A-"Muse"-ing Thoughts

2 Weeks Until...

It is hard to believe.  November 15th, 2010 - when I was told that my church was eliminating the Youth Director position, and thus eliminating my job - I was told that I would have 90-days until the position would be finished.  At that time, 90-days seems like a fairly good amount of time to figure out what was next for me and my family and to head that direction - or at least have a plan in motion and know where we were headed.

Well, Today is January 30th, and I now have only 2 weeks left until my job is gone.  And not only did those first 76 days fly by very fast, but I have no clue what is next for me or my family.  And the truth is, it is terrifying!  I've found that ever since we returned from vacation on Jan. 7th that with each passing day I am getting more and more stressed, more and more anxiety ridden, finding it more and more difficult to rest in God (which I realize is a sin, not trusting in God completely - and then knowing that I am sinning and not trusting God seems to then stress me out even more).... do you see the horrible, vicious cycle?  Ironic, huh?

Well, now I am sitting here two weeks away.  And it isn't like I have spent the last 76 days just sitting around twiddling my thumbs hoping that something would fall out of the sky and into my lap.  I have sent out numerous resumes and applications.  I have thought outside of the box and have applied for jobs not only in youth ministry but also in social work, teaching, adjunct professor, data entry, administrative assistant, other ministry positions, and more.  And it is strange... I have prayed through all of it that God would give me (us) clear direction and answers to where he wants us next.  I have prayed that he would open doors clearly AND close doors clearly.  And yet, I have to admit that every time I get a letter saying something along the lines of "Thanks for applying.  You have much to offer, but you don't have the qualifications we are looking for.  God bless and good luck," I find myself struggling to say "Thank you God for the answered prayer of a clearly closed door!  And yet, I KNOW that is what it is - an answer to my prayer - God's protection for me and my family to not end up in a place that will be unhealthy, destructive, and/or miserable for us.  But if I am honest, I still struggle with it.  I still feel those pangs of rejection.  I still feel the worry of how I am going to provide for my family.  I still feel the anxiety of when God will answer my prayers with an open door instead of closed ones.

And so I come back to the realization of only 2 weeks left.  There is a lot to do to "wrap up" at the job, including getting all of my office packed up and moved out.  That alone is quite the job as I have a kajillion books and resources (I bet you didn't know that "kajillion" was a word - but if you saw all the books and resources in my office then you would know the definition of "kajillion").  And at the same time we are having to pack our house and move furniture out to storage and boxes out to storage because our house goes on the market for sale on Feb. 15th.  Where are we moving to?  Your guess is as good as mine at this point.  However, everything my wife and I have been going through and feeling as we have talked about what is next seems to be pointing to us moving.  And since it can take a long time to sell a house, we have decided to take the advice of some friends (and our realtor) and get the house ready and on the market now.  However, I admit, that adds to the anxiousness of when God will answer our prayers with the open door.  

And, then there are other challenges that are added to this right now.  Like:  
1) I am having a pretty severe gout attack that started on Friday, Jan. 28th.  It is SO incredibly painful and limits what I can do - which is not good right now since there is a TON of stuff to get done.
2) My birthday is in 4 days - but I'm having a hard time even getting excited about that with all of the stuff that has to get done, my dumb gout attack, and pending unemployment.
3) There are additional things going on at the church that have added to the challenges of my leaving.

It just seems like so much.  I will say this.... I PRAISE GOD for my wife!!!!  She is amazing.  She has been such a huge support - showing incredible love, prayer, encouragement, faithfulness, steadfastness, patience, supportiveness, and strength through all of this.  I am so blessed to have her by my side.  I cannot even begin to imagine how much more difficult this would be to go through if I had to go through it without her.  And yet, I know that she too is grieving about all of this and is a worried as well for what the future holds for us... and is also anxious for God to reveal that open door.  And even through all she is dealing with, she finds the strength to lift me up.  She is a blessing beyond words.

So my prayer continues!  "God, please clearly open the doors you want us to walk through, and close the ones that you don't have for us.  But, Lord, it would be really, really nice if you could at least give me some sense of direction.  I don't even know what direction I should face anymore.  And Lord, help me to trust you.  I can't do it on my own strength - as much as I want, I find that I keep trying to take control or spend every minute worrying about it.  So, Lord, help me to trust you more.  And, Lord, please provide for me and my family - in the way that you know is best and is what we need.  AMEN"

I confess... these words are much easier to say than they are to live by!  I will continue trying, however.  I am not giving up.  I am taking time each day to apply for jobs, to put myself out there, to think outside of the box, to consider new ideas and possibilities, and to try to focus on just keeping on keeping on!  I have no clue where the journey will end... but when I find out, I promise I will share it here!

2 weeks!  14 days!  336 Hours!  20,160 Minutes!  Here I am Lord... I'm ready for your open door!

(P.S.  If any of you have any doors that are open that God might be leading me to... please don't hesitate to let me know about them.  Thanks!)

Some FANTASTIC News and some Not-so-Fantastic News

Today I am able to announce two things... one that happened today, and one that happened 3 weeks ago.

The news I can announce that happened today is the third best day of my life, after only accepting Christ as my Savior, and marrying my wife Christianna.  Today, after a 2-day long trial, Christi and I officially became adoptive parents of the two precious girls we have been foster parents to for the past 22 months.  It has been a LONG, difficult journey to get to this point, and the 2-day trial was full of tension, stress, uncertainty, and lots of emotions.  However, at 3:48 pm (CST) the judge signed our adoption papers at the end of the trial and we are VERY PROUD PARENTS!!!  This truly is the most exciting and wonderful news, and I am SO happy to get to share it with everyone.

Unfortunately, my other news is not-so-fantastic.  3 weeks ago, on Nov. 16th, 2010, the elders at my church voted, because of financial reasons, to eliminate completely the full-time youth director position at the church.  Therefore, I've been eliminated from the church.  So, that means I am seeking out God's will for my life and the next step for Christi and I (and now our two precious daughters).  I am in the search for a new job, however the timing right now is very difficult as all churches are focused right now on the holiday plans and not on staffing issues.  So, if you know of any job possibilities (only to the west of Texas, however), please let me know.  Also, please keep me and my family in your prayers during this time as we all know the job market is difficult.  

I am full of opposite emotions right now - I am EXTREMELY joyful about my 2 little girls, and I am also very worried and stressed about the job situation.  

Attached here is the official letter that went out to the entire congregation announcing the elimination of my position.  

Encouragement and Conviction

This blog by Chris Tomlinson has been both very encouraging and convicting to me.  It was so powerful, I had to re-post it - and make sure to give credit where credit is due.

I Just Lost My Job, And God Is Good

by » Chris Tomlinson

My wife is 8 months pregnant, we are halfway through building our first home, and I just lost my job. The news came suddenly last Thursday evening. A short phone call with a senior partner in our firm, and quick call with HR on Friday, and I was done. My salary, our health coverage, and a core part of my identity slipped away with the passing of the seconds from Friday to Saturday. Having reflected on this turn of events for a few days, I am now convinced even more that God is good. Blessing and loss exist for the glory of God, but sometimes, trials bear the greatest means for remembering the time-tested, rock-solid promises of God. In the midst of loss, here is what I remember about my God and His word: 1. Work is a gift from God. God is the giver of great gifts, and one of the first gifts He gave to man was work (Genesis 2:15). Losing a job can turn a “have to” into a “get to” in a moment, and nothing reminds us of the value of something until it is gone. 2. His promises are true. God commends the ant for storing up provisions in the summer (Proverbs 6:6-8). When we follow His word, as our family has done, then we find we are not lacking during this time of winter. God’s provision may come when there are no stores, but it may also come as the fruit of obedience. Both are means of grace. 3. He brings rain on the just and the unjust. The sun and the rain rise and fall on the good and the evil (Matthew 5:45). God extends His common grace as a gift to all His creation, so my sense of entitlement about the prosperity and stature of my work is shown to be a liar. We are gifted and placed by the Lord for work that will bring His glory, not bring us comfort and pride. 4. He tells us this life is a vapor. Careers are built brick by brick. We invest hours, and sweat, and passion, and we do well when we build them to the glory of God. But careers are like family, and prosperity, and suffering, and fame, and success—they are all but vapors (James 4:14). We grasp at mist when we hold too tight to anything but the firm reality of Christ. 5. He gives and He takes away, but blessed be His name. “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return,” says Job (Job 1:21). The covers of life that bookend our work and our passions and our pursuits have one central theme—whatever happens, whether success or failure, whether blessing or loss, comes from the hand of God, for our good, and His name is worthy to be praised. 6. Trials heat the furnaces of our joy. We can only “count it all joy when [we] face various trials” (James 1:2) if we value joy in God more than joy in this world. Losing a job may be a trial, but it is also an occasion for joy because of the lasting value of what is produced in us. 7. The testing of our faith produces endurance. Is endurance better than a salary? Only if we desire to “lack in nothing” (James 1:4). Faith steps out of the stands and onto the track during times of trial, and the labor of testing produces a steadfastness that works and stretches and grows up into the powerful gait of perfection. 8. His power is made perfect in weakness. The shame felt in losing a job can cripple and weaken the soul. But Christ’s power is made perfect in this kind of soul, testifying to the sufficiency of His grace. Wherever there is loss, there also stands grace, and in this grace lies the power to boast in weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest upon us (2 Corinthians 12:9). 9. He abundantly supplies our every need. God provides, not my employer or my own strength. God feeds my family, not my employer or my own strength. God prepares our home, not my employer of my own strength. In Christ are infinite riches in glory, and from them, God will meet our every need (Philippians 4:19). 10. Contentment is better than cash. We do well to be brought low, and to abound, to face plenty, and to face hunger, to live in abundance, or to live in need. For all of these provide a training ground in which we learn to be content, so that we might know the power of Christ through who we can do all things (Philippians 4:11-13). 11. Loss of a job is the battlefield for an anxious heart. “Do not be anxious,” Jesus tells us, because “life is more than food and clothing” (Matthew 6:25). Seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness is a fight of faith—believing God that He knows that we need these things, and that He will add them unto us, as we pursue Him above all else. 12. Everything is to be counted as loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus. The “surpassing worth of knowing Jesus” makes the greatest career to be rubbish (Philippians 3:8). When God strips things from our lives, we find out what we have left, and having Jesus, and knowing Him, is worth suffering loss of any kind. 13. The cross is weightier still. Our work, our families, and our ministries are the fields of our lives in which we toil. And they are good, as gifts from God, to be used to further His kingdom and bring renown to His name. But even our greatest work doesn’t tip the scale of significance when compared to the work of Christ on the cross. Our labor reminds us of His labor; our loss reminds us of His loss, for our gain. I am also reminded that my loss is but a fraction of the suffering in this world, and that billions of others would call me immeasurably rich, even now. And they would be right. My story is no sob story of destitution, and our family will be provisioned for a time by my previous employer and our emergency funds. But the riches I want to rest in and taste at this moment are those that can only be found in the glory of Christ. I want to count this trial as joy, to sit in the reality of my weakness, so that I might know the strength of Christ. And I want to proclaim to the world that God is good, that He gives and takes away, and in all this, blessed be His name!

Jack Bauer Evangelism

Ok... I am going to just let this one speak for itself... but it makes me LOL!!!

 

Time Flies

Wow.  Where does time go?  I guess one big answer to that would be: "To the Children."  It is so true that a lot of things have changed since getting our foster daughters.  Balancing time expectations is one of the continual challenges that I face every day. 

I have a lot of thoughts that I want to blog/journal more fully, but I thought I would give a few highlights since my last blog:

*  Got back to work on my doctoral dissertation.  At the moment of writing this I have 2 chapters written and about 15 pages on Chapter 3 completed.  This is my final year to finish the doctorate.  One way or another I am done after this.  I WILL write my entire project and pray it gets accepted by the committee.
*  May 2nd was the 3-month anniversary of Christi and I being foster-parents to two amazing daughters.
* Celebrated a wonderful Easter with my family - including the first time ever for easter baskets or easter egg hunts for my two foster-daughters.
* Celebrated Christi's 31st Birthday - treated her to a 3-hour spa treatment, lunch together, and then a fun dinner with friends.
* Had "Youth Sunday" at the church - which ended up being a wonderful day with the students doing an amazing job, and many adults giving us all very positive feedback.
* We are getting ready to celebrate our oldest foster-daughter's 4th birthday.  Should be a blast as we are having a "Princess Slip-N-Slide" party  (full of pinata and all)!!!  She is very excited, and so are we.
* We found out 3 days before the deadline that the bio-family of our foster daughters has hired a lawyer petition for adopting the girls.  Needless to say, this is a very heartbreaking thing for Christi and me, and we are praying that God would do what is best for these girls, but do it quickly, and if they are to be returned for him to cover our hearts.
* I am currently the only full-time program/pastoral staff person at the church.  Our Sr. Pastor retired.  We are hoping to hire an interim pastor sometime before September (yikes, that's a long ways away) and the search for a new Sr. Pastor will take approx. 2 years.  (YIKES!)  This has caused extra work for me and an extra element of trying to balance life duties and work duties.
* I have the most amazing and supportive wife that a husband could ever pray for.  Just have to say - Christi is a saint (she truly should be given sainthood status, but since we are not Catholics I am not sure they would accept my application for Christi's sainthood)
* At the end of April, beginning of May, I went on a "Walk to Emmaus."  It was powerful, incredible, and God is really working in my life and heart.  Lots to share about this one.

Well, I know there is more that has happened.  But that will give you a quick highlight of the things going on in my life since last blog in February.  Man, Time Flies!!!  I am going to try and blog a lot more details about some of these things, and some others that have been heavy on my mind lately as well.

LONG Sunday Completed

Sundays like yesterday are VERY exhausting for me!  It is days like yesterday which I am reminded of the HUGE blessing i have in my wife, Christi, who is there to encourage, support, care for, and help me in so many ways. 

So, I preached my sermon yesterday on Genesis 2:1-3.  I even did it in the 20-minute time limit.  When all was said and done I was very happy with how my sermon went.  I got a lot of very positive feedback, including a huge thumbs-up from the senior pastor who also was excited about the breadth of scripture I brought into my sermon and the way I tied it all together.  I also had many people tell me I shared something new about the Sabbath that they had never heard before or thought of.  And I even had six people ask me directly if they could get a copy of my sermon.  Those were all so very encouraging.  I felt good about my presentation and the material.  I felt like I communicated well, was clear, and gave the personal application I felt was so important. 

One additional hard thing about preaching is due to the nature of my job.  See, on weeks when I have to preach, the senior pastor has one element of his job that he doesn't have to worry about that week.  But for me, I don't get to drop any of my "normal" youth ministry duties.  So, I ADD work to my week, and add work to my Sunday.  This makes it a lot more stressful and exhausting.  In fact, the truth is that yesterday, after church, my wife asked me, "what are you teaching at youth group tonight?" and I had to admit honestly, "I have no idea, I haven't prepared that yet.  I have 4 hours to figure that one out."  OK.... I admit, this is NOT a good way of doing youth ministry.  Preparing 4 hours before you are supposed to teach is not wise.  I figured I would pull out one of my many lessons I have written over the last 18 years, and since I've only been at this church for 1 year now I have a lot of unused material that I could revise and recycle.  And this is when I love my wife.  She encouraged and suggested to me a plan for Sunday night.  She knew some material that I had that would be good to use and need only slight revisions.  And so, we got home after lunch and she put the children down for a nap while I began to revise some material to teach for Sunday night. 

We didn't have a large attendance Sunday night, but we had a good core of students there for youth group.  I had set everything up, got my lesson revised, and also had a nooma video set up as a 2nd "option."  The first option was giving them a worksheet I put together on how to prepare a testimony (both a salvation story and a growth story).  Most everyone did both options last night and at least three of the students asked if they could share their testimony at youth group (Praise God)!  So, by the end of last night, i came home feeling exhausted and energized.  I also felt HUGE appreciate to my wife, who not only gave me some great feedback on my sermon, great ideas for sunday night, helped lead sunday night, but also took care of the kids in between church and youth group so I could make my revisions, take a nap, and be ready for the night.  I can't say "thanks" enough to her or tell her how much I appreciate her leadership, friendship, help, and love.

Preaching Tomorrow

So, tomorrow I am preaching.  I am preaching on Genesis 2:1-3.  I have REALLY struggled with getting this sermon written and prepared for preaching.  I just put the finishing touches on it, revised it for the 4th time, and now am ready to print it and go over it a few times so that I can stick in my head what I am going to say. 

There are a few reasons that this sermon has been especially difficult for me.

• First of all, now having two little girls running around the house makes it way more difficult than it was before to work from home.  It is hard to concentrate when every 30-seconds I am hearing, "Ryan...Ryan... Ryan... LOOK at this!!!"   They are cute, but it does make it challenging.
• I struggle at times when I am assigned a specific passage to preach on.  I understand the desire for this - to fit within the sermon series that is being taught.  But I also struggle with it on a couple of levels.  First of all, I like to allow the Spirit to speak to my heart and be allowed to preach on something that the spirit has placed heavy on my heart to share with the people.  Secondly, I know that the Sr. Pastor has an idea in his head of what he wants communicated with each theme - and my sermon may or may not communicate exactly what he was hoping, or what he thinks is important.  This makes it tough.
• Third, in this particular church, the way the services are set up the individual preaching the sermon is given a time-limit of 20 to 22 minutes to preach the entire sermon (and going overtime is a HUGE mistake here and people get quite upset if you do).  Trying to squeeze into 20-22 minute the material that I have been studying and want to share on this particular sermon feels impossible.

I am praying that my sermon is not choppy, that it flow smoothly, that it make sense, and that it has some clear personal application to it.  I don't want to come across as "look at me, I went to  Seminary and here's what I can do."  I want to share from the word of God and make it applicable and meaningful to their lives today - There is a reason it is called "The LIVING Word!"  I don't want them to leave still having the question in their minds of "so what?  What does that matter in my life?" 

I have attempted to do that in my sermon.  I am finally feeling better about where it is at, but I am also very nervous about preaching.  But, soon it will be over and I can update you on how it went. 

Changes are HARD

So, most of my blog has been filled with news relating to our fost-to-adopt situation lately - and for good reason.  That has been a BIG deal in Christi and my life, and it is very important.... but there is a LOT more happening than just that, so I wanted to take some time to begin to share some other news too.

Often we like change when we are young because change is a reflection of our growth and the vitality inherent in our youthfulness. However, when we get older, change becomes more difficult to accept. Many times, change in our life comes about through tragedy, defeat, or loss. As I have gotten older, I have found that change in my own live has become harder and harder.  I used to look forward to it and get excited about it.  Now I seem to dread most changes.  I like the known; the consistent; the predictable; the safe.  But life just is not that way.

So one year ago I faced the challenging and difficult change of my Senior Pastor resigning from the church I had worked in for 9 years.  I was NOT excited about this change at all.  Within weeks God had another plan for me altogether - and called Christi and I to Texas to a new church, new home, new ministry and new friends.  After being here for 1 year and becoming VERY close friends (both Christi and me) with the senior pastor and his wife of our new church home - on Jan. 25th, 2009 - the Senior Pastor announced his resignation.  So here I am, one year later, facing the same difficult change situation of losing a senior pastor.  But, what makes this one a lot more nerve-wracking for me, challenging, and exhausting is the fact that I am currently the ONLY full-time pastoral staff working in the entire church.  And with everything else going on in my life, this makes me very nervous and questioning what exactly God wants from me and my life???

During this challenging time, I have had to continue to meditate on one particular scripture - Malachi 3:6 "I the LORD do not change. "

When we are with Christ, and He is within us, change may still be fearful or uncomfortable, but change can be managed. All of us can glorify God, even when we are exhausted and beaten down by change. In the silence of our response to changing situations in life, we can send our heart and our prayers to God and He will answer. We can ask Christ to use us through every changing circumstance and He will answer. In a world of change and chaos, we have an unchanging and constant friend in Christ.

Lord - PLEASE help me to remember this and hold on to this each and every day!  AMEN

Life is Full of Change

I led a devotional yesterday morning at our staff meeting.  I thought I would start this post by sharing that devotional - cause it will set up the rest of what I want to say.

Malachi 3:6 "I the LORD do not change. " (NIV)

Often we like change when we are young because change is a reflection of our growth and the vitality inherent in our youthfulness. However, when we get older, change becomes more difficult to accept. Many times, change in our life comes about through tragedy, defeat, or loss. When we are with Christ, and He is within us, change may still be fearful or uncomfortable, but change can be managed. All of us can glorify God, even when we are exhausted and beaten down by change. In the silence of our response to changing situations in life, we can send our heart and our prayers to God and He will answer. We can ask Christ to use us through every changing circumstance and He will answer. In a world of change and chaos, we have an unchanging and constant friend in Christ.

I never thought I would say it, but it does seem that the older I get, the harder change is in my life.  I used to love change.  It used to excite me.  I loved new adventures, new ideas, new people, and so much more.  Now, I hold on tight to the security of "non-change".  But, life continues to move on... and the truth is life is full of change - as much as I would like to avoid it, deny it or ignore it. 

This last year has been filled with changes in the life of me and Christi.  It began right around 1 year ago when we moved to Texas from Southern, California.  We also bought our first house!  (wow, and what a change home-ownership is.)  Along with a move like this of course came the struggle for both of us of leaving our friends, our family, the "known" and "familiar", the routine, the people, the job, the area.  All of these things.  And while those have been challenges, neither Christi nor I could have imagined some of the additional changes we would be facing one year later.

I can hardly believe that my first full year in my new youth ministry position is at hand.  There were times this last year when it felt like I would never make it.  But, here I am.  Now is the new struggles to work through the second year.  But that's not even the new challenges I am talking about for me and Christi.  Those have to do with both work and personal life.

First, work....  As of last Sunday (Jan. 25th) our Sr. Pastor (and my boss) announced his resignation.  I can hardly believe that in 1 year's time Christi and I have had to deal with 2 different Sr. Pastors at the two churches we have been a part of resigning.  This is challenging and scary in many ways for me.  The fear of the unknown is of course the main cause.  I knew when I took this job who the Sr. Pastor was, and what he was like, what his theology was, what his philosophy was, what his vision was, etc.  Now I have to sit back and wait to see what the new Sr. Pastor is like and pray that we meld well.  In addition, due to budget cuts, the only full-time staff at the church at the moment is: The custodian, the secretary, and me.  That makes for a LOT of additional work and challenges that I didn't imagine having to deal with a year ago when I was hired as the new Youth Pastor.  So, a lot is happening at work that is causing changes that are difficult.  But... as the scripture says in Micah - God does NOT change - and He is the one I need to fully rely upon.

Secondly, personally.... Christi and I are very excited to have completed all of the training and requirements to be approved as foster-to-adopt parents here in Texas.  Now we are waiting for God to bring us the child(ren) that he has for us.  Before Christi and I even knew that we had been approved we received a call for placement.  The call came in at about 4:30 pm for a 4-year old boy.  They told us they needed to know right away, and so we had about 10 minutes to decide.  And even then, there was no guarantee that in that 10 minutes someone else might not take him into their home.  So Christi called me and asked me what I thought - and after about 5 minutes of thinking about it we decided to call back and say "yes!"  So we called back to say yes to Christopher.  Our Social Worker said she would get back to us with information on the placement - one way or another.  Friday ended without word.  We knew that they were closed for the weekend and wouldn't do anything until Monday.  The entire weekend, though, Christi and I were wondering if we would be placed with Christopher and become insta-parents.  In addition, we realized we have been planning and setting up for an infant - so we have a LOT of baby stuff... but we don't have toddler stuff - including a bed and dresser.  So we need to buy those as well.  Well, we waited on pins and needles all weekend - wondering what it would be like to instantly be parents of a 4-year old.  On Monday after 4 phone calls and messages, I finally got through to a case worker to find out that Christopher had already been placed with another family on Friday.  That was very difficult to have spent the entire weekend wondering and stressing about what to do - when we weren't even going to get him.  But, this is encouraging that we are now getting phone calls for placement. 

So, Christi and my life have been FILLED with change this last year.  Change is not necessarily bad, but it does seem to be more and more difficult to face and deal with as I get older.  But God is still in control and I am trying to rest on that and not forget it. 

Be the Church

A couple of years ago at Youth Specialties' National Youth Worker's Convention, they had a shirt for sale that I absolutely loved.  The front of the shirt said "Don't Go To Church" and the back of the shirt said "Be the Church".  I loved both the idea presented in this shirt, as well as the reaction it would get from people... especially people IN the church.  It also would bring out some interesting conversations about what it means to "be the church" and what that looks like.

Well, today, I came upon the blog of Pete Wilson and a post he wrote titled "Be The Church".  I love what he wrote and couldn't say it better myself...

Yesterday someone read a quote from my message on Sunday. The quote was,

“We need to stop playing church and start being the church.”

This person contacted me and asked me what I really meant. A quote of that nature probably deserves further clarification.

It means we need to stop arguing about style of worship and get concerned about the poor and hungry around the world.

It means we need to spend less time gossiping about others and more time allowing God to break our hearts over the people in our cities who are facing an eternity apart from Christ.

It means we need to stop whining about what programs our church has or doesn’t have and we need to learn what it means to abide in Jesus from one moment to the next.

Listen, it’s got to stop. We’ve got to stop showing up on Sunday mornings and playing church.   The New testament never calls us to just go to church, but to be the church.

It seems far to often we’ve reduced church down to spiritual masturbation. We’ve made it all about us.  We’ve turned it into  something we do to stroke our ego-driven, self-centered, materialistic lives. It gives us momentary pleasure, but we’ve failed to give, serve, or sacrifice of ourselves. It leads to false intimacy with our creator God.

We play church.

I’m done with that.

Be the church.