Acting Like A Sinner

For the past couple of days I've been thinking about behavior in the church. It must be a providential thought process because 2 in-the-kn0w people have been in my path as I did so. The first is a pastor (no, I'm not married to him) who was recently all but devoured in his church. The second is an evangelist / teacher / speaker who started his own ministry 10 years ago. We drove him up to youth camp yesterday.

Both of these guys echoed something that has long been my feeling. Those in the church should treat people better than the lost world does. Frequently that isn't the case. No wonder people aren't interested in God or more specificially Jesus. Why would they be?

The pastor said something I have thought about over and over. He said, "you know, I'd rather hang around lost people because I have no expectation that they act a certain way or treat me well. They act like sinners." Ah, exactly....he further said, "when I go to church I expect people to act like they've received a life-changing Savior that makes them loving and kind." It's not that he doesn't expect them to continue to sin--of course they will. We all do. But overall their hearts should be different. They shouldn't enjoy hurting others nor should they go out of their way to do so.

My heart agonized with this man not only because I totally understand and can relate to his hurt but also because we grew up together in the church so I've known him a long time. He didn't deserve to be treated so poorly. And his sweet wife didn't deserve to watch it and be part of it by virtue of their marriage. It's got to be only by the strength of God they continue in ministry.

What I'm coming to understand is in church life is something I long understood in business life. When I had 22 employees I learned never to walk in expecting something but to train them how I wanted the department to run and be pleasantly surprised when they actually did what I paid them to do.

And so it is with the church. I can't expect people to act a certain way. I am not their Holy Spirit. Not that I shouldn't hold them to a higher standard but it's a process of teaching & training them what that standard is and let God go from there. I don't want to be cynical but it's hard not to be when I see people around me claiming to be a Christ-follower and then turning around and acting like someone who doesn't know Christ. I'd rather they keep their profession to themselves so the rest of us have a chance of showing the love a Christ to a world that desperately needs him.

Anniversary Top Ten

Here's the top 10 things I love about Steve on our 21st anniversary:

10. He encourages me to stretch and grow--not to settle for what's comfortable and easy.

9. He is gentle. No, this is not a weakness. Strength under control is one way I've heard it said and that's about right.

8. He speaks after thinking. He chooses his words carefully and doesn't waste them. I could learn a lesson here. Maybe there's still hope. I think I'm getting better.

7. He is consistent. He doesn't vary from raging lunatic to hopeless romantic. One of us does, but it's not him.

6. He puts up with me, even when it makes no sense (this probably goes with #2 below).

5. He is a warrior and patriot.

4. He is incredibly handsome. Still makes my heart pitter-patter.

3. He is unbelievably funny. God knew I would need this in a husband.

2. He loves me as Christ loves the church.

1. He is a child of God and puts that relationship first. Yes, even before me--just as it should be.

I realized just now how hard it is to put these in order of most importance. While #1 and #2 are set, the other 8 could be in any order.

Happy Anniversary Blondie. I love you madly. The adventures we've had have been wild and I wouldn't want to ride this train with anyone else. I'd choose you all over again.

Encouragement in Little Things

This past Sunday I was in my usual post running computer media. About 3 minutes into his sermon, Steve's microphone began to crackle and within a couple of minutes it became very clear it wasn't going to stop. I looked over the crowd and wondered if anyone was going to go back and check the sound board. Our usual sound guy was out but surely someone could try something, right? Nope. I was fairly disgusted.

I really didn't want to get up and parade myself in front of the entire place but clearly it had to be done. So I got up. Flip-flop-flip-flop-flip-flop....all the way to the back (can you guess the kind of shoes I had on?). I could feel the eyes on me as I went but forced myself to look straight ahead, mostly so they wouldn't catch me giving them "the look". I don't know much about the sound stuff, most obvious because I just called it "stuff", but I tried what I did know and nothing worked. The problem grew worse but Steve kept going. That's what good Marines do. They don't stop and dance around, they just plow through, focused on the mission. While concentrating on what I was doing I could hear him vaguely in the back of my mind and knew the scripture I had up there was no longer what he was on. But I couldn't run back and forth and do it all so I put it out of my mind and kept going.

Finally, I grabbed a battery from the box, desperately hoping it was the microphone battery in the pack he had on. I walked back up to the front, seriously having considered removing my shoes first but decided it would look silly to carry them as I went. Flip-flop-flip-flop-flip-flop....all the way to the front where I laid a battery on the platform. I was so concerned with making as little spectacle of myself as possible I hadn't even noticed Christina (she and her husband are currently leading worship) had hopped up to my post and was keeping in line with Steve on the sermon points and scriptures.

I was then incredibly jazzed. I just backed up to the first row, sat down, grabbed her Bible and enjoyed being able to sit and listen to a sermon. It may sound silly but it was such an encouraging sign that someone saw a need, jumped in without being asked, and finished the job. Yes, progress is being made.

"It's the little things," I tell myself, "the little things."

(As an aside, it WAS the battery. He replaced it, making a joke about the greatness of technology as he did so and we were set.)

Steve's Got A Lot To Say

Now there's a statement I don't say frequently, or even hear frequently.

Steve has committed to writing a post on his blog every day until October 4th. The reason? Our 120 day journey through Acts as a church prior to our Grand Opening on....guess what day? That's right - October 4th!

We've got it in the bulletin for this Sunday and will be encouraging people to take a look at what their Pastor has to say and share their own thoughts. For this week, though, it's just been Steve and I because we need to give them the link.

Whether you're part of EBC Laurel or would just like to participate with us, I invite you to do so. Steve lists the passage that is in the journals we handed out so even if you don't have one, you still know what he's referring to.

Posting daily will be quite a challenge for him because he's got so much to do but he really feels in can be valuable whether or not people want to post their own thoughts.

So, if you get an occasional chance, please join us!

Can You Say That in Church?

Yesterday I taught Steve's SS class because we had another teacher out and he took that class. It's really not my preference to teach a mixed class for a number of reasons. I do really love teaching women though.

We're studying the life of Jesus and were on the transfiguration yesterday. I began with a short "match the statistic to the statement" game about plastic surgery and then posed this question:

Me: "Why are people so willing to spend so much money on cosmetic surgery procedures?"

I waited for a few seconds before this response came:

TC: "Because they're ugly."

Everyone around the table erupted in laughter. It was so unexpected and well, just blatant. It could have been worded better, such as they THINK they are ugly or the world makes them FEEL like they don't measure up but the statement is still true.

In the end though, it goes under the "never thought I'd hear that in church" category. I'm developing quite a list.

The Downside of Texting

The other morning Peter and I were texting back and forth about the movie that night when he texted something to the effect of "btw, on the PS2 you gave me, I can't watch a movie. Any suggestions?"

So, I assumed it was the batteries and in the ensuing conversation we both got so lost. This isn't verbatim but it was something like:

J: What? I don't understand?

P: Me either.

J: HA HA HA HA HA

P: HA for what?

J: You don't understand your own text.

P: No.

J: No what? That's why I was laughing. You don't understand your own text so I asked you to explain it but you can't.

P: Ok?

J: Nevermind, we'll talk about it in person.

Whew. Sometimes dialing is so worth it! But Peter loves to text and he'll go on for 30 minutes when it could have been a 5 minute conversation.

An Update and a Journey Through Acts

Over the last few months our pastors have been in deep prayer over our mission church in Laurel. Don't get me wrong--they are always in prayer over both our mission churches but for one of them they were trying to determine a new vision and strategy. The reasons are numerous.

But the end result is this...Calvary is now Emmanuel Baptist Church - Laurel Campus; a satellite of EBC in Billings.

The grand opening is set for October 4, 2009. Between now and then we've got a lot of work to do!

In the meantime, Steve put together a Laurel Campus Team Journal and as a church we are taking a 120-day journey through the book of Acts. Additionally he's preaching each week during this time on "The Church Afire". Sunday's sermon was pretty amazing.

I'm dual tracking the journey through Acts because I want to participate corporately in developing unity but I am also on a really big personal journey. It's intensely private right now but there's more than one reason I took a season off from teaching Bible study. Hopefully by the time I resume in the fall, God and I will have wrestled this thing out. I also hope I don't end up like Jacob and limp the rest of my life from my wrestling match with the Almighty.

So, in yesterday's reading I read the portion about what happened to Judas and two things jumped off the pages at me.

First, Judas shared in the ministry of Christ but clearly he was not one of them. Jesus knew this yet he treated him the same as the others. How as a church are we to treat someone we know is not one with us? I'm really mulling this over. There is such a probability of division if handled improperly. The other disciples treated him as one of them but they didn't know he wasn't. But if you know, what then?

Second, in verse 20 of chapter one it says "may another take his place of leadership." If God has something for us--either an individual church body, an individual, a family, or whatever--and we don't step up to do what he's' asked, he will appoint someone else to do it. And we'll miss out. That certainly happened to Judas. He stepped back, someone else stepped up, and the rest, as they say, is history.

I think this will be an exciting journey. I hope to share my personal track on this eventually but not now. It's too painful, too raw.

Remembering D-Day

I was particularly moved by this public radio address & prayer given by President Franklin Roosevelt on June 6, 1944. It makes my heart heavy that we could never do this today.

With gratitude for our all our freedoms, particularly our spiritual ones.

Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Today I was leaving my morning job, headed home for a quick lunch before my afternoon job. I noticed a little dog, about the size of Jake, maybe a bit bigger, walking int he middle of the street. A busy one at that.

So, I decided to be a good Samaritan and see where he belonged because I could see he had an identification tag on. Plus I'd like to think someone would help my dog if he got away. I pulled over to the curb, called him (or her - couldn't tell) over and then stooped down with my hand out as he approached so he could sniff me. Instead, he bit me. Man, I wanted to kick him clear across the street and might have except for the witnesses driving by. I no longer cared if he got run over. I was MAD! I saw another guy stop and thought perhaps it was his dog so I rolled down my window and asked if it was so I could find out if he was current on his rabies shot. The guy wasn't the owner.

I got home, called animal control, and asked that they go pick him up, find out of he'd had his rabies shot and then call me back. Man did that ever start a chain of events.

As I drove to work they called to say they'd picked up the dog and had a picture. They wanted me to i.d. the thing. It was all I could not to laugh. They met me at work and sure enough, it was the very dog that bit me. Then they took a picture of my hand. I guess when there is a report of a dog bite they have to do this because the county is under a rabies quarantine, whatever that means.

He asked if I wanted to file a bite report and I said no, I just wanted to make sure he'd had his rabies so I didn't have to seek medical attention (he did). The guy told me he knew exactly where this dog went because he'd picked him up before. I hope they fine the owners BIG since they obviously know the dog has this propensity.

Then he told me to keep an eye on the bite, seek medical attention if it worsens and then to call them back if I do. I'll tell you this, I don't foresee myself stopping to help another dog any time soon. And if I see this little one, he'd better watch out. I might just bite him back.

Much Talking, Little Thinking

I drove by a sign several times today that is now embedded in my brain. I had to drive by it so many times because I had to take my car to the mechanic, then pick it up, and then go to work, all on the same street.

Anyway, here's what it said:

When there is too much talking, it usually follows too little thinking.

I have a great example of what NOT to do in Steve. I had it in my dad too. These 2 favorite men in my world totally figured out when to speak, when to be quiet, and have always carefully chosen their words. Apparently the example has been observed but hasn't yet translated into my practicing it!

I was reminded of several stories Steve told me over the course of his 11 years as a deputy. People, particularly guilty ones, just can't seem to keep their mouths shut. They are totally uncomfortable with silence so all he'd have to do is start them talking and without fail, they'd contradict themselves or talk such nonsense it was obvious they were guilty.

In all of this thinking I recalled Proverbs 10:19:

When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue his wise.

So, too much talking doesn't just reveal too little thinking, it's actually the spawn of sin. I can definitely be better at this one.