The Big Game

With Super Bowl Sunday fast approaching, I am reminded of the ‘The Big Game’ story. I have heard it so many times that I have no idea when, or from whom, I first heard it preached. In case you might not have heard the story, or you’re just a bit forgetful (like me), you needn’t worry… I’ll retell it:

The football fan was so excited! His team had made it through the play-offs, and was going to play in the Super Bowl. The trouble was, his boss at the store where he worked had already set the schedule for the month, and he was going to have to cover at the store the day of the big game. He was initially very upset, and tried to get his boss to let him take the day as a vacation day. His boss explained that everybody wanted to watch the big game, and since he had the least seniority, he’d be working that day. Although sympathetic to his team fervor, his boss made it clear that his job depended on him showing up for work; no excuses.

Rather than curse his situation, he decided to record the game, and play it back later… after he’d gotten off work. To make it more fun, he invited everyone he knew who had to work during the big game to a belated Super Bowl party. They could celebrate together with food and drink, watch the recorded game, and still have a good time. In fact, they all agreed to not listen to any news reports about the game, so they wouldn’t know anything about the game, and the whole thing would be just like watching in real-time.

For the last few hours at work, he managed to cut people off if they started talking about the Super Bowl game they had just watched. He’d politely explain the situation, and everybody seemed to understand. Virtually everybody told him he was really going to enjoy the game.

Finally, the work day was over, he could close up, lock up, and go home and start his exciting Super Bowl party. But just as he was getting close to his car, he overheard a shouted exchange in the parking lot: He heard how, in a miraculous play, his team had come from behind to win in the last-seconds of the game!

All the rest of his friends attending his Super Bowl party had managed to remain ignorant of the game’s final outcome, and not wanting to spoil any of their fun, he didn’t reveal that he’d accidentally heard what the final result of the contest would be. It was supposed to be a close game, and the excitement of those watching was high. By halftime, that excitement had waned somewhat for those rooting for his team, as they were down by more than 20 points.

Knowing the final result, he encouraged his fellow fans with: “It’s not over, yet. Don’t give up hope!”

But the third quarter was even worse. Their team was getting hammered on the field; it looked like it was going to be a humiliating loss. Some of his friends, seeing many of the fans in the stadium leaving at the start of the fourth quarter, were of the opinion that they had the right idea. He kept his friends from leaving, and again exhorted them with: “It’s not over, yet. Have some faith!”

And then, impossibly, their team rallied. They made play after play; running, passing, and moving the ball for touchdown after touchdown. With only 2 minutes left on the clock, their team got possession of the ball on their own 10-yard line, and though they trailed by 2 points, a touchdown would win the game for them. But the other team’s defense hit back with everything they had, and managed to stop them in the middle of the field. At fourth down and 15 yards, it seemed like the end with only 3 seconds left to play.

As his team lined up for what seemed to be a futile field goal attempt, everybody groaned. By the time the ball was snapped and teed, the kicker would have to kick it more than 52 yards to make a field goal. Our guy was the only one who believed they could score, and he got everyone to their feet, shouting: “They can do it… they can make the kick… they can score… they can win this!” And, of course, they did.

Afterward, all his friends marveled at how he had never lost hope, how he had never lost faith, and how his encouragement had kept them all from giving up. He finally admitted to all of them that he had been told the final result, so it was easy for him to remain calm and never lose hope.

As Christians, we too, know the final result. It doesn’t matter how many times we get blitzed by Satan or the world. So what if we just got sacked and had the wind knocked out of us? That lineup coming up against us may be fierce and unrelenting, but in the end, they are destined to lose. All the fear and worry won’t change the final outcome.

Sin and death have been beaten, but Satan tries to convince us otherwise; that the contest is still being played out. We already know how Jesus, sacrificing himself, literally takes the hit for the entire team… giving us the final victory. So encourage one another. Lift each other up. Stay in the game right down to the final second… don’t you dare give up!

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

Anger and Forgiveness; Unkindness and Kindness

Some of the most thoughtful and Spirit led comments to this blog are posted by Monica. Monica is not a partner in ministry here at Messiah Lutheran Church, but she is a faithful sister in Christ, and has been a good friend of mine for many years. Though there are only a few people bold enough (or technically savvy enough, perhaps; LOL) to place themselves on the ‘followers’ list of this blog, I know that there are many people that read the blog; some more often than others. Of all of the readers, Monica is perhaps the most faithful at reading the blog posts every week… certainly, she is the most prolific at offering comments. She is actually fulfilling the mission of this blog: to be alive in God’s Spirit through the sharing of thoughts, feelings, and experiences, and… to extend our Christian fellowship at Messiah into the internet, to be accessible to all.

Last week’s post generated a wonderful response from Monica. After thinking about it a bit more, Monica sent me an email that expanded brilliantly on that same subject. With her kind permission, I now share it with you:

Anger and Forgiveness; Unkindness and Kindness

By Monica Martin

These past several months I have been working hard on forgiveness. It has been difficult for me to accept forgiveness myself and not keep 'beating myself up' over things that happened in the past. However, greater understanding that the Lord really loves me has helped in that regard.

So now, regarding other people...

I was glad to be 2,100 miles away from my nemesis relative, who verbally and sometimes physically delighted in fighting and debasing me. Locally, this past year has been very difficult with a few certain people undermining my term as President of an organization, and trying to remove people and other things which were specifically not their responsibility; going behind my back. Also, board meetings often turned into very unpleasant times. I believe in the cause of the national organization but the local problems were draining me completely emotionally.

So besides praying, I went to my pastor. He told me two things:

1. We are commanded to forgive;
2. It's not for them but for us.

Of course there is a benefit for them, but sometimes they don't even realize it because they are so busy attacking (sort of reminiscent of sixth grade, or junior high school girls).

Another pastor once told me that forgiveness is making no consequences for the person's having done something to me. No retribution. I had accomplished that much; I can be polite, I can greet people when I cannot avoid them and then do as little as possible with them. I thought I had it covered...

But no! As I was double-checking my own paperwork with the organization, I found yet another betrayal. I was angrier than I had been in DECADES. I cannot live like this!

I tend to sing often to turn my thoughts to the Lord. Being so very angry, and not able to control it, I turned to singing. One of the songs our vocal ensemble has been working on is one of my very favorite hymns, “Be Thou My Vision.” So that is what I found myself singing. I was stunned when I realized that if all else was to be nothing except that God Is, then all of the machinations, pettiness, and meanness was nothing to me.

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

The problem here so far is that I was trying to 'behave' and act right on my own. We 'ought' to forgive, 70 times 7 (which is to say, without end). But having a rule/law doesn't always help. That wasn't enough. I wasn't really thinking that this was all nothing, but rather looking to my own hurt self. But turning to the Lord, realizing that He was my joy, He forgave me, and it freed me so very much to forgive them. That was really a great day of rejoicing.

But not so fast... turns out that being among them still chafes.

At one of the meetings someone asked me why I looked so unhappy (I wasn't happy). Then she asked me why not? She's also a Christian and aware that God is our joy and not the things we do or the people we are among. So I still had some work to do.

Then recently the other pastor spoke about what he will be doing in the New Year. I missed a lot of what he said because one point stuck in my brain and heart as something that I must do:

Be kind to the unkind.

That, by the grace of God, will effect forgiveness for them, and in me. I cannot do this myself, so I sing and pray, and pray and sing:

With God dwelling in me, with Jesus standing beside me,
“Thou my great Father, I thy true son;”
If my heart is really set on you God, and I walk in the love of Jesus,
Then your Spirit will give me the grace to forgive.

Post script: Monica is a professional photographer; one of the top photographers in Alabama. I asked her to pick a picture that best reflected the blog entry topic. I wanted her to choose something related to the topic, but with meaning to HER heart. Since I offered to credit her work, I thought she’d send me one of her photographs. Instead, Monica sent me a picture taken by her good friend Jim Solomon who took the photo at the 40th anniversary party that commemorated Monica and Diehl’s First Date March 11, 2007. She lovingly remembers the kindness and loving heart of her husband:

Diehl was always kind to me when I was angry; the rule from before we married was that I couldn't throw anything except paper napkins and pillows. So if I was frustrated and threw down a paper napkin, he would pick it up, present it to me with both hands, and say, "Pretty Lady is this yours?" with a loving smile; which, of course, made me smile or laugh.

Your brother in Christ, Dave

Do Not Judge

Jesus teaches us not to judge one another in Matthew 7:1 when he says:

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”

My friend in Texas, Pastor Pat, sent me the following story. It’s one of those things that floats around the internet, but I liked the way it illustrates how many of us are so quick to judge… and how often it causes us to utter something hurtful.

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Never Judge Someone...

“Some people!” snorted a man standing behind me in the long line at the grocery store.

“You would think the manager would pay attention and open another line,” said a woman.

I looked to the front of the line to see what the hold up was and saw a well dressed, young woman, trying to get the machine to accept her credit card. No matter how many times she swiped it, the machine kept rejecting it.

“It's one of them welfare card things. Damn people need to get a job like everyone else,” said the man standing behind me.

The young woman turned around to see who had made the comment.

“It was me,” he said, pointing to himself.

The young lady's face began to change expression. Almost in tears, she dropped the welfare card onto the counter and quickly walked out of the store. Everyone in the checkout line watched as she began running to her car. Never looking back, she got in and drove way.

After developing cancer in 1977 and having had to use food stamps; I had learned never to judge anyone without knowing the circumstances of their life. This turned out to be the case today.

Several minutes later a young man walked into the store. He went up to the cashier and asked if she had seen the woman. After describing her, the cashier told him that she had run out of the store, got into her car, and drove away.

“Why would she do that?” asked the man. Everyone in the line looked around at the fellow who had made the statement. “I made a stupid comment about the welfare card she was using. Something I shouldn't have said. I'm sorry,” said the man.

“Well, that's bad, real bad, in fact. Her brother was killed in Afghanistan two years ago. He had three young children and she has taken on that responsibility. She's twenty years old, single, and now has three children to support,” he said in a very firm voice.

“I'm really truly sorry. I didn't know,” he replied, shaking both his hands about.

The young man asked, “Are these paid for?” pointing to the shopping cart full of groceries. “It wouldn't take her card,” the clerk told him.

“Do you know where she lives?” asked the man who had made the comment.

“Yes, she goes to our church.”

“Excuse me,” he said as he made his way to the front of the line. He pulled out his wallet, took out his credit card and told the cashier, “Please use my card. PLEASE!” The clerk took his credit card and began to ring up the young woman's groceries.

“Hold on,” said the gentleman. He walked back to his shopping cart and began loading his own groceries onto the belt to be included. “Come on people. We got three kids to help raise!” he told everyone in line.

Everyone began to place their groceries onto the fast moving belt. A few customers began bagging the food and placing it into separate carts. “Go back and get two big turkeys,” yelled a heavyset woman, as she looked at the man.

“NO,” yelled the man. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks. The entire store became quiet for several seconds. “Four turkeys,” yelled the man. Everyone began laughing and went back to work.

When all was said and done, the man paid a total of $1,646.57 for the groceries. He then walked over to the side, pulled out his check book, and began writing a check using the bags of dog food piled near the front of the store for a writing surface. He turned around and handed the check to the young man. “She will need a freezer and a few other things as well,” he told the man.

The young man looked at the check and said, “This is really very generous of you.”

“No,” said the man. “Her brother was the generous one.”

Everyone in the store had been observing the odd commotion and began to clap. And I drove home that day feeling very American.

We live in the Land of the free, because of the Brave!!

Remember our Troops of Yesterday and Today!!!

A great example of why we should be kind and patient. Kindness is the language the blind can see and the deaf can hear.
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Your brother in Christ,

Dave

Christmas More Than Chaos

So many of the people I know are breathing a sigh of relief now that Christmas is over. Decorate the house, trim the tree, send the cards, shop, wrap, bake, party, assemble toys, and be pressured to be jolly all the while; it just seems overwhelming at times! My good friend Monica used a phrase that struck a chord in my heart when she was describing how we should celebrate the birth of our Savior: “Christmas more than chaos.”

Is it just me, or does it seem the season of Christmas really has become increasingly more chaotic? I remember when people complained that Christmas decorations went up at the stores the day after Thanksgiving. This year, the decorations went up the day after Halloween. How scary is that?!?

Did you see the Christian groups that mounted protests and boycotts over merchants that did not mention Christmas in their advertising? I wonder… how, exactly, do ads for tight jeans help us celebrate the birth of the Christ Child? Why protest that some store’s ads say “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas?” Apparently, some Christians feel that we should bully everybody to acknowledge Christmas. Does that seem like Christmas, or chaos to you?

Amazingly, churches add their own chaos to Christmas, as well. We have extra services on Christmas (eve or day… take your pick, depending on your religious tradition). All those extra services need pastors, musicians, choirs, greeters, ushers, and all the normal support of a Sunday service… but crammed together and overlapping, so everybody can have a convenient choice of a service. You don’t know chaos until you’ve tried to sort out a church parking lot at night… when one service is running very late, and people are arriving for the next service. There’s not a lot of peace on earth, or good will toward men in the chaos of such a situation.

Oh, I saw plenty of chaos this season, but I saw Christmas, too:

On Christmas Eve, I worked out in the street and parking lots for 4 of our 6 Christmas Eve services. It was a bitter cold night for Southern California, with temperatures dipping down into the high thirties (LOL), and between stints directing traffic, I took refuge in the Joy Center to warm up a bit. Actually, I wasn’t all that cold. I had dressed in layers, and was wearing a festive Santa hat that kept my head quite toasty. Truth be told, I was in the Joy Center because it was filled with cookies, fudge, hot cider, hot chocolate, coffee, tea, and the most marvelous berry water you can imagine. Between services, it was full of families; sampling the cookies, having a warm drink of cider or cocoa, or just visiting for a few minutes before heading back out into the night. But… it was also empty during the Christmas Eve services, so those of us who were serving in one capacity or another could sit down, rest, and (perhaps) enjoy a cookie or two.

The 9:30 pm service had been going on for about 15 minutes, and I just come in from the parking lot and was anxious to sit down and rest my ankles and knees for a bit before the final transition of the night. I was looking over the cookies to see if any more of the scrumptious fudge had miraculously reappeared, when I heard crying. It was coming from outside, between the Joy Center and the Worship Center. Since I hadn’t plopped myself down yet, I stepped outside to investigate. What I saw, was a little girl and her mother. The girl was crying, and her mother had brought her out of the service so her crying would not disturb the people, or the service.

As I walked up to them I boomed out, in my most jolly voice: “Ho, ho, ho… who’s crying on Christmas Eve?” Now, except for the general physique, I don’t look much like Santa Claus (ho, ho, ho), so perhaps it was the hat, or maybe just the big figure looming out of the darkness; whatever it was, she stopped crying instantly. I bent down, and asked the little girl if she’d like to come into the Joy Center and have a cookie. She nodded, and I led mother and daughter inside where it was warm and inviting. We examined all the cookies, and I shared my thoughts about which cookies were the yummiest. Being 3 years old, the little girl wanted to try all of the cookies, but mom negotiated a more reasonable number. They ended up spending the whole of their time being warm and comfortable, sharing cookies with each other, trying a few of the available drinks, and laughing and giggling together.

As I prepared to return to the parking lot, the mother came over to me to thank me for giving them such a wonderful Christmas Eve. I felt like a shepherd. The gift wasn’t from me, I hadn’t prepared any of the goodies in the Joy Center, and everybody was invited to come, anyway. I felt like a shepherd, because all I had done was go out and tell someone: “Come, see this wonderful thing.” For a few minutes, there was less chaos, and more Christmas.

Isn’t that what Christmas is all about? God has already prepared the gift. All are invited to enter in. The angels told the shepherds to spread the good news. Jesus has commanded us to share the good news with everybody. It doesn’t take any special training, since shepherds were obviously up to the task. How hard is it to say to someone: “Come, see this wonderful thing.”? I invite you to keep Christmas in your heart, and all year long to be a shepherd and choose… Christmas more than chaos!

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

The Spirit of a Christmas Newsletter

I don’t know about you, but I get a lot of newsletters stuffed in with all the Christmas cards I receive. Here is a newsletter I might have written. Hey… just cut and paste it, edit in your own names, and you’ll be all ready with a newsletter for next Christmas. Nobody will know you used a ghostwriter. LOL! Enjoy.

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Here it is, 3 days before Christmas, and I still haven’t mailed a single Christmas card. Patti, of course, has mailed dozens… to family, associates, and neighbors… but I’m in charge of getting Christmas cards sent out to all the special people in MY life. Because you ARE special, and because you have touched my life in a unique or profound way, you continue to get a card from me at Christmas. OK, OK… it usually arrives AFTER Christmas, but I do (usually) send them out. Besides, who couldn’t benefit from extending a time of peace and goodwill a little longer? Did you know that Christmas actually begins the 12 Days of Christmas? So, since the celebration of our Savior and King extend out to Epiphany, when the Wise Men brought their gifts, it seems appropriate that my meager gift of a card arrive near that time, too.

So many folks like to take this time to help keep us all up-to-date on what’s going on in their lives. That’s usually nice, since most of them are actually counting their blessings, rather than giving us a litany of their woes. I always feel some perverse responsibility to read all the Christmas newsletters I receive… in their entirety. With newsletters, I think that people take this concept of ‘giving’ entirely too far; they give us WAY too much information! Seriously, most newsletter recipients don’t care about Uncle Floyd’s hip replacement… let alone even know Uncle Floyd. And though the family pet is surely beloved, who really needs to hear about the gerbil’s irregularity? We all know the dark side of holiday newsletters, yet so many of us send them. The obvious question is: WHY?

I think that most of us that participate in the Christmas card tradition do so because we enjoy the concept of staying connected to people we care about. There are people on my list that get cards from me because I formed a close bond with them more than 20 years ago. We never see each other anymore, but we still exchange Christmas cards. I love to hear that they are enjoying grandkids, travel, or involvement in something that keeps them fired up. Some people I see every day, but they get a card, as well. For me, at least, the very action of sending Christmas cards allows me to take a moment (at least once a year), and inventory all the wonderful friends I have been blessed with over the years.

So… this year, while sticking your address label on the envelope, and while signing your card, know that I have lifted YOU up in prayer. My prayer for you is a reflection of the Christmas season: that you KNOW the joy and the peace of Christ! This is the joy and the peace that I know in MY life. Don’t just count the blessings in your life, enjoy them, and… share them.

Merry Christmas, and blessings in the New Year!!!

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

Partner in Ministry – Part 2

In my last blog entry (Partner in Ministry – Part 1) I posed the following question:

How would you answer the question: “Is your church the best place for me to give my money?”

To adequately answer that question here at Messiah, we need to really examine the mission, vision, and values of Messiah Lutheran Church here in Yorba Linda, California.

Our God-given mission:
Messiah’s God-given mission is “to know Christ and to make Christ known” (Matthew 28:19-20). As a Lutheran congregation, we center on worship and praise of God and our Lord, Jesus Christ; care for those within and outside our congregation; growing in our discipleship – learning and equipping ourselves with God’s word; and reaching out in witness and mission to our community and the world.

Our Spirit-led vision:
Messiah's God-given vision is to "joyfully grow to know, love and serve" by equipping every partner in ministry to understand their lives as journeys of vocation, to connect them to God and one another in worship and prayer, and send them into the community and the world as agents of renewal. How we live our lives is just as important as carrying out our mission.

Our Values:
Messiah's God-given core value is that we are a community of believers who know that salvation is ours as a gift of God’s grace. We are motivated to relate to one another and the world by our biblical understanding of prayer, dignity, integrity, compassion, hospitality, and joy.

As a congregation we invite each other, as Partners in Ministry, to build on Four Pillars of Faith:

1. Everyone Invites and Welcomes
2. Everyone Serves Inside and Outside Messiah
3. Everyone Gives of Time, Talent, and Treasure
4. Everyone Grows and Studies

Well, our mission seems to include reaching out; to our community and to our world. Our vision, in a similar fashion, would have us connect with our community and our world as agents of renewal. And our values include relating to one another in compassion and hospitality.

In a sense, after understanding our mission, vision, and values, I suppose that if you are only looking to give money to a worthy cause, you might find that Messiah Lutheran Church might not be a good fit for you. Oh, we have plenty of worthy causes and ministries, alright. To be honest, we probably won’t turn down many gifts, but we are really all about helping people realize their God-given potential as partners in ministry with us.

At Messiah, we have over 75 ministries! Many of them (but not all) are on the Messiah site at:

http://messiahyl.com/

Just check out the ministries tab or the calendar, but prepare to be overwhelmed by the number of ministries that will present themselves to you.

For those who don’t read blogs, surf the web, or explore our Messiah site, we have booklets in every pew of our sanctuary. PLEASE… stop by on Sunday, or drop by the church office in the Life Center and pick up a copy. If you are not already a committed partner in ministry, I’m certain that there are probably several ministries we are involved in that will touch your heart, motivate you to become a partner, and maybe (if the Spirit moves you) open your pocketbook.

Two ministries that are not in the booklet are Cypress Street and Food Pantry.

Cypress Street is a depressed area of very high-density low-income apartments. Every week, high school students from Messiah lead Bible study there. This year, 150 Messiah partners fed over 1100 people at a Thanksgiving dinner at Cypress Street.

Food Pantry is a ministry of about 20 Messiah partners that help to feed over 200 families every week.

Mark Phillipi, our congregational president, startled me when he stated that our goal in this year’s pledge drive was to get 75% of our members to pledge to become active partners in ministry with us. I asked him, “Why not shoot for 100%? Don’t we want everybody to pledge?”

Mark smiled patiently at me, and really opened my eyes with his answer: “We’re not trying to browbeat, or ‘guilt’ anyone to pledge. Not everyone is in a position to be an active partner in ministry. Many people come because they are hurting and need to our understanding, our compassion, our help, and our love. If we get 75% of our members to pledge to be partners in ministry with us, we’ll be doing great. I trust the Holy Spirit to provide more through the giving commitments of active partners, than through 100% participation in a normal giving drive.”

Our stewardship people really hit the nail on the head when they answered the question of: “Is your church the best place for me to give my money?”

What can I do with the life God has given me?

“How much is enough?” That question was once posed to Nelson Rockefeller. His response, with a smile, was “Just a little bit more.” The response seems a bit humorous, but for the most of us it rings true. It is easy to let our desire for “a little bit more” to become our motivation for life.

It can and often does eat away at compassionate hearts, and the concerns of others slip out of our mind and become at best afterthoughts. In Jesus’ own words, we hear that we are “to seek first the kingdom of God and righteousness.” This is not a mere challenge to simplify or downsize our life. God is calling us into a new and deeper
understanding of our life’s purpose. In Christ, we discover an entirely new way to see life.

At Messiah, the question we wrestle with is, “What can I do with this life that God has given to me?” We are challenged, encouraged and strengthened as we realize all that we have and all that we are is a gift from God. Our minds, our skills, our time, our money, our beauty, our relationships, our creativity; all of these are gifts.

Stewardship ministry at Messiah is simply discovering the ways we can put all these gifts into service. It is to help each other choose life… not just a lifestyle.

2 Corinthians 8:7 “But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.”

So… the bottom line is: any gift or pledge to Messiah is funding a tremendous number of ministries that provide individuals and families of all ages a variety of opportunities to praise God, to learn and mature as Christian disciples, and to go out into the community and the world as witnesses to God’s everlasting love and grace.

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

Partner in Ministry – Part 1

We are in the midst of a Partner in Ministry campaign. We are looking to do more this year than just exhort (sounds like extort, doesn’t it?) people to make a giving pledge. We have an awesome campus, all kind of worship and fellowship opportunities, and incredible pastors and staff. Rather than press people for the money it takes to operate our ministries, we are looking to involve people as partners. Of course, being a partner means supporting the ministry with time, talent, and a financial (money) commitment.

As our Partner in Ministry campaign was moving forward, I got an email from a buddy of mine, Pat Glazener-Cooney. Pat and I were best friends in high school, he was best man at my wedding, and if you had known us 40 years ago, you would be amazed that either of us would ever be involved in ministry. Pat is now a Methodist pastor in Texas, and yours truly authors this blog (and I’m also a Partner in Ministry at Messiah Lutheran Church). The Lord certainly moves in mysterious ways!

Returning to my point… Pat had copied me on an article by a stewardship consultant; he was actually sending it to his church’s leaders. He posed the following question: “So how would we answer?”

Is Your Church the Best Place to Give?

J. Clif Christopher
November 18, 2009

The other day I was visiting with a key donor of a church along with the pastor. The pastor was asking the donor if she would be willing to serve in a very significant capacity in an upcoming campaign for their church. I fully expected the woman to say yes. She was an elected leader in the church and was the number three donor, giving a high five-figure contribution to the operating budget each year. She was, it seemed to me on paper, an ideal candidate for the position.

He began the conversation by bragging on her to me, and then he asked her if she would be willing to consider service in this capacity. I then followed up by explaining to her what the position entailed, and after about ten minutes I stopped, waiting to hear her enthusiastic “of course.” Instead, I got an answer I totally did not expect.

She looked at her pastor and said, “I am concerned about our church. For the last several years we have not grown, and I see fewer and fewer young people. I think you are a fine man, but I am beginning to wonder if supporting the church is good stewardship. Lately, I have been looking into giving more support to World Vision and Oxfam. Pastor, do you really believe that our church is a better place for my money than they are? I must see that my money is going to be used wisely, as God calls me to do. Is our church the best place for me to give? That is what I need answered because, if it isn’t, then I could not serve with integrity in this campaign.”

The pastor was stunned. I could see on his face that he was shocked by the request to justify to the woman why she should choose the church for her offerings. He stumbled around a bit and then turned to me to help him out. There really was nothing a person in my position could say, however. It was not my church, and I was not a leader in it. I was just a consultant. She already knew that I would play little or no role in whether this church eventually moved forward or not. I vainly tried to put a good face on what we were going to try and do, but, in the end, she turned us down. What she ultimately decides to do with her gifts will all be determined by how well the church can compete for them as a place that changes lives over other very good causes.

I have long advocated the need for churches to learn how to compete with other nonprofits. Persons need to hear our life-changing stories and be helped to understand how their dollars are creating positive change in the lives of people—and in ways that are powerful and distinctive. Why the church instead of World Vision, Oxfam, Scouts, or the local hospital? We must be prepared on a daily basis boldly to answer that question. If we find we cannot easily do it, then we must get busy changing our church. As the Builder Generation dies off and is replaced by the much more questioning Boomers and Gen Xers, we are going to find ourselves facing those very questions. Are we ready to answer them gladly and compellingly?

I told the pastor afterwards that this lady did him a great favor. She voiced the question with which I had felt many in his congregation were wrestling. His answer to her question will eventually determine whether the campaign succeeds or not.

How would you answer the question: “Is your church the best place for me to give my money?”

J. Clif Christopher (cchristopher@horizonsstewardship.com) is founder of Horizons Stewardship Company and author of Not Your Parents’ Offering Plate: A New Vision for Financial Stewardship, Abingdon, 2008.

Hmmm… how would we answer that at Messiah? I knew how I would answer that question, but I wondered… how would our leadership answer? Would they all answer the same? Could they answer at all?

I will post the astonishing answers in my next blog entry: Partner in Ministry – Part 2

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

My Annual Christmas Card

“May You Connect This Christmas…
With Lots of Free Minutes and NO Static!”

Every year I create and produce a new Christmas card. I make 500 copies, fold them, and then personally give them out to everybody at church during the Christmas season. I hand them out to store clerks, my postal carrier, my neighbors, and people I might be working with at the moment. I’ve been doing it for so long, that it doesn’t seem quite so weird to everybody anymore. As a matter of fact, I’m often surprised when people ask me: “When am I getting this year’s Christmas card from you?”

In addition to the paper Christmas cards, I can now post the whole thing here in the blog. True, there isn’t the same tactile feel you get from holding an actual card in your hand, but everything else is here. I hope you enjoy this year’s offering.

The famous Christmas song Winter Wonderland was first published in 1934. The composer was Felix Bernard (1897-1944) and the lyricist was Richard B. Smith (1901-1935). Probably the most popular versions of this classic Christmas song were recorded by the Andrews Sisters and Perry Como. Since you already know the tune, why not sing along, as you consider our current Virtual Wonderland:

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Virtual Wonderland

By David Alan Hoag, November 22nd, 2009
(Sung to the tune of Winter Wonderland, with apologies to Felix Bernard and Richard Smith)

Text chimes “ding”, are you heeding?
Posted Blogs, are you reading?
In IM or chat,
It holds you like that;
Captive in a virtual wonderland.

Nevermore is there quiet,
It’s a huge data riot.
See… Facebook has powers
To hold you for hours;
Captive in a virtual wonderland.

Everybody needs to have a Smart Phone
To ensure their link-up is complete.
If you haven’t got the best connection
You just might miss a caller, or a tweet.

Where you work, there’s a female
Whom you text and you email.
Though just down the hall,
You’ve not met at all;
Captive in a virtual wonderland.

In your bio you can claim you’re gorgeous,
Whether you’re a gal or you’re a guy.
In your bio you can stretch the facts some,
But any way you view it, it’s a lie.

I invite you this Christmas
Feel the joy and the sweet bliss
Make Christmas with me
Unplug and be free...
Not captive in a virtual wonderland.

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Blessings to you and your family, as you celebrate God’s love at Christmas time. My prayer is that the love, peace, and joy that come from the salvation through Jesus Christ… be yours at Christmas, and all through the year.

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving Day is tomorrow. Here in the United States, we have set aside a day to purposefully be thankful. We give thanks for our freedom, our families, our communities, our bounty, and for the so many other blessings that God continues to bestow on us.

Last Sunday, I was talking to Jim Harter about a study group he and I were a part of… I had been trying to get the group to continue on together, even after we had completed the small group sessions. It just didn’t seem to be happening, and Jim was finally admitting to me that it wasn’t going to work out for him, either. I must admit, I had been pushing a bit to continue meeting with Jim; he’s an awesome study partner, has a strong faith, deep insights, and a quiet strength that allowed us to have lively study sessions, but also kept us on track and focused.

If you attend Messiah Lutheran Church here in Yorba Linda, you have probably seen Jim Harter. You see, Jim is our church’s Executive Director. Jim is the guy that manages the day-to-day operations of our campus. Every time I think I have a handle on all of what Jim does, I see him involved in something new. The same qualities of strong faith, deep insights, and quiet strength that he brings to a Bible study session, serve him well… as he serves our fellowship well.

Jim always has a smile, a friendly greeting, and a kind word for everyone. As he moves across our campus he usually has a purpose, but he always has time for conversation and laughter. He seems to effortlessly juggle a dozen different things, while dealing with the pastors, council, committees, ministries, and individuals. If there is an unlocked door, if there’s a water leak, if the copier stops working, or even if somebody pours soap in the fountain… Jim is the guy who is called; who responds. While thinking about how much time Jim spends on our campus, AND how much he serves this congregation, I realized that I don’t thank him near enough… let alone edify him as the Bible instructs us to lift up and edify each other.

Then I had another thought; a flash of insight, if you will. For every minute that Jim spends on our campus, he spends it AWAY from his family!

Later that same Sunday morning, I caught up with Jim’s wife Linda in the parking lot (where else; LOL). I told here how much I appreciated all that Jim did for the church, and what an awesome job he was doing. Then I told her that I realized that to perform at that level, Jim’s efforts for the church surely must impact their family life. I thanked her for being so supportive of the church by being so supportive of Jim. I let her know that I understood that family meals, family time, and family events had all taken a backseat sometimes, as Jim responded to one emergency or another. I told her I wanted to thank her and let her know that her efforts, her sacrifice, and her family’s patience helped make Jim so effective and made this place a wonderful fellowship. I told her I wanted her to know how much I appreciated HER.

Jim and Linda Harter are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to great servants here at Messiah. From pastors to child care… if I started, I’d be writing another 5,000 words. It’s Thanksgiving, so you can be thankful that I am not expanding on the subject. What I will do is challenge you:

Consider all the people who serve you at church, whether they are at Messiah or at some other church where you might worship. Give thanks for them this week. Let them know how important they are in the life of the church. Find their spouse or their family, and thank them, as well. Let them know that they are appreciated, too.

I pray you all enjoy family, friends, and fellowship as you give thanks to God for all the things AND all the people in your life.

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

Laughing Out Loud

Outside observers might say that events often seem to conspire to shape my blog posts. My fellow brothers and sisters in Christ might say that I seem led by the Holy Spirit. I’m more of the opinion that I’m just open and available to be nudged… from time to time… by God’s Spirit. Certainly, I’m alive, but I’m energized, creative, and more full of joy during those times when I’m “alive” in God’s Spirit.

This week, my friend Kathi Avarbuch sent me a link to a funny video. It was political, as a lot of her stuff often is, but it was clean and funny. So I decided to see if the comedian who made it had any other material; did he ever! The video Kathi sent me was called The Government Can, but I soon found dozens of other clips from this very funny guy: Tim Hawkins. I was intrigued. It was obvious from the clips that this guy performed in front of large crowds. He was as well received in a corporate function as he was in a church venue. Who was he? Why hadn’t I heard of him?

Well, I’m pretty good at researching stuff, so I did find out all kinds of stuff about this funny Tim Hawkins guy. There is plenty to see on his site, but YouTube is also awash in his videos; reposted over and over by a growing fan base. His Bio describes him as follows:

Tim Hawkins has been accused of being equally gifted and twisted. Whatever your take, he has indeed become one of the most in-demand comics in the country. His arsenal is unique: high energy stand-up, physical comedy, slick guitar skills, a thousand faces and voices, improvisational chops. It all combines to create an insane comedy experience. And yes, the guy can really sing. “People think I live a rock-star life”, said Hawkins. “Believe me, Mick Jagger never gets lost in a Hertz parking lot looking for his Ford Focus.”

With 4 kids of his own and a wife who is winning her battle with breast cancer, Hawkins gets new material daily from the perils of marriage and parenting. But it must be difficult to work clean all the time, right? “Clean comedy is easy. Funny comedy is hard.” So does Tim think he’s funny? “I'm not bragging, but one time I told a joke in front of a dead bird, and it flew away. And you can Google that.”

From the testimonials I’ve read, Tim is an awesome (and surprising) witness! Yes, surprising. Most people who are not Christian… and a good many people who consider themselves to BE Christian… find it hard to believe that Christians can be fun; let alone FUNNY! I’m sharing a clip of Tim Hawkins that is actually more of a public service spot. I think it’s hilarious! You men out there… take note!



At a time when so many of our churches are struggling with dwindling attendance numbers, Tim Hawkins is playing to sold out churches (and other venues). His on-stage witness is funny, and kind of drive-by, but it gets people thinking, and asking:

“Dude… seriously… you’re a Christian?”

Let’s see… which do you think will attract more people:

a) A bunch of rules and a load of guilt, or
b) A bunch of funny stories people can relate to and a load of laughter?

For all of you who answered “a)”, please check your wallet, because you are probably a card-carrying Pharisee. Jesus shocked and upset the religious norms of his day. Jesus calls us to bring the “Good News” to the world… not the “gloomy news”… not the “You-can’t-live-up-to-this news”… and definitely NOT the “boring news.” Laughter may not be joy, but laughter can bring people closer to experiencing joy than depression or boredom.

When people also ask me:

“Dude… seriously… you’re a Christian?”

And then they want to know more about this Jesus I’m so passionate about, then I know the Holy Spirit is alive in my life and my soul.

I may not be as funny as Tim Hawkins, but I am still…
Your brother in Christ,

Dave

BTW, you can find a bunch of videos (and plenty of other stuff) by Tim Hawkins on his site at:

http://timhawkins.net/