What Walt Disney Taught Me About Preaching

You guys know that I like to read. But I am not one who reads just for the sake of reading. If a book is poorly written or just doesn’t hold my interest I’ll put it down for good. I have read some of nearly all the books in my library, there’s over 1,000, but I’ve read less than half of those in there entirety. (Yawn, I know, but hold on I’m going somewhere with this.) Of the five or six books I’m reading now, there is one that is taking most of my time. It is the biography of Walt Disney. It’s no Mickey Mouse to read either at over 700 pages. I have read many biographies and find almost all of them to be interesting. This one goes beyond interest to fascination. What an unusual man! He was never satisfied with anything he ever did. He was often brutal with his employees. His family life was strained by his long hours and compulsion to create something new. But with all those negative qualities, kids loved him and he became almost a grandfather figure to millions. The thing that fascinates me most about Disney was his ability to shape culture or at least recognize change when before anyone else. He was the first to make a full length animated feature. He pioneered color movies and television. He created the first visually stimulating amusement park that created a new genre of entertainment, the theme park. First there was Disneyland then came Disneyworld. Walt Disney, as much as anyone else I know, led us into a new era of communication.

For centuries people shared family, national, and cultural information through the spoken word. There were no scrapbooks or photo albums to pass along to the kids. Instead people sat their children down and shared stories of their past that had been shared with them by their parents. Added to this were their own stories to bring the family history up to the present. This process repeated itself generation after generation until entire cultures had a collection of stories that were unique to their own experience. Then with the invention of the printing press the world began to slowly evolve to the written word as the vehicle to pass one generation's stories on to the next. The problem was that the stories now became impersonal. They were recorded by someone you didn’t know about someone you had never met. This was the beginning of kids hating to study history. No self-respecting son or daughter would ask mom or dad to read from a history book as a reward for going to bed on time. Not as they had begged to hear stories from grandma or grandpa about the time they wrestled a bear for supper. Then with the dawning of the technological revolution, of which Disney was a pioneer, something strange happened. Words began to be replaced with pictures. First black-and-white still photos, then black-and-white moving pictures, followed by black-and-white moving pictures with words, next came color moving pictures with words, then color TV’s in homes, now Ipods with pictures… Who knows where this is going to end.

Way back when Walt Disney knew this day was coming. He knew someday that a picture would be worth a thousand words. Just think if you have gone to one of his theme parks what emphasis is put on the visual stimulation of the mind. The moment you walk through the gates you are bombarded with scenes of fantasy, the past, the present and the future. Note even how commercials on TV have changed. It’s mostly imagery and little facts. How many automobiles are sold because of legroom anymore? Most car commercials have only fleeting images of the car itself. Often the fleeting image is more appealing to the potential customer than the car itself. Ok so I have rambled on for a while. By now you either get my point or you don’t. And you’re wondering, “What has this got to do with anything spiritual?” I’m getting to that. Why is it that the entire world has been in the age of the visual for at least two generations, maybe more if you believe as I do that generations barely last a decade anymore, and the church is still clinging to the past? Why do church buildings often end up being devoid of art and color? Why is drama tolerated instead of celebrated in worship? Why do preachers hide behind pulpits and criticize creative use of visuals by those who don’t? If we are visual learners why don’t we teach the most important life lessons with captivating object lessons? For those who say we should return to the teaching methods of Jesus I say “AMEN”. Jesus pointed at a flower and said, “Consider the lilies…” He cursed a fig tree and later came back and told why. He walked on water to prove that you could do the impossible. He helped a child into his arms and said, “The kingdom is for people like this child.” He described the difficulty of a camel going through the eye of a needle, perhaps while holding one in the sun for all to see, to explain how to obtain eternal life. I could go on and on. Jesus was a visual teacher. So yes, let’s get back to teaching like Jesus. I can think of no better way to serve the creator than by being creative. If I don’t see you Sunday I’ll see you around the throne.

In His Shadow,
Pastor Ken

I'm Vent-less For Now

What has come to my attention lately is how my blog differs from other pastors. I was at a meeting of fellow senior pastors in Chattanooga when I was asked why I didn’t use my blog to discuss convention politics. “Why?” I asked. “That’s what they’re used for” I was told. I was then told of several “blog sites” to check out to see what they were doing. I must confess that I never took their advice. Possibly because I know nothing about convention politics nor the people who are talking about it. I also have a shiver in my spine when I use politics and religion in the same sentence. So I will continue to use this blog for which it was always intended; a place to vent. Which makes blogging a little more difficult these days. There’s not much to be angry about and a whole lot to be thankful for.

Last Sunday evening at DBBC we had a full house at a ministry meeting. That is a statement that will usually send a cold chill up any pastor’s backbone. But not this time, it was all for a good thing. We made two big decisions in one night. We introduced a new worship leader without a major revolt in any segment of our congregation. James Dobson will tell you that no other subject elicits more response in his audience than music. People are passionate about it. It is a very emotional issue in the church and to bring in a new minister to lead us in worship music without a lot of ruckus is a God thing.

Then we brought a recommendation from the finance committee to borrow 5 million dollars. That’s 5 with an “m”. We brought 4 options from borrowing 13.5 million dollars to build everything we need to do nothing. Personally, I would have alright with any of the options to do something. My preference would be to borrow the money to do it all and finance it with a 5 year balloon and pray that the Lord returns in 4 years and 11 months. That never got out of committee however. With 4 options and 600 people in a room, especially Baptists, you would think several votes would be necessary to get a majority. You would be rational but wrong. In one unanimous vote we decided to move ahead with one of the options that build the needed resources in phases. The prospective worship leader said in all his years in ministry he had never experienced anything like it. It seems the norm at DBBC is the exception at other churches. My prayer is it will always be that way. So for now you have no gripes from me. All I can do for now is PTL for his goodness.

Another Great Rags to Riches Story

It's been a while since I shared with you one my great rags to riches stories. This was sent to me just before Christmas. It's very encouraging to hear about the generosity of others. I would have sent it earlier but the blogger program has been on the blink. Now that it is fixed I'll try to catch up. I've got some exciting things to share with you. But for now read this.

"A couple of years ago a gentleman in the community attended our church for a short period of time. He was a member of another church in the Hixson area but for health reasons was attending Dallas Bay because it was closer to home and he did not have to climb any stairs. I have known this man for most of his life from growing up in the Middle Valley area. He and his sister live together and are the only members of his family still alive and they are both in bad health.

One particular Sunday in December he sat across the isle from me and I noticed that he was singing and worshipping the Lord with such a smile on his face. I felt God leading me to speak to him after the service. He started telling me about some health problems that were preventing him from working and that his TennCare coverage was being discontinued. As he was speaking to me God laid something on my heart. I had been told earlier that week that I would be receiving an off cycle salary increase in order to bring me up to the same salary as some other workers in my area. God told me to take the increase amount for the first two paychecks, which was a total of $400, and give it to this man as a Christmas gift. God also told me that the gift needed to be anonymous and told me who should be involved in presenting the money. The two people God had in mind were friends of mine who are husband and wife and also know this man. I called my friends and told them what God had laid on my heart and asked them if they would help me and of course they were more than happy to participate.

About 10 days before Christmas, I took the money to my friends along with a Christmas card that read:
"God wants you to know that you are very special to him and that he loves you very much. Merry Christmas."

My friends called me later that day to thank me for obeying God and for letting them be a part of a Christmas miracle. The man and his sister were so touched that all they could do was cry.

I know that it's not by accident that I received the off cycle pay increase at that particular time and that it's nothing short of a miracle that I even have the job that I do. I now know Gods calling in my life and I'm working toward being totally debt free so that I can help others.

It's truly a blessing to be used by God and to have an opportunity to glorify His name."

It is true that God blesses us so that we may bless others. Keeping sending your stories. It keeps me optimistic about the human race. God bless and I'll write again soon.

Pastor Ken

Lessons Learned at the House of the Mouse

Howdy ho neighbor, (I always wanted to say that) the Duggan clan is back from "O"town and our rendezouz with Mickey and friends. When I say friends I mean lots and lots of friends. Not only was it the Christmas holidays, but there were two major football games within walking distance of our hotel as well. It was so crowded one day that they actually closed the parks at noon and would not let anyone else in. So you're expecting me to rant and rave about so many people attending amusement parks at over $50 a day and so few people attending church these days. "O contrare, mon ami." (That's "to the contrary, my friend" for the less sophisticated.) We had a great time. I told the family that to enjoy our stay with hundreds of thousands of our closest friends we would have to adjust our attitude. You can't get in a rush. You can't expect to get anywhere quick and without standing in line. You have to think, "It may take 10 hours to get on this ride or into this show, but I'm OK with that." So when the wait is only two hours you're elated because of how swiftly you cruised through the long line. (I know all of you Disneyworld veterans out there will want to lecture me on the use of "fast-passes". I know about them, but it was so crowded that they closed the fast-pass machines before noon.) You can even get to know your neighbor in line. We had several enlightening discussions with people we would have never spoken to if it were not for our common desire to be entertained.

But you know me. I have to find a spiritual insight in everything and at Mickey's kingdom there are several applications for ours as well. It never ceased to amaze me that the cast members (employees every where else) were always smiling and making you feel like you were the first person they had greeted all day long. It was true for the lady who took your 10 bucks at the parking entrance to the tram operator who returned you to your car at the end of the day. It made me think how important it is to treat people well when they come to visit DBBC. Confronted with crowds and long lines it always made me feel better when a person dressed in some wacked-out costume smiled and welcomed our family to their little acre of the kingdom. It is just as important to treat people well at church. They will put up with the inconvenience if they feel like a welcome guest at our little acre of the kingdom.

And what about the cleanliness. It amazes me how clean everything is at Disney. I have been going there since I was a kid and the buildings still look as new as when I first visited. I admire the kind of effort they make in keeping their parks look clean. I have been in some church buildings that are in great dis-repair and the members walk by the damage week after week without giving it a second thought. What kind of first impression does that make to guests when they walk by walls that haven't been painted in years, or through doors that don't latch, or bathrooms that are dingy and dark? Shouldn't we be just as proud of the Lord's house as Mickey is of his?

Finally, whether it is your cup of tea or not, you have to admit that all they do to entertain you in Disneyworld is done with creativity and excellence. I know their motivation is to accummulate the almighty dollar, but should we do any less to fulfill the great commission and introduce people to our Savior? That's why, regardless of the criticism, I'm always going to push for creativity and excellence in worship. Here's praying all your Christmas wishes were fulfilled and all your New Year's resolutions are kept.
In His Shadow,
Pastor Ken