We are all different. Yesterday I posted about whether a pastor could serve in political office…as expected…I got different opinions. (Read them HERE…and add your own.)
I’m learning to embrace diversity…not to run from it…
Throughout the year I’m going to ask some questions to see a difference of opinion. Here are this week’s questions:
Should a pastor be involved in politics?
I’ve often wondered this question…help me think through it today.
Let me explain a little of where this is coming from today.
I was not familiar with this movie until Michael Bayne, our family pastor, pointed it out to me. Wow! The trailer makes me want to watch this movie.
The descriptions says:
A true story about four Allied POWs who
endure harsh treatment at the hands of their Japanese captors during World War II while being forced to build a railroad through the Burmese jungle. Ultimately they find true freedom by forgiving their enemies. Share this powerful story of
redemption with your friends.
Watch the trailer:
The first sermon of the new year was a difficult one, because I encouraged our people to let go of some of the burdens they had been carrying in 2010. We wanted to start 2011 with a clean slate and make it a better year. I challenged people to write the one issue they wanted to leave behind on an index card. We captured those, and though they didn’t have names on them, we recorded the general issue to see what people in our church were dealing with this year. For me personally this is helping to shape the way I preach.
Here is a graph of the over 1,000 cards we collected:
I’ve had these shoes for 20 plus years.
I’ve stitched up the sides a couple times.
I’ve replaced the soles…
I’ve worn these shoes on construction sites when I was in business…
I’ve preached in these shoes…
These shoes are falling apart now…
I’m about to make some hard decisions about whether to replace them…
I have to admit:
When it rains my feet get wet…
When it’s cold my feet freeze…
But I’ve been loyal to my old shoes a long, long time…
Maybe I should retire them but they’ve been good shoes many years…
Whenever I wear my shoes, I’m reminded of a culture change I’ve noticed…
Where do you get your best ideas?
I love ideas, so I’m always trying to create new ones.
Here’s where some of my best ideas come from:
Let’s discuss church attendance today.
I specifically want to know why some people choose not to attend church.
I want to hear about your experiences, but I also want to hear your opinions.
One of my passions is the local church. I grew up in church and there’s never been a time in my life when I didn’t want to go to church.
Recently I was interviewed for a local online newspaper about the launching of our second campus. (You can read the article HERE.) In the article I stated a statistic that 86% of people in our county do not go to church. That’s what the latest numbers I’m hearing indicate. I didn’t make the number up, but I didn’t do the research either. Regardless of the accuracy of the number, no one who believes in church doubts that it is higher than we would like it to be.
So, today, I’m wonder why people don’t go to church.
I love this clip from what is believed to be the last speech of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. What an encouragement!
His words should be our own…
Take one minute today and receive some inspiration from the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
year I’m doing some fun posts over select weekends in 2011 aimed at engaging my readership, but also learning from each other. The first one was a couple weeks ago. Read it HERE. I was leaving for Costa Rica and missed last week.
Some of these questions are serious and some are not. Read through the comments and see how different we are from each other.
The more comments…the more we get to see our differences.
Here are this week’s questions…
Our team of 5 men built and repaired a fence during our Costa Rica mission trip this week. We worked well together, developed great systems, and shared the same work ethics.
The generally agreed upon leader of our team was a man old enough to be my father. I know that, because he has a son my age. This trip Jay invested in me! What a blessing that has been!
I grew up most of my life without…
