nakedpastor

Something I’ve believed in, by faith, for a long time now is that if you tend to the health of the roots, the fruit will grow naturally and healthy. I say “by faith” because the temptation is to get immediate results by setting up programs or ministries or codes of conduct that look like fruit. But they are usually plastic because they aren’t real. They are often expressions of anxious concern for appearances, busy-ness, or effectiveness in the world. I’m no longer into the manufacturing of plastic fruit. It is offensive to many because our church may consist of people who feel free not to appear religious or righteous if they are not. We as a church will not appear successful if we are not. We do not do things just because we are supposed to or expected to. We are not impressed with well-adorned Christmas-tree believers or churches. May the best decorated win! Instead, we are into fruit trees that bear fruit in and out of season.

So you wait and wait, believing that if the roots are healthy, good fruit will one day appear. It can take a long time. I was encouraged this week because there have been a couple of areas that I sensed would develop, that we as a church were going to do. This week, one man came forward to volunteer to operate the sound system and digital projection. Another woman, who’s ministry is intercessory prayer, came forward to ask if she could start doing corporate intercession meetings for the church. Another woman came forward to volunteer to organize another ministry that is going to be very exciting and I’ll tell you about soon. I could tell more stories. I’m encouraged because these are genuine fruit that are emerging from the root of a genuine heart-felt desire to serve the Lord in the church and the world. It is Spirit-inspired. We could’ve set up programs or ministries and picked people to operate them. But believe me, this is better because there is no coercion, no frustration, no resentment, and I believe, in the long-run, no unwarranted fatigue.

Don’t forget the cartoon caption contest which ends Sunday night. Go here to enter!

“Too many worship services in churches today are mere fronts for the pastor’s ego or the congregation’s needs, or both” (Eugene Peterson).

i composed this song this morning and imagined a boy’s voice singing the solo… this is the best i could come up with… the lyrics go like this: “ah…”! can you remember that?

Okay, let’s have some fun! Make up your own caption for this cartoon, and the best caption, in my wacked opinion, WINS! You can enter as many captions as you want. Get funny friends and family to help or even enter the contest. The contest closes Sunday midnight my time (Atlantic). The winner gets this orginal 4″x4″ watercolor I painted as the prize! Nice for yourself or a Christmas present for someone else. Just place the caption in quotes in the comment section of this post. May the funniest caption win! (The cartoon is the picture on the left for all you smart-alecs out there!)

“I was born into the Hebrew persuasion, but when I grew up I converted to narcissism” (Woody Allen, in the film Scoop).

I’ve given myself some time to think about how Sunday went. I preached from Hebrews 12:15… “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble, and through it many become defiled.”

The basic thrust of my message was that there are two ways to live: one is to live by grace; the other is to live by willpower and effort. We are surrounded and filled with unpleasant things, which I summarize as sufferings (external) and sin (internal). These are “bitter”. It is one thing to recognize this and to observe it dispassionately. It is another to allow these things to sink in until they sour us to the point where we resign ourselves to a hopeless fatalism. This is where trouble sets in because we’ve allowed the bitter things to define life and ourselves. This leads, finally, to defilement where we are polluted into believing that this is who we are and always shall be, as well as everyone else.

The human response to this cycle is either resignation… to just give in and let it take its course; or to fight against it with an effort that can be religious or disciplinarian. This whole human enterprise is useless. As we learn elsewhere, it is not by might nor by power. It is not by human effort or even desire. These fail and perish with use. We should know that by now. The only response is to “obtain grace”. Not just live in it or near it or to understand it, but to “get” it! The cross of Christ negates all our efforts at conquering the bitter things in ourselves and in our world. Grace says that we are forgiven and that the transformation comes from another source other than our willpower and our efforts. It is from God through Christ on the cross, and its power makes new creations out of us.

So as I write this, I realize that my frustration in trying to communicate this on Sunday still remains. I am intuitively convinced that this is true, but it is deeper than I am able to articulate with clarity. Maybe soon.

i finished painting this yesterday. it’s a large watercolor (21″x29″). available in my online art gallery (link in the right sidebar). i like it. common sight around here.