Year: 2013

15 “I am and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; 7 If you remain in me 8 This is to my Father’s glory, We tend to think that “fruit bearing” is a sign of a “really special” Christian. That’s not what Jesus said. Fruit bearing is a sign that  you are a Christian. The health of your fruit is directly proportional to the strength of  your relationship with Christ. A fruitless branch is useless. So what is the nature of this fruit? We know about the fruit of the spirit: love, joy,  peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. It is certainly great to have these traits, but they have a greater purpose. Like fruit in nature, the fruit we produce is meant to feed and sustain  others. Fruit attracts […]

Forty percent of Americans say they attend church regularly, but only twenty percent actually do.  A healthy percentage of the twenty percent show up with a “wow me” attitude. Even fewer participate in church beyond worship and only a tiny percent are willing to lead others. In the summer months approaching, attendance is so bad that many pastors shut down or greatly reduce activities so as not to waste resources.   If we are ever going to make a difference, we need to change our attitude about our faith and start going all in.  At the beginning of each Kairos weekend, we tell the participants the following story: A farmer was walking down the road carrying a bag of wheat. The King came along and greeted him. He asked the farmer for some of his wheat. The farmer reached into his sack and pulled out a single grain, hoping the King would find that sufficient. The King took the grain then pulled out a sack of gold coins and gave the farmer one gold coin. The King went on his way leaving the farmer wondering what would have happened if he had given the King the whole sack. We all know […]

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. John 15:16 Last night was one of the most exciting of the year for football fans. Yet no game was played. It was the first night of the NFL draft. We all know the basics of how this works from when we were kids. When it was time to play a team sport a couple of captains were chosen and they took turns picking team members. I wasn’t good at any sport so these were embarrassing times as I was usually picked last. Once I was picked I was usually told not to touch the ball and to try not to mess the others up. The draft is exciting for the players because it means big money and the chance to continue to play a game they love. For the fans it’s exciting as they see where their favorite college players will go and whom their favorite NFL teams will select. The worst teams generally get to go first and the best players generally are picked first. But historically, it doesn’t […]

There is a time3     a time to kill and a time to speak,8     a time to love and a time to hate,    a time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3 Yesterday I attended our last Wednesday Morning Men’s meeting. We have decided that it’s time to shut our traditional meeting down, at least for a while. For much of the time we were meeting, it was a high point in my week. I looked forward to the meetings and my relationships with the attendees and with God were enhanced. Now it’s season has passed. Things change. At our church we have a new pastor and things are changing. Without judging the rightness or wrongness of the changes, it’s clear that things are different. As a result, some folks have left and others have joined up. Some are struggling with the decision to stay or go.  I for one am not great with change; but it’s part of life. I think it’s wonderful that God designed our world to change every few weeks. It’s a constant reminder not only that things change, but that the changes are necessary for life. The changes in our personal lives are certainly not predictable as […]

“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35 I decided to start attending the church I attend these days after just one meeting. It wasn’t because of the sermon. No sermon was given at that meeting. It wasn’t the worship. No worship took place. It was a youth talent show. What attracted me was the love of Jesus that was present. It was more than just a friendly place to be. I saw the kind of agape love that can only exist in the presence of Jesus. Jesus told us this is the way folks would identify us as His. We need to remember that we really have only one product, Just Jesus. The way we touch a diverse congregation on Sunday is to give them Jesus. I was a Pastor for a few years. I didn’t seek the position and had no training for it. I was intimidated and made many mistakes. One thing I did right was to buy a podium and the wooden letters “J E S U S.” I fastened the letters to the front of the podium. It was my thought that […]

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Matthew 28:19 Yesterday I discussed the tendency to over intellectualize Christianity. That’s not to say that teaching and learning are not important. In fact, “making disciples” is the greatest challenge facing the church.  Consider the challenge. Church attendance is down in America. Fewer folks attend church on a regular basis. Of those who do attend, most attend only a worship service on Sunday. Only a handful attend midweek services, Sunday School or other gatherings of Christians. Lots of Christians get their “teaching” from books, websites or from TV preachers. Some are great. Some not so much.  For these reasons, much of the focus of the local church is on the Sunday service. Consider those in attendance: long term members with varying degrees of maturity, new members, visitors. Those in attendance have innumerable concerns and distractions: raising children, paying bills, facing retirement, facing illness, facing death. On a Sunday morning a Pastor must attempt to somehow touch ever person and meet every need. Good luck.  Most pastors recognize the impossibility of meeting every need in […]

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” John 21:15The most common complaint of those who are disgruntled or who have even left a church is that they were not “being fed.” Since Jesus clearly told Peter to “Feed my lambs.” this seems a compelling condemnation. However, I suspect that it is based on a misunderstanding of what it means to be a Christian or a “follower of Christ.” We seem to think that Christianity is primarily an intellectual pursuit. This is understandable in one sense. God is so infinite and deep that if we spent every minute studying Him and His ways we would never completely know Him. But the gospel is simple. It was designed to be easily understood. Great intellect or learning is not required.  Consider, Jesus didn’t call his disciples to be great teachers. He didn’t pick those who were intellectually superior. Christianity is primarily experiential. The depth of our walk is not determined by what we know, but by Whom we know and by what we […]

And Jesus answering said to them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marveled at him. Mark 12:17There is not much doubt that this is my least favorite week of the year. “Tax Time” doesn’t have much meaning to most Americans any more. Most folks have a money taken from their paycheck every month and early the next year they get some of it back. It seems like a gift from the government, even though it’s their money and maybe some of someone else’s money as well. The income tax with holding system is the most sinister evil plot ever conceived by our government. It has convinced most of  us that “tax time” is when the government gives us money. If you are one of those who is subject to withholding, it might be a good idea to compute not what you are “getting back” but what the government is keeping. Just a thought.  As our government gets more and more evil, it gets  harder and harder for those of us who write a check each April to write that check. It’s without a doubt the largest check […]