What are the “Big Rocks”? Change or die?
Perhaps you’ve heard the story of the professor who placed a big jar in front of class, and then started filling it up with some big rocks. He asked the class was the jar full? They said, “yes.” Then he put in medium sized rocks that fell between the big rocks. Again he asked the class was the jar full? Again, most of the class said, “yes,” but some hesitated. Then he poured in some sand which fell between the cracks of the big and medium sized rocks. He asked the class again, was the jar full? Now most of the class hesitated. Then he took out a pitcher of water and poured it into the jar. Now, he said, the jar is full. “The hard part is,” he went on to explain, “figuring out which are the big rocks (the most important things in life), from those that are of medium importance, and those many small things that distract us and take up most of our time, attention, and energy. Always put the BIG ROCKS in first!” The necessary challenge is to set priorities!
When John the Baptist proclaimed, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven has come near,” he was calling us to change our thinking/attitudes and to change our living/actions, so that our whole lives may be aligned to welcome in God’s Kingdom. John is calling us to answer the question: in God’s Kingdom, what are the BIG ROCKS? And, are we putting the BIG ROCKS in first, through our attitudes, actions, and the use of our time, talents, and treasures? Or have we filled our lives and our church with medium sized rocks and small pebbles, pouring water over it (blessing it) and calling it good enough?
As we address another budget deficit for 2011, we will need to again ask the question: WHAT are the BIG ROCKS, and are we putting those things first, before those medium and small priority things; and, HOW are we going to put in those BIG ROCKS first in terms of the time and effort of our committees, lay leaders, the church members, and the staff? Â Honest reflection and feedback, evaluation and prioritizing, and finding the tools and resources will help us on the way.
A Task Force already met last week to start brainstorming ideas to help us address our budget deficit for 2011. Â Our first step was to clarify what the current situation really is, not just in terms of the budget, but in terms of the “why” we are in this situation. Â So, what’s going on? Â 1) Many people are unemployed, or significantly underemployed, as well as facing other financial difficulties because of health issues; 2) Some families have moved or withheld giving because of the ELCA vote to allow congregations to bless same-sex relationships and call gay clergy in committed relationships; 3) We have seen stagnant growth for the past four to five years; 4) We have ministry areas that are not as healthy, vibrant, or effective as they should or need to be.
We then quickly developed a list of budget priorities and identified areas that could be reduced or cut, and then funded or accomplished in other ways, while keeping focused on our CORE MINISTRY and MISSION. Â Some ministries will need to figure out how to fund themselves, for instance: Â all costs for adult education (books, DVD’s, speakers, etc.) will need to be paid for by the participants, or through donations. Â We need to decrease postage expenses by increasing and improving our use of website and internet technology to better connect with our members and the community to increase participation. Â We also need those that can to increase their giving for 2011, even if just a small amount a week. Â Through budget adjustments, deferring expenses to 2012, small but widespread increases in giving, and reducing a variety of line items across the budget, we will reduce the deficit to a reasonable and manageable level for 2011. Â But what about the BIG ROCKS of our ministry and mission?
Well, the BIG ROCKS are not: specific programs or activities, committees, groups, staff, or people in the church.
The BIG ROCKS are the following 8 quality characteristics of healthy, growing congregations:
- EMPOWERING LEADERSHIP
- GIFT ORIENTED MINISTRY
- PASSIONATE SPIRITUALITY
- FUNCTIONAL STRUCTURES
- INSPIRING WORSHIP SERVICES
- HOLISTIC SMALL GROUPS
- NEED-ORIENTED EVANGELISM
- LOVING RELATIONSHIPS
Notice that these 8 quality characteristics describe practices, habits, and attitudes that are reflected in the programs, activities, groups, staff, and members of the congregation, not the other way around. Â The organization, “Natural Church Development,” has been doing research and working with over 45,000 churches around the world on improving these 8 quality characteristics of their congregations, and the results have been impressive. Â This is not a program, but a way of reflecting, evaluating, and prioritizing the ministry and mission of the church. Â It is not a quick fix, but a way of seeking on-going growth, improvement, and health for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the spiritual growth to maturity of Christ’s disciples.
Change is hard. Â Change is natural and unavoidable. Â Yet, we do avoid it at almost any cost, even given the ultimatum, “Change or die!” Â So God sends us prophets like John the Baptist, to prepare the way, “Repent (CHANGE), for the kingdom of heaven is near!” Â Or we are confronted with another budget deficit, which I believe God is using to wake us up for the need to change, to re-evaluate, to re-commit ourselves to improving our ministry and mission that God has given us, because for Christus Victor, if we don’t change, it will probably not be immediate “death,” but a slow progression unto “death” by having to cut staff and cut ministries because we didn’t change what we needed to change for the growth and health of the ministry, mission, and most importantly, the spiritual growth of the disciples of our church and community.
I much prefer playing around with “small rocks,” because it gives me the illusion that I am in control, that what I want to focus my time, talents, and treasures on is ultimately important. Â But when circumstances make me focus on the BIG ROCKS, I realize I’m not in control, and that I need to pray, a lot, and to give control over to God, and then follow where He leads, even if that means “repenting/changing” for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Â So, there you have it, we’ve got to change, we’ve got to repent, for the Kingdom of God has come near! Â Repent/change, and believe the Good News!
Expectation in Advent: searching for hope in anxious times
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. – Romans 12: 12
In the 12th chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans, he gives the Roman Christians encouragement and directions for living out the Christian faith. Â Paul is no pollyanna, ignoring the difficulties of life and the challenges of living as disciples of Jesus Christ. Â He knows first hand the power of faith in Jesus Christ to overcome and face the pain and suffering of persecutions and the struggles of following his Lord and Savior. Â There are internal and external threats and temptations to sin and commit evil. Â There are constant temptations to fall away, to not use one’s God-given gifts for the building up of the church or in service toward others, and to give in to pride and anger.
Looking for hope in anxious times
In the midst of Advent, the preparation and waiting for the celebration of Christ’s mass, comes the haggard, wild figure of John the Baptist. Â Not preparing the way for a baby, but for an unknown adult, a yet to be revealed, expected Messiah. Â The Anointed One of God, bringing judgment, an ax to cut down trees that do not bear fruit, a winnowing fork to clear the wheat from the chaff, and then burn the chaff with unquenchable fire! Â Oh, my! Â He’s no jolly old St. Nick.
John’s urgent message, his divine prescription to prepare for the coming Messiah is for us to REPENT and BEAR FRUIT worthy of repentance. Â But like the Sadducees and the Pharisees of long ago, we have half-hearted, impure intentions, hoping that some sort of superficial sign of repentance and change will be enough. Â We want change and we want it now, but only if others have to bear the burden and the cost instead of us, because we don’t want to be the ones who have to change. Â We give lip service to faithful stewardship, discipleship, and service, and act surprised when there isn’t enough money or enough people to support and equip the ministries and mission of the church. Â It isn’t good enough that our children and kids serve and learn and grow in knowledge and understanding in faith in God. Â We’re the ones who need to REPENT (change our way of thinking=growing in our knowledge of God and the Word) and BEAR FRUIT (be a blessing to others=serve, lead, help)! Â Unfortunately for we are a sneaky brood of vipers, avoiding the only real change and deep change that will do the job.
We do need to cut down and cut out those things in our lives that keep us from growing in our relationship with God. Â Keep us from living fruitful lives of blessing, grace, love, and forgiveness for the sake of our neighbors and the world. Â We do need to get beyond the chaff, the outward image, the “flesh” and the trappings of the world; we need a spiritual winnowing fork to remove the thin facade of chaff that hides our true selves. Â The “Chaff” is not our true self, it is the external stuff that matters to us but not to God. Â It is the wheat, the seed, the kernel underneath that is the most important to God, because that is our true self that God loves and cares about.
John the Baptist does point us to hope, by changing our thinking about what is really important and matters and lasts, and then live our lives accordingly, which results in bearing fruit, not for ourselves, but for others. Â Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is coming near! Â Hope is on the way!
What Are You Striving For?
“[Jesus] said to his disciples, ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing…Instead, strive for God’s kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.â€Â  (Luke 12: 22-23, 31)
What are you striving for?Â
Maybe it would help if we knew what it meant to strive for something.Â
STRIVE means: to exert oneself vigorously; to try hard.
By that definition, a lot of people at CV have been striving to enjoy summer to its fullest! And that’s not all bad. People are striving at work.  Others are striving to raise kids; which means striving to get kids to all of their activities on time, with food in their stomach (or bag) and clean clothes on their bodies. There are others who are striving to cheer on the Twins, improve their golf game, catch a bigger fish, help their team win the tournament, or make VBS and the Garage Sale both big successes.
We all strive for a lot of things, but Jesus tells us that the most important thing is striving for God’s kingdom! Striving for the kingdom of God is not primarily about deeds and actions, but about having a Christ-centered attitude, intention, and focus.
Here’s a true story that illustrates how, with a Christ-centered attitude, intention, and focus, golfing can become a striving for the kingdom of God! A group of guys go golfing together. They invite a friend from church to be a substitute. While golfing they start talking about some events coming up at church, specifically the pancake breakfast after a Sunday Worship Service. “Hey, why don’t you come and help us with the pancake breakfast, we’d love to have you!â€Â Their friend agrees and not only is a great helper, but has a good time serving the community of faith, and shows some interest in getting involved with the Men’s Ministry of the church.
With a Christ-centered attitude, intention, and focus your softball team becomes a small group ministry of the church striving for the kingdom of God, even if you don’t make it to the playoffs. With a Christ-centered attitude, intention, and focus your work at the office and at home raising kids and nurturing your family becomes a striving for the kingdom of God. With a Christ-centered attitude, intention, and focus the Garage Sale becomes more than just selling stuff for the church, it becomes an opportunity for building friendships, new relationships, and serving our neighbors from near and far.
What are you going to strive for this fall? As for me, I am going to strive for the kingdom of God. Let’s strive together!
It’s All About Relationships
 “Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’†– Luke 10: 25-28
           It’s all about relationships, relationship with God and relationships with our neighbors. Relationships that are grounded in love, love of God, and love of our neighbors. 1 John 4: 10-11 puts it this way, “In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sing. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another.â€Â
           When we have a relationship with God, grounded in love and growing in love, we have life. When we have a relationship with our neighbors, flowing from our love of God, we have life. Notice that the lawyer was concerned about life after death (eternal life), but Jesus says that eternal life begins now with a loving relationship with God that shapes our relationships with our neighbors. “You have given the right answer,†Jesus replied, “do this, and you will live.â€
            Church Camp at WAPO was all about our kids building their relationship with God and with other campers and counselors (aka “neighborsâ€). VBS, the Church Garage Sale, the Youth Mission Trip, and the Mission Trip to Tanzania are all about building relationships with God and neighbor, even when those neighbors live far away, or in the case of the Garage Sale come from far away.Â
           As you are reflecting on your summer, so quickly flying by, and pondering the fall, I want you to make a commitment this fall to growing in your relationship with God and with your neighbor.Â
- You may commit to more regular worship attendance on Sunday morning and the new Wednesday evening RECHARGE.Â
- You may choose to join a small group this fall, for fellowship, Bible study, or mix and match your own.Â
- Check out the Sunday morning Adult forums. Â
- Perhaps service is your thing, so you may want to join a committee or ministry serving the church and our community.Â
The main thing is to get connected and focus on growing your relationship with God and your neighbors. Love God and love your neighbor, do this and you will have life and have it abundantly!
Church Camp for Every Kid, for Every Summer, until 12th Grade!
Are we seriously committed to raising our kids as disciples of Jesus Christ? Â Do we want the children and youth of our congregation and community to have a vibrant, life-giving faith that will nurture, sustain, and energize their life until they are 100 years old?
I made it up to Camp Wapo for the day to visit all of our kids and touch base with Corey. Â Selfishly, I wish my schedule would have allowed spending a whole week at camp, but that wasn’t going to work this week. Â Here’s why I am going to make it work to spend the week at camp next summer…
- A group of our young girls was laughing and singing camp worship songs together as they were walking along outside, as if it was the most normal thing to do.
- 4th, 5th, and 6th grade boys were not only competing who could read the most Bible verses at their Bible study, but who could answer the most questions, or better yet, come up with really deep and profound questions about God, the Bible, and the life of faith to stump their counselors.
- A 6th grade boy from our church volunteered to close the Bible study with prayer – and it was a GOOD ONE! Â Not one of these quickie, silly prayers, but a well thought out, wide-ranging, heart-felt prayer to God of thanks, help, and guidance for the lives and faith of all of his new found friends.
- While being taught how to make friendship bracelets, an elementary girl talked about her concerns and prayers for her grandfather and uncle. Â ”I’m praying for them every morning and every night, and I don’t want to stop praying when I leave camp.” Â I told her I’d be praying with her.
- Then she said, “If church could be more like camp, I’ll bet more kids would make their parents bring them!“
Sports teams, musicians, actors, dancers, and cheer leaders all know and understand the importance of an intense week of summer training. It not only inundates the kids with skills and excitement for their given sport or activity, it creates bonding and team building too. Hockey camp, soccer camp, volleyball camp, band camp, language camp, Scout camp, and any other you can think of, all understand the importance and power of spending one whole week focused on one major thing. It pays dividends all the rest of the year.
Wouldn’t we, as a community of faith, as Christian parents and adults, want that same kind of experience of faith for our kids? That’s what church camp, or a mission trip, is all about for kids (and adults too): an intensive time focusing on building their relationship, knowledge, and understanding of God and their faith, as well as building friendships with other Christian kids. This includes improving “skills” such as studying the Bible, praying, worshipping, and serving others. Oh, and did I mention church camp is incredibly fun too?
So, here’s my crazy idea: let us together commit to sending every kid from 3rd grade to 12th grade to some sort of church camp or mission trip experience every summer. We might have to add a backpacking or boundary waters option for senior high youth, a week of confirmation camp, or even a day camp option for kids who don’t want to be away from home overnight. The possibilities are endless. The question is one of commitment and support from parents and adults in the church.
Well, what do you think?
It Takes a Team!
As I sat in the congregation listening to the final Spirit Bound performance, I was suddenly struck by the beauty of team work that has gone into making this ministry possible. Anne was right when she said that Spirit Bound wasn’t just about her, but about the whole group. Â It takes people who plan the trip and organize the buses, recruit churches to host the group, organize the money (including the tons of fundraising), organize the home stays, the hotel stays, the lighting crew, the sound system, the photographer, the tech team who hauls, sets up, and takes down all of the equipment, and of course, the band. Â Those are just some of the jobs that happen out of the spotlight that made Spirit Bound happen.
Then I saw people in the hallway, the people who were cleaning up from the potluck, taking down the tables and chairs they set up, cleaning the dishes, vacuuming the floors, and taking down the decorations they put up. Â Fay, Don, and Barb led a big team of helpers who spent a lot of time and energy to make the Spirit Bound homecoming successful. Â I can’t thank them all enough.
Whatever happens next after Spirit Bound comes to a close will take passion, commitment, a whole team of people working together, and a lot of time and energy! This sounds like the definition of servant-leadership: faithful disciples of Jesus Christ using and putting their gifts together with others in service to the Lord. Â It takes work!
Thanks to all of the people who have worked so hard to make Spirit Bound such a powerful and successful ministry over these 24 years! Â Thanks to all of the people who have worked behind the scenes as servant-leaders in the church to make every ministry, program, and mission of the church possible!
Spirit Bound Letting Their Light Shine!
Spirit Bound is on their final tour after 24 years of music ministry!
They loaded the buses last Friday night, June 18, to head out to the east coast (Boston) and then back again for their final Homecoming Potluck and Performance on Sunday June 27! Before they got on the buses, each member of Spirit Bound was given a candle and a card to give to someone that they meet on their trip who lets the light of Christ shine in their life.Â
The theme of the drama this year is “Find the Good Way.” It’s a story about change, how God leads and guides us in life, and paying attention to the new challenges, ministries, and work God is inviting us to take on. But it is also about letting the light of Christ shine in our lives through everything we do and say.
It may not surprise you to find out that the members of Spirit Bound have already given out a number of candles to some of the many people they have met.Â
One person was a 90 year old artist, whose son brought her to one of the performances. She was so touched by their music and message, and just the love of Jesus that radiated from the members of Spirit Bound, she invited everyone to come visit her artists studio and shop the next day. Her son told some of the members of Spirit Bound how much their performance impacted his mom.
Another person happened to be following the Spirit Bound bus as they made a wrong turn off of a round about while trying to find Plymouth Rock. They pulled up alongside the bus, knocked on the door, got in and helped them get back on the right roads to get to where they were going. It was just because they recoginzed the bus and decided to see if they needed any help.
The tour is going great! People are keeping their cell phones off while on the bus and are (gasp!) actually talking to one another and having a good time!!! (Sorry to those who have lost their voices!). They are heading toward Boston and more opportunities to let their light shine while taking the “Freedom Trail” visiting the Boston Public Library, or going to see “Toy Story 3″ (really guys?).
Join us as we welcome them home on Sunday afternoon, June 27, around 4:00pm, and then help us serve them a HUGE POTLUCK to show them our support. Their final performance starts at 7:00pm, and I hope everyone can join us to pack the sanctuary to standing room only! And as always, we could use your help setting up and cleaning up, so give me a call (952) 454-6927 or email me at pastor.kent@christusvictor.org.
Graduating from Church?
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF OUR HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE GRADUATES!
It is an exhilarating time of year, when college and high school young adults graduate, and look forward to the next steps in their journey of life. So many possibilities, so many unknowns. The biggest unknown is whether or not these young adults will continue in their journey of faith with Jesus Christ!
According to the latest longitudinal studies and research, approximately 65-75% of baptized and confirmed youth will have stopped participating in the worship and ministries of the church, any church, by the age of 21.  The sad situation is that:Â
- Approximately 10% of baptized children/youth continue in the life of the church and “grow in graceâ€/vocation leadership within the faith community and its mission in the world.
- Of Americans 40 years old and younger: 40% don’t believe in God, 25% say they are spiritual but not religious, and 5% say they are religious but are not committed or connected to any faith community. That’s 70% of young adults in America!
So, my thought and challenge is this: what would happen if every adult in the life of these graduates, starting with mom and dad, their aunts, uncles, and grandparents wrote their graduates a note sharing what their faith in God through Jesus Christ means to them, and why they find being connected to a community of faith (aka “the Church) is meaningful and important to them. In the midst of all the well wishes and congratulations, maybe a word of encouragement to continue on in their Baptismal relationship with Jesus Christ might be needed.
Praying Like Jesus – Part 3
I’ve been praying a lot lately.  Prayer is part of the rhythmn of my every day life and ministry.   It’s just that there have been so many things going on that I’ve been drawn to pray more often.
The massive oil spill in the Gulf.
Car bomb in New York city.
Endless war and conflict in the Middle East, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
Police Officer murdered in Maplewood.
Church members, family members, and friends struggling with pain, diseases, addictions, unemployment, under-umployment, and the hard realities of being mortal creatures. And so I pray.Â
And we, whether we are directly related and connected, or not, are led wonder, “God, where are you? Why do bad things happen to good people?” These are not questions of unbelief and doubt, but deep questions of faith and life. And not only questions, but they can be our prayer of lament and our prayer for help and guidance.
Yet I am finding that often when I can’t find my own words to pray, or my words seem so small and incapable of containing the feelings of my soul, I just pray the prayer Jesus gave us to pray. Not once or twice, but over and over again in my head, while I’m in the car, at church, or at home. These words both come forth from deep within me and penetrate the darkest parts of my soul, and give me the peace that passes all understanding.Â
Within this prayer, Jesus gave us words to pray regarding the evil and sinfulness of the world. Many of us have been praying these words since we were young.  But to add a little depth to your prayer, and a reminder (for those who have been through Confirmation), I share with you these added explanations from an old pastor named Martin, for you to ponder while you pray these seemingly simple word from our Lord and Savior.
Lead us not into temptation! “What does this mean? God tempts no one to sin, but we ask in this prayer that God would watch over us and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful self may not deceive us and draw us into false belief, despair, and other great and shameful sins. And we pray that though we are so tempted we may still win the final victory.”
Deliver us from evil! “We ask in this inclusive prayer that our heavenly Father would save us from every evil to body and soul, and at our last hour would mercifully take us from the troubles of this world to himself in heaven.”
When you can’t seem to find the words to pray, perhaps it is best to go back to the basics, to pray like Jesus taught us to pray.
Praying Like Jesus – part 2
The following are some observations, insights, and discoveries from “Praying Like Jesus – part 1.”
- Jesus needed and made time to pray alone
- Jesus needed to connect with his Father – refresh, re-energize
- Focus on presence/time with God, not on the words
- Jesus prayed out in nature – mountains, on a boat on the lake
- Jesus prayed early in the morning, during the night, after performing a healing or miracle, or before a big decision and his own passion
- Jesus prayed for his own needs and fears, but also prayed for God’s will to be done
- Jesus prayed for others
- Jesus prayed both from the heart/gut, and from the head/spirit
In part 2 we focused on what Jesus taught his disciples and the crowd about prayer. Take a look at the following Bible passages, and for each passage pay attention to Jesus’ teaching on How to pray, Why to pray, and lastly What to pray?Â
- Matthew 6: 5-8
- Matthew 6: 9-15
- Matthew 21: 12-14
- Mark 11: 20-25
- Luke 11: 1-13
- Luke 18: 1-14
Did anything surprise you, unsettle you, or awaken in you a new understanding and desire for a fuller prayer life? From what Jesus taught his disciples about How, Why, and What to pray, what needs to change in your own prayer practices and/or attitude toward praying to/with God?