Words from WW Blog

I’m two days removed from spending about 27 hours at a retreat center run by a group of Benedictine nuns. Our group of pastors that have been meeting monthly for about a year and a half went there to “draw to the side” and examine our spiritual lives.
No internet. No Facebook. No cell phones…most of the time.
Carol told me to leave my pajamas that have penguins all over them at home. She didn’t think that would be very flattering to wear penguin pajamas around a group of nuns. (Of course, why would the sisters be seeing me after I had put them on in preparation for night-night time? I suppose there could have been a fire alarm in the middle of the night and there I would have been sporting black-and-white penguins in the midst of stern looks!)
The Benedictine sisters gather for prayer three times a day- 7:45 in the morning, noon, and 5:00. During the course of a month they pray through the whole book of Psalms in their gatherings. We were welcomed into their gathering like children attempting their first steps being greeted and encouraged by glee-filled parents. We journeyed with them, seven American Baptist clergy with twenty or so nuns, as different psalms and prayers were echoed.
I felt a little bit like a technologically-challenged older adult in front of a new computer.
• “Where’s the On-Off switch?”
• “What are all these pictures and F5’s and how do I turn the volume down?”
• “I can actually pay a bill through my computer. How do they know it’s me if I don’t show them a picture ID?”
In the prayer gatherings, however, the sisters guided us through the experience with encouraging smiles and quiet directions.
What I was struck by was the rhythm of their reading scripture. They sit on two sides of the chapel facing one another. The reading would be divided between the two groups. As one group finished a verse there would be a brief pause before the other group began. The pause revealed our “”rookie status”. Our group of pastors would be the ones who would jump into the words one syllable too soon or a word too late. The sisters were as synchronized as an Olympic rowing crew.
We got better. They were already there.
What occurred to me as I reflected on that later was that the rhythm of the reading, the symmetry of the sisters, was a verbal expression of their living in community with one another. They have journeyed together not just for an hour on a Sunday morning each week, but every day all day. The richness of their lives is planted in their spiritual relationships with God, and as a result they look for something of Jesus in each of their companion’s lives.
I find that it is hard to find that rhythm in churches today. It may be one reason why the house church movement has blossomed. People are looking for the rhythm of community, but too often find the chaos of an institution. Not that the Benedictine sisters don’t have their share of problems. One of them at age 40 is battling cancer. One of them had taken a leave from the monastery to just be away for a while. They have many personality clashes because they are together for much. I guess you could say “Their dinner dishes get dirty just like ours.”
But they are seriously serious about working out the problems through personal prayer, community prayer, and the shared wisdom of the community.
In churches today, disagreements too often result in someone heading for the exit. Perhaps community is hard to experience because my agenda is seen as being more important than yours…and vice-versa. As long as you have to do all the work I’ll be fine…or vice-versa!
Rhythm. We joke that we are a church of rhythm-impaired people. Musically we extend a lot of grace to one another. The rhythm of community needs a dose of grace as well, but before grace can be offered there must be a commitment to pursue that rhythm.

WORDS FROM W.W. March 9, 2010

I was raised in Kentucky, the Bluegrass State- the state where every other barn had either “Chew Mail Pouch Tobacco” or “See Rock City” painted on the side of it. Kentucky was, and is, a wonderful place. Don’t let the mint juleps at the Kentucky Derby fool you, sophisticated mixed drinks don’t define this state. It is about as homey and laid-back as you can get.
One of the food items that is part of Kentucky culture, as well as in the other southern states, is grits. I’m not sure why, but grits has gone mainstream. Maybe it’s the ripple effect of Cracker Barrel restaurant! Whatever it is, people seem to think its “cuisine chic” to order grits at food establishments where it is offered. If it was called “gruel” the response might not be as favorable, or seem flavorable.
Don’t let anyone fool you by saying they love grits. The might like it smothered in butter, or sweetened with sugar, or, in my case, mixed with some sausage gravy, but the number of people who love grits…plain grits…can be counted on one hand that has even lost most of its fingers.
I firmly believe grits was added to the southern breakfast plate because there needed to be something to fill in the open space. There were the eggs…the bacon and sausage…and the biscuits opened and closed on a gracious spreading of butter and honey.
There was still a space to be filled. Throw some grits on top of that opening!
No one eats their grits first. Most people go for a piece of the bacon or a bite of the sunny-side ups. Grits are the filler when the good stuff is all gone, and yet any typical southern breakfast will give more acreage to the grits than the more flavorable items on the plate.
It’s not that grits have no purpose. In places around the globe that are impoverished, grits, or a form of them, make up the difference between life and starvation. It’s just that in our culture they get too much play. People talk fondly about them, but a taste of them is not usually followed by a smile or even an expression of satisfaction. Oatmeal has a higher approval rating.
Grits, however, is a good visual analogy for how many of us live our lives. What is void of joy is what we fill our plate with. What is soul-satisfying gets pushed to a little space on the edge.
“Give me a taste of that stuff right there that consumes 60 hours of your week.” (Pause as the life taster samples the product.) “Wow! That must have taken a lot of effort to make something that is completely lacking in taste and flavor!”
“What’s this that has dropped off your plate?” (A finger swab to sample.) “Wow! That is exquisite. That is delightful. It’s like a taste of heaven. What do you call that? The sweetness of knowing the Savior.”
Remember! “The grits of life” is meant to just be filler, not the main entrée’. Take a look at your life plate. What are the main things that are feeding your daily appetite?

WORDS FROM W.W. March 3, 2010

We are a pack-rat people! There are piles of accumulation around us and we can’t let go. For many of us it’s how we keep some sense of life control. We’re afraid that releasing will bring us to the edge of the unknown. Like the Hebrews whining to Moses about their loss of being enslaved, we tend to defer to what has been “the known” rather than release our grip and experience freedom.
Our possession is the most visible expression of this tight grip on life, but as I’m writing this I’m thinking of other, perhaps less obvious, ways that we don’t let go. There’s the accumulation of the years with our children, and then one day we realize that they’ve grown up, matured, and don’t need our mothering or close-at-hand fathering any more. But it’s what we’ve known, it’s what we’ve become accustomed to, and it’s what we’ve allowed to define us. Letting go at that point is heartache personified. They have been our kids!
We’re not anxious for them to be adults.
There’s the letting go of our parents, or the letting go of our spouse or sibling who is in the winter of their life. How often do we cling to the shell of the person who we have grown old with? How possessive have we become of the one who is now closer to heaven than he is to earth? We sometimes think we’re being heartless when we release the dying to the Lord. The void that is viewed by the empty seat beside us is too much to be willing to bare.
There is also the reluctance to let go of our will in order for the Lord to do His. Each Sunday worship includes multiple references to words like “faith”, “ trust”, and “believe”, and the rest of our week could e characterized as a time of having a death grip on our personal agenda. Surrendering all is easy to sing about, but like oil and water in practicing.
The ironic point is that we are called people of faith, the trust-and-obeying types. We stress the Lordship of Christ in our theology. We talk up accepting Jesus as being our Lord and Savior, and then we spend a lot of the rest of our life living it down.
We rationalize that is why there is grace.
Don’t think I’ve got it figured out. I’m just as self-centered and wanting to be in control as the next guy. I’m afraid that if someone stood up this Sunday in the worship service and asked to share a word from the Lord, I’d respond to “Get to the back of the line!” Letting go of the sermon time is difficult for me, especially when I’ve spent so much time preparing it.
We’re pack-rats in a multitude of ways. How do we get past that?
Sometimes we get past it as a result of something getting ripped out of our hands. God knows that there are situations in life where he must be in a pulling motion to get us to move on to the next point in our journey.
I was just reading a story in Acts 21 about Paul heading towards Jerusalem. A prophet named Agabus has told him that he will be bound by the Jews and handed over to the Gentiles (the Romans). Those who hear this try to dissuade Paul from going, and Paul’s respond to their hold is “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” Then Luke writes this summary comment of the situation. “When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, ‘The Lord’s will be done.”
Perhaps that’s what it comes down to, “the Lord’s will be done.” How comfortable are we letting go and letting God?

WORDS FROM W.W. February 21, 2010

There was a movie called The Bucket List that was about two men who are in their last days. They make a list of things they want to do, places they want to see, conversations they want to have, before they “kick the bucket.”
It was one of those films that make you think about life, about your purpose in life, and, ultimately, your death. Sorry to be morbid or depressing, but too often we don’t think about the next life because we’re too focused on this world. I believe there is a better middle point, if you will, that considers all of life- this and the next. Instead of dividing it into a “this and that” or “before death and after demise”, perhaps we need to develop “a bucket list” that contains what our hopes are for now and eternity.
The thought occurred to me the past two days as I was experiencing a trip to Duke University with three friends of mine. Having an affection for basketball (People who know me knows that goes without saying.), being able to go to Cameron Indoor Stadium and see a Duke basketball game from the fourth row behind the Duke bench, as well as shooting free throws on the main floor the night before in an empty arena, was an incredible experience. Although being a Michigan State Spartan and a University of Kentucky Wildcat, I was “into” the Duke experience. (One Christian Laettner buzzer beater wasn’t going to spoil the whole trip for me.)
It made me think about what else would be on my list? What is my bucket list for this life and the next? Here’s the beginnings of one that will continue to be added to as I ponder it more:
• See the heart of a community and a church become enmeshed with one another.
• Write a book…and then another…and then…
• Officiate in the state high school basketball tournament.
• Sit on the bench as a coach for a high school team that is playing in a state high school basketball tournament (Obviously, not at the same time as the previous item on the list.)
• Know without a shadow of a doubt, (perhaps because the Holy Spirit has whispered to my heart) that someone’s eternal destination was re-routed because of a conversation the two of us had.
• To be able to understand scripture clearly…even Revelation!
• To be able to talk with God in a way that seems like, without minimizing His holiness, that he’s sitting across from me in a booth at a Starbucks.
• To be able, with my wife, to take our grandkids on a multitude of trips that will make them giggle with glee.
• To visit Italy again.
• To be able to understand why God allows certain things and not others to happen. In other words, to one day in eternity to see the whole panoramic view of time and connect the dots.
• To have stepped foot in every one of the fifty states.
• To read every book in my personal library…not just look at them.
• To know that I just encountered an angel.
• To be able to eat seafood every day for a month…freshly caught mind you! Not fish sticks!
• To go to an NCAA Final Four (Back to Basketball!)
• To sit with Carol in our family room with a fire going in the fireplace…and the TV off!
• To baptize my grandson…and any other grandkids that might come on the scene.
• To be able to study, reflect, and write for an extended period of time without having to work about the administrative details of a pastor’s weekly routine.
• To take a road trip with Dave Volitis.
• To go back to Zanesville, Ohio, and have a pizza from Adornetto’s Pizza, the best pizza I’ve ever had even though it’s been 41 years since I had the last one.
• To take my son on a road trip to major league baseball stadiums.
• To hike the Grand Canyon.
• To anonymously give some kind of gift that will change the course of a person’s life.
• To welcome the end of this life because I know God’s purpose is being fulfilled. (“Has been fulfilled” is a term that I believe only comes after the final breath. Until then, we are in the process heading towards fulfillment.)
• To see Jesus.
That’s a start! As soon as I sign off ten more things will occur to me, but I guess what I’m saying is that I’m thinking about life, what it looks like, what gives it substance and flavor. Too often we think about that when it’s too late to think any more.

WORDS FROM W.W. February 11, 2010

A friend of mine recently brought my attention to a couple of verses in the New Testament letter to the Philippians. The Apostle Paul wrote these words:
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:12-13)
Contentment.
When I did a Google word search the first listing that came up on the page was “Happiness Massage Lotion”. As I get older and my back gets more and more dysfunctional massages sound like great ideas, but I hesitant to equate contentment with a body lotion. I’ll go with relaxing, but contentment…
Advertising tries to sell us contentment. Watch a commercial about a new Ford, Golden Corral restaurant (“Graze to your heart’s content…or until it gives out!), or even lawn fertilizer and you will see expressions of contentment on the faces of those hired to look contented.
In essence, people are searching for contentment but find it for only temporary moments. A new vehicle is fine until the first car payment comes due. A green lawn is gratifying until it goes uncut for a couple of weeks…and those dandelions start popping up! I know of no one who is contented with Golden Corral about an hour after they exit. Can you say “Alka-Seltzer?”
The secret, as Paul writes, is being firmly rooted in the One who defines contentment. If I believe that Christ is the hope, the life-giver, the reservoir of strength, and the One who gives my life purpose, then I will be content in the good days and the bad, the hard times and the prosperous moments. Being rooted in Christ allows us to live with a sense of contentment instead of always having contentment be something that is still somewhere in our future, or when we reach a certain position, or have the mortgage paid off, or have grandkids, or don’t have to worry about what time we wake up in the morning. Contentment with Jesus is a present and future situation, not a “hoped for sometime” destination.
There is a tendency to allow the times or others to determine whether we’re contented or not. In the midst of demanding financial times a lot of people are pulling their hair out. Expenses exceed income. Trips to Goodwill outnumber trips to Target. Generic is the main label in the cupboard. There is much fretting and sleeplessness.
Without minimizing the pressures of the times on families and individuals it is important to figure out who is the source of contentment. Paul makes it clear that he is contented whether he’s going hungry or feasting. The external factors do not dictate his heart passion and sense of calling. You get the sense that Paul was content whether he was sleeping in jail cell or a Sealy Posture-pedic.
People are restless these days. There is a lot of searching happening…but not necessarily for what will leave us plenty contented.

WORDS FROM W.W. January 27, 2010
(Clarification: Sometimes Words from W.W. is a “sort-a spoof”. Spoofs in the past haven’t been comprehended by some of the readers, hence, some have wondered what planet the author is from or on.)

January 1- The adventure begins. I sprinted through the first eleven chapters of Genesis. The first six days of creation took me just seven minutes. At this rate I’ll revel in Revelation by June!
January 4- Discovered a few things about the faith of Abraham. Couldn’t quite figure our Sarah’s laugh. Was it a snicker, a giggle, or one of those laughs that communicate “Fat chance”? Puzzling, but I’ve got to keep going!
January 15- Things at work have been hectic, but I did finish Genesis. Joseph was a little quirky. His brothers…different! It’s on to Exodus tomorrow.
February 1- Left my bible at church two weeks ago and finally got it back. It was on one of the tables in the fellowship hall and I “passed right over it.” I’m knee deep in plagues right now. Still can’t figure out how a crocodile didn’t get Moses in that basket cradle of his! I guess God really was in the midst of those reeds. Got to pick up my pace. Hopefully I’ll get a couple of those genealogy chapters soon. It’s okay to skim them! I can’t pronounce most of the names anyway.
February 17- Ash Wednesday and I’m dying! Sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings, fellowship offerings…it goes on and on! They had more offerings than a Baptist church in a building campaign! I’ve got to make my way out Exodus!
March 15- Skimmed Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Didn’t get too bogged down in them since I’m a “new covenant” kind of person anyway. What do I care about what the year of Jubilee was? I want to be free from all that stuff!
March 20- I love Joshua! It’s like reading a Hollywood movie script. A prostitute, falling walls, a standing still sun…it’s an adventure! God is amazing! Just about the time I’m losing interest he throws this book in there.
April 4- Easter Sunday and I hope my reading schedule can rise from the dead.
April 30- Made it to Chronicles, but didn’t I read about most of these guys in Kings? I’m going to pray about just jumping to Ezra.
May 1- I felt God say it was okay! That’s good! Skimmed the list of names in the first two Ezra chapters.
May 25- I tried to get through Job, but it was so long! His so-called friends just went on and on and on. Come on! Say it and sit down! It was like listening to a C-Span TV marathon!
June 21- Out of Job, but don’t feel like praising (Psalms) or getting any more wisdom (Proverbs), or receiving someone’s philosophy of life (Ecclesiastes). I’m heading for Song of Solomon. I hear it’s pretty interesting!
June 22- Song of Solomon was too weird! I’ve heard Isaiah is full of great spiritual prophecies.
July 10- Had to take a break! Family vacation. Didn’t have room to pack my bible. God rested on the seventh day. I needed two weeks.
August 15- I’m skipping the minor prophets. They must not be that important. I’ve got to get to the gospels. I need Jesus!
September 1- I’m looking forward to Labor Day Weekend. I think I’m going to try to put in a bible-reading marathon on Monday.
September 8- Sorry Jesus! Our neighbors invited us for a cook-out. Being that we are to love our neighbors like ourselves I felt led to spend most of the day there. The sunburn is almost healed, but just didn’t feel well enough to read the Word.
October 1- Almost done with Mark. Three months to cover the last 25 books, but some of those are real short.
October 28- Made it through Luke and John just in time for Halloween. I was surprised there was so much repetition in the gospels. I thought they contained all original stories.
November 15-Acts is a trip. Love the Ananias and Sapphira part! Sometimes God really does knock ‘em dead!
December 1- Spilled my cup of coffee, thus wiping out 1 and 2 Corinthians. There is some spiritual lesson in that, but I don’t know what it is. I have to move on to Galatians anyway. Can’t waste time worrying about spilled milk.
December 23- Pretty much got the gist of the books written by Paul: “Dear Church, what’s happening? Love, Paul.” No reason to dwell on that every time. Besides, I’ve only got eight days to finish being fed by the Word.
December 31- Done! I remembered one of those reading suggestions I was given in college. Just read the first sentence in each paragraph, and you’ll know what the book is saying. I did that with 1 Peter through Revelation today. It only took me 30 minutes! I’ve finished the Book! There was a suggestion to read through the bible next year, but since I’ve done it…what else could I learn from doing it again?

WORDS FROM W.W. January 21, 2010

Haiti has dominated the news this past week. We’ve been numbed by the devastation, grieved by the scenes, and awakened to the needs. Haiti was in a desperate way before the earthquake. Now it is beyond comprehension.
The death toll is expected to reach 200,000, with 2,000,000 left homeless.
Two million homeless!
Aid has been rushed there, but a disaster of this magnitude has shown that relief efforts and medical help can’t get there fast enough. People are dying before they can be attended to medically. The Haitian government has been fairly invisible, but relief organizations are working around the clock. It’s chaotic, frantic, and heartbreaking.
There are people in the midst of this situation who want to rush ahead and figure out what is God is saying. Some have already determined what they feel God is saying and proclaimed it. Some of these proclamations have reached the media…and it hasn’t been good!
When someone assumes and proclaims that this is God’s way of dealing with a place where voodoo is a predominant religion it comes off as another example of self-righteous Christianity. There is a strong Christian presence in Haiti that gets disregarded and minimized by such a judgment.
So what is God saying? I won’t speak for God. He does fine on His own. He seldom gets recognized for an amazing sunset and the joy-producing giggle of a small child, but is quickly blamed for the pain of a fallen creation.
I can only share what he is speaking to my heart in the midst of this.
Help! Pray! Don’t forget!
He’s called me to help as best I can from a city thousands of miles away. Raise money, send money, keep people updated. When one of the poorest countries in the world endures such an event it escalates the massive needs to an incomprehensible amount. It will require effort from every corner of the world to turn darkness back into even a dim light.
Pray! My neighbor left for Haiti last Sunday to work with a relief organization. He had just gotten home from being deployed to Afghanistan, and his wife urged him to go help. I’m praying for him. His name is Scott. I’m praying for our missionaries such as Kristy Engel, who was serving in the Dominican Republic and spoke here at our church this past summer. She has traveled to the affected area to help. I’m praying that light will come into the darkness, that there will be more and more stories of hope. Someone the other day said they heard Haitian children singing praises to God on TV. Light in the darkness.
Don’t forget! It will take a lifetime for Haiti to recover any sense of what was a normal day. Our culture is focus-deficient. We too easily move on to the next thing. We can’t just move on from a place that has been destroyed. We must stay connected for the long haul.
God may be whispering something different to your heart. Whatever he’s speaking into your spirit it brings the fourth element to the surface.
Respond!

WORDS FROM W.W. January 7, 2010

At the monthly gathering of our neighborhood pastors on Wednesday we were all commiserating about our congregation’s financial status at the end of 2009. We all felt a little near-sighted trying to see where our church’s financial vision said we should be. I don’t know if any of us left the meeting feeling any better, but we at least knew the boat was crowded.
And then there’s Rick Warren! He pastors Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, and has become a leading figure, perhaps THE leading figure amongst evangelicals today. In the final days of 2009 he put out a plea to his congregation about a $900,000 deficit that was needed to fund some of the church’s special ministries like a food pantry, homeless ministries, support groups, and other things. His appeal brought in $2.4 million!
2.4!
That would take a while to count!
The news came too late! Why hadn’t I thought about asking people to bring an extra contribution as we were falling 10% short of our goal?
You can imagine how many pastors and churches are studying what caused such generous giving to happen. Sadly, as is often the case, you can also find a number of people making negative comments equating Rick Warren as a servant of Satan, a false teacher. Just google his name and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
What can we learn from Rick Warren’s too-late news?
Well, first of all, there’s not another Saddleback Church, and when we compare our situation with a 20,000+ church is ludicrous. Each church has its own DNA, its own rhythm, systems, and culture. My sister and brother-in-law are members of a small American Baptist church 200 yards away from the Ohio River in a more rural depressed area. Their church, that four years ago was down to 4-5 people, has experienced a rebirth. It’s one of those churches that have a small cemetery on the church’s property. What has worked in other places would be an effort in futility there because it is a completely different and totally unique situation. Their secret: teaching and preaching the scriptures, allowing church to be fun, and a spirit of God-infused hopefulness.
Second, people give to mission and ministry. This is especially evident in the twenty-somethings. Testimonies about what is happening in mission outreaches, and children’s ministries, and youth retreats, and neighborhood outreaches will be increasingly vital for the church’s financial health. Excuse the comparison, but reality TV shows and talent shows like American Idol have brought an element of “participatory expectation” into our culture. That will become more evident in financial matters. It’s interesting that in our church we partnered with Audubon School to take care of 20 families at Thanksgiving, and we “adopted” 12 of their students for Christmas, while at the same time hosting four homeless families for the Interfaith Hospitality Network, and collecting food for our food pantry. Our “giving” was unbelievable during December for those special needs, even as our giving to the church budget was falling short.
That should tell us something, and the answer is not “Pastor, why don’t you preach a message on stewardship and tithing?” It should tell us that in the midst of economic hard times people will still step up to help with causes that they believe will meet an apparent need. (It will be interesting to see what the recent Salvation Army report will do to their income!)
Some might say “But Pastor, there are still bills to pay, utility bills to take care of!” I’m not disputing that at all. I’m just saying we have to figure out how to better connect participatory giving for mission and ministry to the budget of the church. It needs to be seen as participating in the life of a living organism and less of supporting a structure.

WORDS FROM W.W. December 30, 2009

I’m about 36,000 feet in the air as I write this on a delayed extra-warm United Airlines flight filled with over-tired pre-schoolers and grumpy parents. Interestingly enough I’ve been reading Leonard Sweet’s book The Gospel According to Starbucks and just read some interesting thoughts that he has about the Revelation 3 passage that includes a warning to the church about lukewarmness (Revelation 3:16). In Sweet’s bible he has written a paraphrase that has God saying “Your church is overripe and stale. It makes me want to barf” He has drawn a picture of an airline’s barf bag above his words.
As is often the case, Leonard Sweet makes me ponder and create out of my ponderings. As another year ends and a new one is being birthed it makes me contemplate about my walk with the Lord, and, more on point with the Revelation 3 passage, it makes me think about the walk of the church. What is overripe and stale? Where does the fresh fruit of the Spirit need to emerge?
The church, which is the prime place for freshness to surface and creativity to be encouraged, is sometimes void of such. Overripe and stale may seem harsh to hear, but it is not a stretch from the scripture. If we had a choice between “what we’ve always done” and what would be innovative and step towards the outer edge of our comfort zone what would we choose?
I’m not saying “do something different just to be different.” I’m saying if the spirit of God is pulling us towards the possibility of drawing outside the lines, would the first-grade teacher in each one of us make us curl back in a sort of traditional spiritual compliance?
There’s probably not a coincidence in the fact that our refrigerator is piled with food right now from the usual “Christmas overload” experience. It happens every year. Christmas Day has the counters filled with food and possibilities. December 26 has the refrigerator filled with the “not yets”. The aromas and mouth watering experiences of Christmas Day are replaced by grumpy duty the day after each time the frig door opens. Gourmet mashed potatoes become like tasteless hospital food when they’ve been warmed up for the fourth dinner in a row.
Stale does not just describe week old bread. It could also be described as a quest in search of mediocrity, the search for insignificance.
Think about it. What in our spiritual lives, personally and corporately, do we pursue in search of finding mediocrity.
Has our reading of scripture de-mystified it? Have we heard the story before, and now when we hear it our expectancy level is like opening the door of the refrigerator and looking at all the Tupperware containers?
Has prayer become as uneventful as the container of milk that has today’s expiration date on it? We can’t decide whether to use it or let it sit there for another day?
Has the ministry of the church taken a backseat to church business? Has old life made the idea of “new life” seem too weird? Do we desire to raise up our children in the Lord…as long as they end up looking like us?
What exactly is overripe and stale? If you took a survey of your congregation this Sunday what would the answers look like? If a similar survey was done asking the community what they see is fresh about the church and what is stale, would they get similar responses?
A new year is always similar to how my pants fit- uncomfortably tight with great expectancy. The expectancy is demonstrated by the urgency to make some changes (Loosening the belt is a cop-out!), but also an eagerness to see what the new holds.
May the New Year be filled with a delightful dance with the Lord in the midst of on-going fresh tastes of His Spirit!

WORDS FROM W.W. December 24, 2009

About the only thing I spend any time comparing prices on is Breyer’s Ice Cream and soft drinks. Those items get announced in the weekly grocery advertised specials that are included in the newspaper.
Breyer’s on sale! I’m there!
A&W Root Beer discounted! The shelves need to be re-stocked after my visit!
Other items, however, I don’t spend time bothering about where it might be selling the cheapest. When it comes to Christmas gifts I’m an impulsive buyer. I see it. It looks like it would be appreciated by the one I’m buying it for. Five minutes later I’m putting the box or bag in the back seat of the car, and I’m out of there!
True confession time! Very few gifts that I buy will be remembered by me two years from now. There will be a few. I remember getting my parents and siblings Enstrom’s Toffee Candy last year. I remember a couple of things I gave Carol last year.
But wait! I said two years ago!
My mind is blank.
Call me insensitive or hint that I didn’t put much thought into it. The truth is that my impulsive spontaneity is just my purchasing nature. Send me to the store for a bag of potatoes and I’ll come home with a dozen items that aren’t healthy, a bottle of shampoo…and the potatoes.
Let me detour to faith. How many people’s faith experience in our culture could best be described as impulsive faith buying? And how many people would be considered careful ponderers of faith?
If I’m more of the impulsive kind of faith follower do I allow the love of God to grasp the depths of my soul; or is there a shallowness that causes me to quickly look for the next thing on the list?
In The Message paraphrase the rendering of Luke 2:19 in regards to Mary’s realization of who her son was says, “Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself.” There was a grasp of the truth that took some time to sink in, to root itself, to own its validity.
This is not to say that God doesn’t move people in a moment, or the gospel can become alive and personal in an instant, but I do believe that the gospel is accepted by some for an instant and discarded in the next. Forgive the cheap comparison (It’s lunch-time!), but it’s the difference between Ramen noodles and homemade pasta. The first can be cooked, eaten, and forgotten about an hour later; while the other takes preparation, involvement, time, thought, and a commitment all the way to the end. One is cheap, and the other is more costly.
Faith should not be a blue light special. It’s a gift that was thought through and given by the God of love to the ones he loves. May the incredibleness of that gift be especially grasped in deep ways by us at this time of the year!