How to feel your mortality

Blogger readers,

I just found out yesterday that a high school class mate passed away by viewing the obit in the newspaper. Somehow, we all feel our mortality when we see someone we know in an obit. No gettin' around it. It tells us we do not live forever as humans and we have to make the best of our time here on earth. So much life to live and a lifetime to experience it. However, I hear from many older people that Life comes and goes so fast. Obviously, when you're young, you don't think about it, unless someone dies.

Ok, ok, I know this is too morbid and sad for most to think about. But we can't chase these thoughts out of our minds forever. Some day all of us will die, unless of course you are a Christian who believes in the "afterlife" and knows there are only two destinations from which we must decide, by how we live our lives. When Jesus comes back in the sky, we will be transformed, and to me, that means we don't die, but become more than what we are now. Attaining more than human life, eternal life.

I say to myself, It's a Wednesday, I can think like this if I want. Geez, I need a hit of coffee.
Seriously, I think these thoughts hit me most when someone I know from my youth dies. It is certainly thought provoking. And the Sara Groves CD I have on right now really makes me think about things.

Folks, make the best of today. That's all we have right now. And remember what Jesus said, "Take heart! I have overcome the world." Such a bold statement, and full of optimism, hope for the future!

In honor of my classmate, Linda Billings Minger, I wish to say, "thank you Linda fo all you gave our world".

Life comes at you fast!

Pastor Mark

How conversational are you?

Hey to all my Blogger readers,

Well, Christmas 2007 and New Years have passed and now back to living. I have been groovin' to Michael McDonald's Christmas album today called In The Spirit. How many out there like Michael McDonald??? I call him, THE VOICE. I so wished I could sing like him. He is too cool. And don't ya know I sing along with him when I can. The last cut on the album is called A World Out of A Dream and he is at his best. But the whole album is his very best and I would recommend it to anyone.

Well, the last few days I've had the oppotunity to view two films called The Perfect Stranger and Another Perfect Stranger adapted from Dinner with a Perfect Stranger . It started me to thinking why it is so hard for us Christians to get out of the "Christianese" we speak. I mean, how long does it actually take to be conversational enough that we identify enough with people to win them on their level?

Gosh, typically, we lay this religious thing on people. That's too bad because some of us, who are not religous have to get them turned around that Jesus is not religion. In the second film, the unbelieving person who was raised a Christian starts to out-right reject her upbringing and runs away, only to sit next on a jet by, you-know-who, Jesus himself. The second film was every bit as challenging as the first one in how unthinkable it could be that Jesus just appeared to them. That was entertaining enough, but I don't want to give anything away for those who have not seen them yet. I saw them on a TBN affiliate in our area.

I'm into my web projects at work and really like the challenge of it. I will be responding more to SarahsD more in the near future. She has some great things to think about.

In answer to SarahsD question, my wife received from me for Christmas a diamond solitaire necklace to match her solitaire ring she got on our 25th wedding anniversary. It was a beauty and a buy. She likes it.

My wife's sister-in-law is in surgery today so I need to get over to the hospital to support their family.

So, anybody out there have some thoughts to share? Give me some comments people!

Life comes at you fast!

Pastor Mark

How is your church doing?

All right Blogger readers,

Now I'm curious to know how many agree with this MSNBC video? I agree about one thing. Some of the mega churches and mid-sized churches are aging, and thus, losing traction in the relevancy area, but I don't think everyone has to necessarily dress like you would be scared of them in a dark alley. Not casting any judgment on the preacher in this video. In fact, I'm more comfortable in jeans, so why not wear comfortable cloths to church? However, I just think it's a matter of what leadership allows. I won't criticize the people that have mohawks as long as they don't criticize my down-to-earth approach. BUT, much like a variety of preachers today, I struggle with how much I make myself look like others in our culture. I don't think it's necessary.

I like to watch Ed Young. Ed is on the cover of MinistryToday and is the subject of this article. I can really identify with this statement in the article:

Becoming comfortable in his own skin
wasn't automatic for Young.

That had to do with Ed breaking away from his father a little bit because he felt he was different from him. But different is sometimes hard to be. OK, now, the article goes on to say Ed went through "church H-E-double toothpicks" while attempting to step out and be different. I've watched Ed Young and he doesn't seem to force different. He seems to flow with it. Not everyone is called to "different." But I love the way the article continues:

Young stresses, however, that FC's goal is not to "put on a bigger and better show each and every weekend. Sometimes the most creative element can be the most simplistic, the most basic; it can be a very dialed-down service. Other times it can have a lot of different elements that can even borderline on sensory overload. We just try to change it.
Christianity is all about change. Whenever you have change, you've got conflict, and with conflict, you've got growth. It's the spin-cycle of
growth."

Now I go for that. Currently, I am in a position that I try to bring "different", not quite the way Ed does, but how a simple message is communicated. You're seeing into a pastor's mind. Trying to see what brings the most effective words and environment. Personally, I think way too many pastors are too absorbed and isolated in their church environment and it becomes an inward focus. Comfort is a valued commodity, probably because most pastors deal with everyones' problems 24/7. However, when there is a maturing in the Body of Christ, there has to be room for that growth to accommodate assistance for the pastor, enough that, the local body grows by an osmosis process, instead of an anomaly function.

Is it a RARE thing for unbelievers or "new people" to walk in? Are we stuck in the same 35, 45, 50, 70, 85, 100, 150, 230, 340, 470 people that walk in week after week? Shouldn't there be continuous exponential growth? I'm only asking...

And why is it pastors are the only ones asking these questions? Mature believers should KNOW to see these things, right? Right?

Here are the excuses: I'm too stretched; I'm too busy; I'm too tired; I have a family to provide for; I have a family to feed; I have too many places to run to every day; I'm not strong or brave enough; AND a hundred others...

Pastors, let people know how you think about this. Even if you don't agree with this post, you have to say to yourself, "How far have we come, how far are we going, and how long will it take to get there?"

Ed Young offers 7 Keys to To keep a church healthy, active, creative and maturing. Read the whole thing, it is so worth it!

Life comes at you fast!

Pastor Mark

First post at Blogger

First Blog,

This makes three running blogs, in all. Now I've graduated to a Blogger account. I shall be feeding all at once.

Pastor Mark