Quote of the Week

If you want to win this world to Christ, you are going to have to sit in the smoking section. That is where lost people are found, and if you make them put their cigarette out to hear the message they will be thinking about only one thing: "When can I get another cigarette?"

~ Neil Cole, Organic Church p.xxvii

A Sheepish Poem

Mary had a little lamb
And it was hers to keep
But then it joined the local church
And died from lack of sleep

Life is a blur

Life is a blur. Too often.

When I was a kid I remember sitting in class and watching in the second hand on the clock crawl. There seemed to be an eternity between the clicks. Those days are gone. Long gone.

I can’t believe September is half over.
I can’t believe 2006 is already in it’s fall season.
I can’t believe I’ve been married for 18 years.
I can’t believe I’m turning 39 (GASP!) next week.
I can’t believe both my kids are teenagers.

It’s the grind of daily living that seemingly accelerates life. There seems to be so much to do and so little time to do it, never mind having time to watch the seconds tick off the clock.

It has been pointed out that one of the hallmarks of this period of history is the unprecedented busyness of people’s lives. More responsibilities, distractions and opportunities bombard the typical person than anyone would have imagined just a few years ago. Busy, busy, busy. And overwhelmed.

One of the biggest life lessons we took away from our adventure in the urban jungle is that for the average family with both parents working full time and kids in school, one of the most precious and scarce commodities you have is time. By the time you keeping up with the everyday demands of work, household chores, and family responsibilities, you’ve hardly enough time left to recharge the batteries for the next attack. Fatigue and exhaustion are lingering companions. Quality time for self, family, God, or friends is preciously rare. And then as Christians we add church responsibilities to the mix of work, school, and family…to say nothing of connecting with our community or neighbors.

Maybe I’m overly sensitive to the time demands that the church often places on people and families, but I wonder if our church lifestyle is really part of the solution. Are we helping people get a grip on thier lives and lifestyle, or are we just adding more items to the 'to do' list? I'm not intending to be negative or critical - which is soooo easy. And I hate bringing stuff like this up when I don't have an answer. But I am looking for one.

Right now I’m in the 'gear up for fall' mode. Sunday last was “Round Up Sunday” and it was great. Really. We had our first Singing Christmas Tree practice last night. It was a hoot. Really. And we have our first Island Tehillah on Monday. I’m looking forward to it! Really! It’s all good, enjoyable stuff. But it takes time. Precious time.

Worn-out on Church?

I guess the sub-title says it all: “Worn-out on Church? Finding Vibrant Faith Beyond the Walls of the Sanctuary”. George Barna’s latest little offering is a rant called Revolution. Released last fall, I finally got around to seeing what the fuss was about. Not the fullest take on the issue, but it may rattle some cages if they are a Barna fan. Perhaps it can at least stir up some dialogue on a question that is lurking in the halls of many churches like a white elephant nobody dares talk about.

The issue Revolution tackels is the role the local church should play in the life of the believer. Barna says “Droves of committed believers are foregoing Sunday mornings to live a 24/7 faith unfettered by the clutter and bureaucracy within the church walls.” And it’s not just people embracing a “feel-good, invent-your-own spirituality” that prefer to worship at The Green Cathedral of the 18 Holes on Sunday morning. It’s passionate Christians with a vibrant faith who just don’t have time for the “same old, same old” churchianity and the artificial bubble of the Christian sub-culture. Barna predicts that by 2025 only about one-third of American Christians will rely upon a local congregation as the primary or exclusive means for experiencing and expressing their faith. The rest will be split between a) alternative forms of faith-based community and b) the media, arts, and other cultural institutions (p. 49). I'm not sure what the stats would be, but I'd guess that Canadians are already further along that path that those south of the 49th.

As a Pastor working in a traditional church setting this obviously has some significant ramifications for me. But it’s really nothing new. I remember having this discussion with a number of people that left the first church I was pastoring back in the early 90’s. At that time I thought they were uncommitted, wishy-washy (even back-sliding!) Christians who were going on strike because they didn’t want to tithe or support the vision (my vision?) of the church. Having been around the block a few times in the last 15 years, I’ve been chagrinned to realize that lately I’ve been articulating their side of the argument. I’d like to go back and have those conversations again. Maybe we could have seen something really dynamic released in our community.

Don't get me wrong. I love The Church, even the local small ‘c’ kind of church. But I’ve come to believe that what we mean by 'local church' needs redefining. We can no longer measure the success of a church by the A, B, C’s we have used for so long – Attendance, Buildings, and Cash-flow. The reality is that if only one-third of believers are going to show up on Sunday we won’t have enough resources to staff our programs or pay for our buildings to get the job done in the way that until now we think it should be done.

But from a Kingdom perspective, maybe, just maybe, that’s not a bad thing. Maybe some of the keys to impacting our community that all of us professional pastors are desperately scrambling for are not to be found in a better Sunday service or an improved variety of more elaborate programs. Maybe we should be looking towards releasing, enhancing, and facilitating alternative faith communities. (Like living room churches, perhaps?) But can we as leaders in a traditional local church even go there? How does that impact the local church we are trying to build? (insteresting how we phase that...) Or closer to home, how does this impact my pay cheque?

Or is the right question “How does that impact The Kingdom?”

Hmmmm... Just a thought. I’d like to hear yours…

Uncle Sam Comes for a Visit

Coming across on BC Ferries we looked down the Straight of Georgia to a very large and ominous looking vessel heading our direction. I doubt the Canadian Navy has anything this large or this shape, so that kind of limits the options as to whom it may be. I guess even the US Navy likes to vacation in beautiful British Columbia. This is one time I wish I had a camera with a better lense!

40th Anniversary Slide Show

Wasn't that a Party!

Congratulations to my Mom and Dad who celebrated their 40th Wedding Anniversary this weekend. October 1 is the actual date, but when something is this exciting, who can wait?

I have a wonderful family. When we gather together for events like these it is awesome to see the impact that godly parents and grandparents can have on the following generations. The influence is profound!