15 Nov Book: Healing the Heart of Your Church

In the last post I mentioned the idea of a corporate time of prayer and confession for sins of the past in our church. Well, I was directed to a great resource, a book by Dr. Kenneth Quick titled, Healing the Heart of Your Church. Some of you might be interested in reading it for the insights it could provide for your local church situation. The publisher is Church Smart. You could order it direct from them or you could order it from our bookstore here. It is worth the read and will give you some insights as to why I possibly began to think about such a time at the National Conference 2007.

Been gone a lot during the last of October and so far in November…but I did want to let you know about the book and in case I don’t “see” you before, have a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration. One of the things I will miss this year is the annual Thanksgiving Eve Communion and Baptism service we had each year at Main Street. Those were some of my favorite services of the year. EJ and I will most likely travel to Wheaton to visit our daughter and her family. Looking forward to that.

02 Nov Prayer Team for National Conference

In preparing for the 2007 National Conference, it has been impressed on my mind that I need a core of people who would be willing to join me in prayer that God would meet with us in a mighty way during this conference. We can do good planning, but in the end we get just what man’s planning can do. But if we seriously seek the face of God, we will get what God can do.

I don’t know about you, but I’d like God to show up and put his fingerprints all over the planning and the conference itself. If you would be willing to join me in seriously praying for the conference, email me at [email protected] and let me know how and when you will be joining me in prayer.

By the way, I have been thinking about sins of the past and how they affect the future. The thought has crossed my mind that some corporate sins, maybe from a long time ago, are affecting our ability to move forward as a church. In reading the General Conference minutes for the three or four quadrennial meetings after the 1889 division, there is evidence of great sin. Maybe that has happened in other times as well, where corporately by sinning we grieved God and some of what we face today is a consequence of unconfessed sins in the past. This is certainly true in an individual if they carry unconfessed sins. Has anyone else been thinking or ever thought about this? I would like to have some dialogue about the subject.

18 Oct Jeff Pelley Sentenced to 160 Years

On October 17, Jeff Pelley was sentenced to 160 years in prison for the shotgun slayings of his father, step-mother, and two step-sisters in 1989. Robert Pelley, Jeff’s father, was pastor of the Olive Branch United Brethren church in Lakeville, Ind. (just south of South Bend). The bodies were found in the parsonage the next day, Sunday morning, by parishioners.

Pelley, now 34, was give four consecutive 40-year sentences. Investigators said he was angry at his father for grounding him just before the high school prom. After the killings, they said, he cleaned up and went to the dance, followed by a school trip to Chicago.

During the sentencing hearing, Pelley said, “I loved my family dearly and have lived my life trying to pattern my life after my father. I would not, I could not, and I did not do this.” His biological sister, Jacque Delp, who was not home when the shootings occurred, also testified on his behalf. “He is one of the most kind and compassionate people I know.”

During the trial, Pelley’s attorneys insisted there wasn’t enough time for him to kill his family, clean up, and still make it to the prom, and that after committing an act like that, nobody would act normal, which is how friends testified that he acted during the prom events.

Investigators never looked for fingerprints, claiming they didn’t think they would find usable prints and that they already considered Pelley their main suspect (though he wasn’t charged until 2002). The murder weapon has never been found.

18 Oct Clear Sight Is Different Than Seeing

Pam and I received word that someone we care about deeply has been told he has cancer in several locations in his body. In addition, this past week blood clots flowed to his head and caused two minor strokes, leaving him essentially blind. He can detect some motion but not depth or detail of what is in front of him.

I’ve been praying and thinking. I know that other senses work hard at assessing the world around us when we lose one of our senses. And I am sure that this is happening to our friend. But the transition after the traumatic loss takes time. And this is where my thoughts have been focusing.

What is blinding me? What issue, event, hurt, opinion has “traumatized” me so that I do not spiritually see clearly now? And how have I adapted so that my assessment of my world is done with limited input because of my “blindness?”

Jesus indicated that our enemy has blinded people (John 12:40; 2 Cor. 4:4). But Satan is not the source of most blindness today. It is our stubborn refusal to take our hurts, sorrows, anger, offenses, or difficulties to the cross of Jesus. There is where forgiveness flows (both to us and from us). There is where healing takes place. There is where hope lives. There is peace.

Our dear one will probably never physically see again apart from the miraculous work of Christ. But I would suggest he sees very clearly. His eyes are set on another place, where there will be no more sadness or pain or sorrow anymore, because all this will be passed away.

But we can start seeing clearly. Again, it is only through the miraculous work of Christ. Our spiritual eyes can be restored. And we can say with the man whom Jesus healed: I was blind, but now I see.

17 Oct Churches and Political Activity

We’re in the midst of another national election. From what I’ve observed, United Brethren churches keep a good balance when it comes to political activity, and most prefer to avoid partisan politics. Which is proper, according to the IRS publication, Tax Guide for Churches and Religious Organizations. Consider this excerpt from the section “Political Campaign Activity”:

“Contributions to political campaign funds or public statements of position (verbal or written) made by or on behalf of the organization in favor of or in opposition to any candidate for public office clearly violate the prohibition against political campaign activity. Violation of this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status….When it participates in political campaign activity, a church or religious organization jeopardizes both its tax-exempt status under IRC section 501(c)(3) and its eligibility to receive tax-deductible contributions.”

Most UB churches owe their tax-exempt status to the denomination, which provides an umbrella 501(c)(3) exemption. One politically vocal UB church could, conceivably, jeopardize the charitable status of all UB churches, and cause tithes and offerings to no longer qualify as charitable contributions. So it’s a serious thing.
(more…)

02 Oct Recommended Book: The Very Large Church

Ron Ramsey, Bishop
I have been meaning to post this for sometime. When I remember, I’m traveling and away from my computer, and when I am close, I forget. But anyhow, I read a book recently that I thought would be good to recommend to you. It is The Very Large Church, by Lyle E. Schaller. Now, when some of you come back down to earth, let me tell you why I recommend the book. It has nothing to do with large churches or small churches. Rather, it is one of the more excellent books I’ve read describing the culture we live in. The chapter “The Consequences of Consumerism” should be required reading for every pastor, staff, board chairman, commission chairman…in other words, anyone in leadership in your church.

Mr. Schaller has a very perceptive mind as it relates to understanding our culture and the church. I dare say that this book will answer some of the questions you’ve been asking for some time, regardless of the size of your church.

Anyway, this is one of those “for what its worth” entries. Let me know what you think when you read it. Oh yes, if you don’t want to purchase a copy, check it out of your local library. If they don’t have it on the shelf, I am sure they could get it for you. It will be worth your trouble.

30 Sep Mowing, Vision, and a Focused Eye

I’ve been a little tardy in posting to the blog. No excuse really, just busy. But we all could say that, couldn’t we? Well, I was thinking about writing this post this morning while I was mowing my lawn–or more precisely, while I was on my lawn tractor. Yes, I have a riding lawn mower. I really don’t need it with my present lawn, but I purchased it while I was in Ohio and had a bigger lawn to mow, and I kept it. You see, I was raised on a farm and somehow riding that lawn tractor around my lawn takes me back to many enjoyable hours riding the old Allis Chalmers W-D across our fields plowing, discing ground, planting, etc.

Anyway, this morning as I mowed I realized that I was using a skill taught to me long ago. It was how to drive a tractor across a field in a straight line. Today’s tractors have GPS, but back then, to drive in a straight line you would pick out a distant object in line with where you wanted to go–a tree, telephone post, building, etc.–and then drive while keeping your eye fixed on that object. It was amazing how well it worked. When you got to the end of the field and looked back, you would see that you had driven in a pretty straight line.
(more…)

29 Sep Laughter

I have been in a number of serious conversations over the past months. But last week I was told a joke that struck me at the right time in the right way and I had to laugh. And I laughed, and laughed and laughed. It felt so good. It was one of those deep belly laughs. You know the kind. You shake, get control, then think about it again and start the process all over. Other people nearby wondered what in the world had taken hold of me. It felt like the sun shining on a cloudy day, bringing light and warmth.

Scripture speaks about laughter. Sometimes it is associated with the drunken laughter of fools. But more importantly laughter is portrayed as the natural result of the joy of seeing the Lord work in powerful ways. He brought the captives back to Israel, and they were filled with laughter. He brought Job out of his troubles and he laughed. He made outlandish promises to Abraham and Sarah laughed thinking about it. God is not puritanical. He is the God who created and celebrates laughter.

Be clear: There is a time to laugh and a time to mourn. (Ecc. 3) So laughter must be appropriate. But we are made to laugh. When was the last time you laughed? Did you know that we who are a part of a congregation are to so obey and follow our church leaders that their work is a joy, bringing laughter? (Hebrews 13:17)

If you’ve been too serious lately, find something to laugh about. Something simple, pure and joyful. You will be amazed the effect it will have on you. It will make those around you wonder what got ahold of you.

15 Sep The Physics of Evangelism

Tom Blaylock, Director of Church Multiplication

How many of you remember high school chemistry class? Even though I have to go back 20-plus years, I vividly remember my experiences. Our teacher was your classic “nutty professor” type, brilliant but not fully plugged into reality. One day in class an experiment went awry resulting in a fireball about four feet in diameter that left a blackened scorch mark on the ceiling. Now that was cool!

In that class we learned about several laws of physics. One of those laws had to do with gravity, or more precisely, “gravitation.” The Encyclopedia Britannica says “gravity shapes the structure and evolution of stars, galaxies, and the entire universe….On Earth all bodies have a weight, or downward force of gravity, proportional to their mass, which the Earth’s mass exerts on them.”
(more…)

11 Sep The Website is Your Church’s New Front Door

People expect certain basic amenities in a church. Indoor plumbing. A roof. Chairs to sit on. Telephone service. And now–a website. The younger generations, at least, expect a website. If you don’t have one, then to many people, you don’t exist. Like it or not. That’s just a new reality.

When young adults look for a church, the first place they go is Google, which is pretty much the new Yellow Pages. People will type in the name of a city and state, and perhaps a zip code–“church Huntington IN 46750”–and see what turns up. They can then anonymously research churches at their leisure, 24/7, and decide which one they’d like to visit. By the time they physically attend a church, they’ll feel like they’ve already “visited” five (or more) churches by checking out their websites and reading about them.
(more…)