hope to "doop" one in a million. To me sincerity is more important than a "deal".
So here I go spiritualizing again. Maybe the reason I have always been reluctant to adopt a "soul winning" program is because they often seem insincere or phony. We are supposed to care deeply for someone whom we have never met and share witrh them the "plan of salvation." Don't rush to judgment. I believe in sharing our faith. Not only do I believe in it, I practice it weekly. There is not a Sunday morning that passes that I do not share the gospel with hundreds of people. I believe God has put us together for that reason. It is not contrived or setup. It is a genuine belief that God has placed these people in our congregation and prepared their hearts for the sowing of the gospel message. I do know however, that seeds need time to grow. Often I may only plant the seed and someone else will reap the harvest. That's all right with me. I'm just happy that God thought enough of me to let me be involved. I'm fearful that many of our soul winning efforts may do more harm than good. I have been called on several occassions by a relative or friend of someone who is lost and told "they need to get saved." Followed by a request that I go do the job for them because, after all, you're the preacher. I may be wrong here, but don't you think a presentation of the gospel will seem more sincere if offered by that friend or relative. It seems to me that I am more of a "gunslinger" hired to clean up the town because the sheriff is afraid to do the job himself. That may work in the movies, but it rarely works in rea life. The person often feels attacked by this stranger who doesn't know, or hasn't taken time to learn about their situation. Everytime Jesus shared life with a stranger it was either because they sought Him out or after He had taken time to know of their plight. There was nothing that resembled "unsolicited spam" in His "technique".
I like the old saying, "I am a beggar telling other beggars where to find food." Beggars trust beggars. They don't always trust bakers. I am finding more and more of our new found followers of Christ are trusting the Lord because someone in their small group took an interest in their situation. Or a woman who has been through a divorce shares with another who is also struggling with the same issue how she made it through. That's not a program, that is a relationship. "Lord help me not to "spam" my faith. Lead me to people with whom I can connect and after I have connected to them, give me the boldness to connect them with you. Amen."

The Most Powerful Weapon Known To God or Man

Hey blogheads, I haven't been at the blogger dashboard in a while. I was on a brief vacation and committed to doing nothing but rest. That is not easy for someone like me who loves to work, but it was very refreshing. The only problem was the more I rested the more my mind became uncluttered. The more uncluttered my mind the more sermon thoughts filled the void. So I ended up writing a sermon or two for an upcoming series. Funny how it comes easier when you don't have to get it done.
I don't have much to say, seeing that my head is uncluttered and all, but I do have one amazing thing to report. This last Sunday at DBBC we collected an offering to buy Bibles to give to Muslims who would like to have a copy. The cost was just $5 to produce and distribute 1 Bible. You never know how people will respond. The anger towards the Muslim world is high and there are a lot of memories that come to the surface around the fifth anniversary of September 11, 2001. I am happy to report that Christian still believe that the Word of God is more powerful than any weapon that the world may ever forge. We received enough funds to purchase and distribute over 1,200 Bibles to the Muslim community. PTL.

What's Your Cup of Coffee?

It's Saturday and that can mean only one thing. It's the day of my weekly breakfast ride. Every Saturday, weather permitting, I get up before the slumbering Duggan family, climb on top of the Gold Wing and ride somewhere for early morning "vittels". In a manner that completely goes against my pension for diversity I have been riding to Starbucks the last month or so. This morning I decided to get out of the rut I was in. So I thought, "Where can I go that will be on the other side of the breakfast universe from Starbucks?" The answer was obvious, Huddle House. So I mounted my trusty metal and fiberglass steed and dialed the GPS to the nearest Waffle House look-a-like. After a few minutes of two wheel touring I pulled into the parking lot of the local roadside diner. I surveyed the scene for members of Dallas Bay Baptist. More than once I have made the mistake of not noticing a member in a booth nearby and have heared the hushed voices say, "He thinks he's too good to talk with us." So, attempting to be hospitable, I eyed each vinyl booth and spinning stool. Nope, no one there I knew. I could set my helmet and gloves at the closest empty booth and order coffee.

The waitress, chewing gum and smiling from ear to ear, inquired, "What'll ye have hon?" I pointed at the egg, sausage, hashbrowns and toast on the plastic coated legal size menu. "Grits?", was her concise but ample closing remark as she walked away. "No thanks" I said as I began to observe my surroundings. I could not help but compare this morning's destination with the last few weeks Saturday morning eatery. Starbucks is post modern and efficient. The staff speaks and understands a vernacular unknown outside their establishment. Grandes, lattes, mochas and frap's roll off their tongue like it was second nature. And their always smiling. Something about the feel of the place makes you feel good about sipping 3 dollar coffee from a paper cup. Huddle House is anything but post-modern. The artwork on the wall is enlargements of the photos from the menu. There's a "patty melt" sandwich poster next to a "western omlette" still life just over my shoulder. The coffee is good and hot and served with a smile in a ceramic mug for 1/3 the price of Starbucks. They have their own vocabulary as well. The order is yelled across the restaurant with words like smothered, covered, and some other gutteral noises that sound almost profane. I just have to ask one question. What exec back at corporate headquarters chose a bright red visor to be worn with a maroon shirt trimmed in brown. It had to be a man. I just had a thought. I'll bet I'm the only male patron to notice the colors clash. I may need to trade the Honda in for another Harley. I think I'm getting a little too sensitive.

Back to the topic at hand. I'm starting to realize that Starbucks and Huddle House have more in common than is immediately apparent. I am not suggesting the large shirtless man in overalls, #3 ball cap, beard and chains would ever be caught dead at SB's, but there are many similarities. These people feel right at home in a roadside diner where you get 10% off with your church bulletin. They like being with people who accept them just the way they are. Just like the college student who sat near me at Starbucks last week with his laptop and latte. I noticed too that the parking lot of Huddle House was populated with trucks and cars, mostly trucks, made of good old Detroit iron. Starbucks was adorned with Beemers, SUV's, and compacts. They looked as at home in that parking lot as did the vehicles back at the roadside diner. That's the connection. People like being around people and places that make them comfortable. Where they can be themselves without fear of people pointing at them and whispering. I know I make everything spiritual, but that's my job. I'm a Baptist preacher, after all. People want to worship in an environment where they are most comfortable. They don't want someone to soft peddle the truth. They don't want a wishy-washy gospel. People don't want us to speak a language that is foreign to them. They do expect good service and a smile. They do want to be accepted and not pointed at. We just have to realize that the people who enjoy the Huddle House and could not imagine paying $3 for a grande will attend a church that reflects that lifestyle. And for a long time that was the only kind of church many communities offered. I will probably return to Starbucks myself next week. I just wish I could get them to serve hashbrowns.
In His Shadow,
Pastor Ken