Sunday, September 30th, 2007
I know that it is quite permissible and even “in vogue” in our society now to criticize a certain group of lets just say, “religious people”. I guess over the years I have been as guilty as anyone of criticizing these “people of the book”. In order to be fair and “balanced”, I thought I should point out some of their truly admirable values.
Here goes in no particular order:
1. They defend the Scripture… Whatever I might think of some of their doctrines and actions I must give these guys “mad props” for defending the scripture. I mean you can’t just have “someone” come along and add on a whole “new” testament or something. Scripture is written, God has spoken, and that’s that!
2. They defend morality… In a world filled with homosexuality and drunken orgies these guys have the courage to stand up and say “cut that out”! Sure they may have a few hypocrites in their midst (who doesn’t) but they are still far more moral than the “pagans” in society.
3. The “fight evil” with political power…These guys realize that the “real power” to change the world is found in legislation. They are a political “majority” to be reckoned with. Even if “pagan” politicians do not like them, they certainly fear them and know they have to protect certain of “moral codes” if they want to stay in power.
4. They defend orthodoxy and tradition… As much as tradition may seem “stuffy” after a while, it does serve an important purpose…There are “essentials” that must be defended and there is wisdom and safety in thousands of years of “the way we’ve always done it.” You can’t just let “outsiders” come along and say “God wants to do things differently now, the way you’ve done worship for thousands of years is finished”. That just can’t happen!
5. They teach the Bible… In a world interested in scandal and the latest lewd gossip, these guys are the undisputed “teachers” of scripture. In fact they view it as their most important responsibility. Not only do they teach adults, they are unbelievably thorough in their “youth training”. The Pharisees didn’t think it was enough to hire a youth pastor and send the teens to “bible bowl”…they made sure that every male memorized the first five books of the bible by the time they were thirteen years old.
…What, you didn’t think I was talking about the pharisees? Who did you think I was writing about? Take a moment and re-read all five “values”…all of them were true about pharisees.
Why is it so easy to criticize Pharisees? Would we have done anything different? How did “Christian Values” end up having more in common (at least in public perception) with the religious sect that “framed” Jesus than with the teachings of Jesus himself….? Where do we go from here?
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Saturday, September 29th, 2007
It’s Bike weekend and everything on Rt. 30 is set up to welcome “bikers”. Makes me think two things…
- Just another reason I love York, PA. As Rodney Atkins says…”these are my people”.
- We have got to be “geared” up to serve the people of this event next year…I can just see the black actionchurch tent out there giving away coffee, water, etc…
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Friday, September 28th, 2007
Okay, I understand that makes no sense unless you watched the season premiere of The Office last night. If you have it tivo’d I won’t spoil it for you but it was funny as always. I love the office (every workplace should have a “Dwight”) and judging by the ratings, “America” loves watching the story of the most dysfunctional paper company in Scranton, PA unfold also.
I think part of the popularity of this show is that so many of us have experienced a boss like Michael Scott. So many of us suspect (or know) that we may actually know far more about actually doing our job than “management” does. So many of us have watched in amusement and frustration as our “bosses” struggled with situations that seemed like “common sense” to the average employee. I think a show like The Office is funny because it is, in an exaggerated way, “true”!
Want to fix your “failing” company? There are guys in the break room that know what the problem is and probably have a good idea how to fix it. Want some real “solutions” to the problems we face as Americans? Don’t go to D.C., go to a working class coffee shop in K.C. (Kansas City). Want to know why your Church isn’t growing and impacting your community in the “unstoppable” way God intended? Don’t ask the “steering” committee, ask the guy who owns the diner down the street…he’s heard why people don’t want to be part of your church’s “deal”.
I believe in the wisdom and power of “ordinary” people. My Bible is full of stories of how they changed their world. I am so thankful for the very clear vision God has given us for actionchurch. What excites me most is that our vision is made up of so many “What’s” and “Where’s” but so few “How’s”. We know “what” people we are to serve, we know “where” we are going, we know “what” actionchurch should “look like” etc…..but there are so many “how” questions that still need to be answered! That’s exciting to me, because I know each “how” answer is going to come from an “ordinary” person who has just been waiting for someone to “ask”.
How are we going to organize and energize the amazing children’s area we need to serve all the kids that are going to come? Someone knows. How are we going to make people from so many diverse backgrounds and experiences feel welcome…in a nightclub? Someone knows. How are we going to organize home groups so these new “revolutionaries” can stay connected to each other and God? Someone knows. How can we most effectively gather and send “action teams” out into our community to serve others? Someone knows. How will we “pull off” getting Fat Daddy’s clean, set up, and ready to have church in just three hours each Sunday morning? Someone knows. I can’t wait to meet all the “ordinary” people that God is sending ready and prepared to answer the “how” questions that we cannot…
Are you that “someone”? info@actionchurch.com
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