One Preaching Lesson I Learned Part II

Part II

This the 2nd part of a three part blog about the single preaching lesson that I know that I have learned.  Preaching is more an art than a science. This week, I want to give advice to pastors who want to become more of a preaching "artist."  To be completely honest,I am not naturally artistic nor creative. This list of ideas have been helpful to me over the years to develop my creative side.

Not to be laborous, but,I fully intended to have a two week blog on this topic, but this week's ran long.. so MORE NEXT WEEK

The next point has had much impact on me.

4- Read Fiction

Pastors have to read. We read books, blogs, newsletters, social media posts, commentaries and of course the Bible. Obviously, Biblical knowledge is paramount for a pastor, but most preachers become an expert in  Christian 'trade journals." almost as much as the Scriptures. We read more than almost any profession, but our base of knoweldge tends to be too small.  We read literature about some interesting church topics:

How to Improve the Church in 100 Days or Less

Why Your Church isn't Reaching Hipster, Postmodern, Urban, Relevant Millenials.

The One Secret to Planting a Perfect Church

What (   ) really want!! (fill in the blank)

To be sure, the above titles are clothed in hyperbole, but they are pointers to a stream of writing that evangelical pastors swim in. We love leadership books, "how to" church manuals, and research work that offers us a future look into the demographic make up of America in 50 years. These can be quite helpful but if that's all we take in, it leaves the pastor a little empty of thought about the real work of minstry which is speaking the Gospel into the human condition.

Great literature is as great as it's observations are. Literature's observations offers a creative bridge from the world you are into someone else's. Too often, pastors see fiction as unnecessary because it isn't the "real world", but good fiction and it's masterfully told stories help pastors experience circumstances they never would any other way.

Consider, in our research into demographics we may want to learn how to reach the poor with the Gospel. We find out where they live, how much money they have, how old they are- all helpful. Equally helpful, would be to have read Charles Dicken's Bleak House or Great Expectations, or Upton Sinclair's, The Jungle which opens the door for us to seethe heart of poverty therefore hopefully gaining some sympathy for the poor, the orphan and the destitute. 

Churches have rightly rekindled the discussion on racism and how the Gospel informs us on the topic. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee helps the reader experience a little about the evils of prejudice. To be clear, reading fictional stories does not make us an expert on a topic but it does enlighten us on certain realities.

FIction  also broadens our imagination (Lord of the Rings?), our vocabulary (Shakespeare?) and gives us interesting illustrations in our preaching  that will be far more timeless than newspaper headlines. Good fiction makes us think more broadly, more deeply and overall just makes us think more.

Pastors have to see situations from many points of view. Everything from the programming of a church to a counseling session involves making decisions while taking multiple points of view into consideration. Thoughtfullness and empathy are mandatory co-laborers with a pastor. Ultimately, only the Holy Spirit through God's Word can bring something as beautiful as empathy, however, well told stories with captivating characters and quality writing pricks our heart to see things a little differently.

Truth that is found in the pages of the Bible and taught in the pulpit is our primary source for life and ministry, but in our reading it can be helpful to broaden our horizons and dip into some classic stories to teach us about timeless truths that we will minister into everyday. 

Here is a list you may find helpful:

Top six (plus one) fiction works that have helped me pastor:

1- Elmer Gantry- written by Sinclair Lewis- A novel about a circuit preacher that achieves success for the wrong reasons. He grows prideful and brings others down with him. More known for being a movie, the novel stings . Lewis can be harsh and overly satirical at times, but a pastor can see the impact a hypocritical life can have.

2-Scarlet Letter- Nathaniel Hawthorne. a novel about the dangers of hypocricy and legalism among a community. Set in Puritan Boston, Hester Prynne's situaton is too familiar for most non Christians. You will get angry and as a pastor it reminds you the importance of grace.

3-The Power and the Glory- Graham Greene-Set in Mexico in the early 1900's, a fallen priest minsters to people at a time when churches were illegal. A powerful story of grace, redemption and justice.

4- Animal Farm- George Orwell. One of my favorites. Easily the shortest book on the list. Orwell is making an anti-communism political statement (among other things), but the reminder that humans need spiritual redemption hangs over the pages- all told by talking animals.

5- "A Good Man is Hard to Find"- Flannery O Conner. A Southern "gothic" short story that is frightening. Probably not suitable for kids. it's not profane but intense. The story of how true religious faith tends to get exposed in dire circumstances. Considered by some to be one of the greatest southern short stories ever written

6-"Wash" and "Dry September"- William Faulkner- Two chilling short stories from the Mississppi legend. Both are intense but nothing profane. I put them together for convenience. "Wash" is the story of complex family relationships in post Civil War Mississippi. Faulkner can be time consuming to read, but the theme of redemption and the dangers of arrogance are worth the time. "Dry September" is a gut wrenching story of racism and injustice. I've never been so angry reading a story. Eye Opening!

Thank you for reading.  Part II next week.

In Christ,

Richard

One Preaching Lesson I have Learned-Part I

Glad to be blogging again. I have decided to do a two part blog on “One preaching lesson I have learned”. I’ve been blessed to have many great men teach me about the pastoral ministry, whether it be in seminary or in the local church. I have been taught many things, but only have learned a few.

I have been teaching the Bible for a few years. I’m not sure how “good” I am at it, but I think I have gotten better over the years, and in the last decade and a half I’ve had the opportunity to preach in many different situations. In that time, I’ve strived to improve, to think more clearly, to speak more accurately, to prepare more completely, but as any pastor knows, you never “arrive” as a preacher. One simple truth I have learned over the years is Preaching is an art more than a science.

Some pastors will heartily agree with the above statement, but others, probably younger Reformed and evangelicals (my tribe) will disagree. Exposition for most us is machine like. “Plug n Play” is the appropriate term. Read the text, give a point, give an application and repeat. While this approach is efficient in jamming as much text and truth as possible in a 45 minute sermon and it will get you a 4.0 in Preaching seminars, if used thoughtlessly this style will fail to connect with a congregation. Admittedly, in this blog I offer no new methodology or even approach but some general principles that I have found helpful over the last several years in connecting as an artist and not as a machine.

I will give six principles over 2 weeks, but let’s be clear from the beginning. The most important part of preaching is and always will be the content of the sermon. Pastors are teachers. In fact, teaching is our first obligation, so the doctrines and Gospel that is being taught is paramount. That being said, the way we teach our people matters.  These blogs won’t be lengthy, but I hope hits the spot with someone.

  Preaching is More Art than Science  (6 principles (part 1))

1) Pull more than push- The congregation wants to follow along with you, or they wouldn’t be there. Too many pastors attempt to use force of will, personality or voice to “drive” congregants to obey, give, help, repent etc. This may lead to some rote obedience, but it rarely tells the people “WHY?” they should adhere to the sermon. Practically, this means, as you walk through a text explain your thought process, where a point came from and struggles you have seen or experienced. Sometimes interaction helps. Rhetorical questions, asking for simple responses or “ show of hands” is a way of keeping the audience engaged not just with the sermon, but with the preacher. The goal is to take them on a journey in the text, the history of the text, the context, through the characters in the scripture but to always land squarely on the Gospel. All Christian preaching must point to Christ and his finished work.

2) Preaching is storytelling at its highest form- Preachers are storytellers- (cringe, I feel it from some). As mentioned above, that does not mean that we are supposed to be telling cute, contrived illustrations about everyday life to make the Bible “interesting.” The Bible is the story of God redeeming his people through the blood of his Son- that is far more interesting than anything that Hulu Plus can put online. A storyteller always weaves his tale with a beginning, a climax and an end. Playwrights often had it organized as ACT I, ACT II and ACT III. The storyteller has a point, and crafts everything to get that point in a way to keep the audience entertained (to laugh, shriek, or cheer). The pastor uses the selected text, analogous texts, illustrations and applications all while making a “Beeline to the Cross” as Charles Spurgeon phrased to not just engage and entertain the audience but to lead them to an understanding of God’s call of repentance that leads to literal action. In other words, the pastor’s storytelling is to be used for transformation not just information- regardless of how vital the information may be. Preaching is a one-of a kind storytelling that has a higher purpose. The purpose of preaching is to affect the HEART. The heart is the totality of a person. The pastor’s preaching should be pinpointed as a light through the emotions, will and intellect of a person and it should shine on the cross of Christ. A disjointed outline with “Preacherisms” often struggles to coherently convey a message to the entire heart of a person.

3) Sermons should be crafted to be heard first,and written second. Some of the best preachers in the world have manuscripted (written word for word) their sermons. This includes men like Jonathan Edwards and many Puritans. I am eternally grateful for that practice, because without the manuscripts of some of these men and the outlines of Spurgeon and John Macarthur, I never would have learned to be a bible teacher or an expositor. Please remember, Pastors that our main way of communicating with our people is not through written sermons, but through the spoken word, proclaimed at a particular time and place. This means, your oration, your voice afflection , your tone of voice, your mannerisms ALL MATTER. Preachers can have a wonderfully written manuscript but if that sermon is delivered with boredom, anger or sarcasm, that sermon loses its impact as the PREACHED WORD—Praise God, the Holy Spirit works through our sinfulness! That does not mean that you fake exuberance or use “King James English”. It means that you are aware of your responsibility as a messenger of God at the moment you proclaim the message of the Gospel.

One of the practices that have helped me is to watch and listen to professional storytellers. Garrison Keillor for example, and to pay attention to the way they use voice, timing, and rhythm. This purpose isn’t to copy the storytellers but to add more storytelling qualities to our preaching. 

That’s the first three, three more next week. Thanks for reading. If you have any comments or questions, please inbox me on Facebook. My prayer is that this helps pastors and congregations.

In Christ,

Richard Crowson

Pastor/Planter Redemption Hill Church, Sioux City IA

A Time for Rest

"Make the most of your time"

Redemption Hill Church launches its first service at  5:00 pm (prayer gathering) and 5:45pm (worship gathering) this Sunday Night (October 4th)- at 1309 Pierce Street- across from everyone's favorite burrito haven, La Juanita's. Many have asked why we chose such an unusual time for having a worship service.

In a nutshell, it's all about time. Time is fleeting. In our modern world, we have so many "time savers". Text messaging,emails, and online ordering have created more convenience, but we are losing time.  People work more, families rarely eat meals together, our health as a nation is failing due to inactivity, and people are exhausted. To be sure, churches often expedite that exhaustion. They fill our schedules, with really good things- events, classes and programs that help us grow spiritually, but the most important relationships in our lives still are crunched due to a lack of time.

To help in this war for time, we want families to have Sabbath- spiritual rest. Sunday is the Lord's Day, and we want people to enjoy it! Life is basically about what you worship and who you love. We want you to spend Sunday loving people that matter and worshiping the One that matters most. It may seem silly, but here's a few ideas on what to do on Sunday morning:

1. Sleep a little later- We are not machines. Maybe getting an hour or two extra of sleep in the week may rejuvenate you more than you think
2. Breakfast with family or friends- How about making every Sunday morning a day where people eat breakfast together and enjoy the fellowship?
3. Devotional- Meet for coffee with a friend for a weekly devotional. Soon,I will put out some recommendations for devotional books , and some of my own personal helps that people can do in one-on-one or small group meetings.
4. Movie- Star Wars? In December, I'm going. Grab a friend or take your kids- great memories.
5. Search Sioux CIty- We live in a great city with a multitude of parks and a good riverfront with an underrated downtown. Go check it out.
6. There are a million other ideas, but I hope you embrace rest in Christ.

In Christ,

Richard

Community Robbers -Part I

This is the 1st installment (of 3) of a blog series on Christians and community

"Community" has become a buzzword among many evangelicals. It seems that Christians have realized that the modern emphases of isolation and consumerism has stripped away life from the church and that the connection with people of common faith is a remedy of these issues. A multitude of Christian books and blogs have addressed the "nuts and bolts" of community building. Small groups, missional communities, fellowship meals, and Sunday school classes are all tools that evangelicals have turned to over last several decades to create a stronger community "emphasis" in the church. With little debate, I strongly affirm these attempts, but the question that must be answered is "Why did we become so non-relational?"

I'm not a trained sociologist; I'm a pastor that is both concerned about and affected by relationship "robbers." These "robbers" are cultural artifacts and situations that have made close relationships less essential to humanity and by default, the church. I do not write these from a vacuum, because I greatly struggle with managing these "robbers."

Robber #1 Community is barely necessary for physical survival.

This first robber is not unique to Christians but a product of the modern world, but it's fruit is seen in how Christians treat their faith communities. Generations ago, whether someone lived in a large urban sprawl or a tiny prairie village, people were interconnected in order to live. Farmers would barter commodities and sell products at local markets to other farmers, which created a community of neighbors that depended on one another for business transactions. This was not just a small town phenomenon. Neighborhoods in large cities, usually established by European minorities, shared common cultures, and languages which helped develop strong community identities. In both contexts, people were dependent on their neighbors to live, if someone failed to participate in the community, everyone suffered.

In the medieval past, cities' buildings were built in close quarters to one another. This practice, along with building walls around the outskirts of the city, provided protection from rival cities and marauders. Therefore, the geographical closeness of residents aided in physical survival of the people. Today, cities are growing, but mainly due to economic, educational and entertainment opportunities. All three of these reasons are beneficial but hardly communal, with some exception, people do not move into closely connected urban centers for physical survival.

Today, "everyday" life is lived differently. Most products are purchased from stores that aren't unique to the community- the advantages are convenience and lower pricing, but the drawback is that consumers are not dependent on local producers for transactions. Fundamentally, this means that transactions merely provide a means of the flow of goods and services , without necessary interconnection.

Let's be clear, modern life has brought so many conveniences to our communities. At one time, local communities relied on volunteers for social services and crime prevention. Today, we have running water, paved roads, relatively clean air and other advantages publically funded by tax support, and in general, those have made us a healthier and safer society. It would be foolish to enjoy such anmeties and criticize the means in which we have them.

If that is the case, the question begs to be asked. "Isn't it a good thing that we don't need a community for physical survival?" The answer is yes, but we do need to understand that everything has consequences. While we can shop from well stocked stores, and we don't worry about outside cities invading us ; we have water services, and fire and police protection, the "rub" is we HAVE LOST INTERCONNECTION.

In other words, People can go to work, go to school, eat at restaurants, attend church, drink clean water, watch television, play on their smart phone, and have every modern service while only relying on themselves or their government. Therefore, unlike our predecessors, Community is unnecessary.
Christians must respond
What does this have to do with Christians? Christians live in communities and generally reflect the lack of care for the communities in which they live. It's a true stereotype- Many evangelicals know the names of Christians in Africa but not the names of their neighbors. Christians tend to live in isolation and many of the fruits of that lifestyle are evident in Christians, but the topic of this blog has more to do with how Christians treat their faith community.


Alternative Community
The Sermon on the Mount teaches Christians how a completely different community should live, feel and serve. Christians must love their neighbors, not just need them for economic output. We aren't supposed to just have a community for protection against evils of the outside world, but we are called to be "a city on a hill.", shining God's light to other communities.

God's people should always repent and we need to repent on how we treat our faith community. It's clear that how we live in our community is an apologetic for non Christians as how a true community should live.

Unfortunately, the modern approach to community is so evident in the church, The church is God's community and too many Christians do not value church attendance and involvement. Christians bicker, argue and separate over small issues. Too often, our communities look just like every other community.

Here's a question. How does it look to an outsider to see Christians voluntarily loving one another in word and deed? What if instead of arguing over theological disagreements, we acknowledge our differences but love one another anyway? What if our prayer meetings had passion for the greatness of God and the good of our earthly communities? The answer is that it would be revolutionary, which best describes the Gospel.

Holiday Reflection and Rewind

Good to be able to blog again, I took the holidays off, my wonderful wife, Amber, did check in a couple times, so be sure to read her stuff. The holidays were fun. I enjoyed my first Christmas with my wife’s family; learned that there is a difference between dressing and stuffing, and discovered that eating a spoonful of black-eyed peas for good luck is not a universal cultural custom, in fact, Amber managed to find the only bag of black-eyed peas in the Sioux land area to ring in the New Year’s the right way.  I struggled through the  sorrowful New Year’s Eve bowl performance by my beloved Ole Miss Rebels (kingdom stuff), which was almost as disappointing as the non-White Christmas that I experienced for my 36^th straight year. The food, trees, ornaments and music and people are exhilarating to me, in other words, I am a Holiday Season nut, and I never get tired of the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day triumvirate.

The Holiday seems to generate a multitude of pastoral blogs that focus on how Christians should treat them. Should Christians “do Santa?”? Did Pilgrims really eat with Native Americans on that first Thanksgiving? Is New Year’s a remotely Christian holiday? Does gift giving promote consumerism? All of these questions are debated, sometimes to the point where “heat” far outweighs “light.” I have some random observations about the holidays that some may find helpful:

1-Some holidays are civic and some aren’t- All holidays should be civil but some are civic. The lesser two holidays of Thanksgiving and New Year’s are civic holidays. They are holidays that the culture-at large recognizes and enjoys due to a historical event or celebration. Thanksgiving is an American celebration that is unique (Canada celebrates its thanksgiving on October 12). It is a time where our culture shares turkey, cranberry sauce and football, in recognition of a meal between the Pilgrims and Wampanoag tribe in Plymouth MA, in 1621. The feast was celebrated by George Washington and proclaimed a holiday by Abraham Lincoln in 1863; it was a day of prayer and feasting as recognized by our government and the culture at large. The Thanksgiving celebration is not found in Scripture or church history, therefore how should Christians respond? By praying and feasting! American Christians have so much to be thankful for today. We live in a prosperous nation, and have religious freedom to worship our Lord openly without fear of reprisal. Christians and non Christians alike can appreciate the blessings of Thanksgiving for many identical reasons. Freedom, family, food and football, alliteratively sums them up.

We as Christians do need to remember that many holidays we enjoy are cultural ones and it’s good to participate in them. For example, the Fourth of July is a holiday that many Christians don’t like celebrating. Why? Because it’s a celebration of America and the freedom Americans enjoy as opposed to the spiritual freedom found in Christ. I think that it’s wise to make a distinction between civic liberty and spiritual freedom found in our Lord, but our freedom in Christ is celebrated in two holidays that are both civic and Christian- Christmas and Easter. These two holidays would not be recognized by Americans if the Incarnation and Resurrection were not historical facts, so we celebrate those two with the vigor and integrity they deserve. The Fourth of July to a Christian is a civic holiday that can be enjoyed with Christians and non-Christians as being an American citizen is a wonderful gift given to us by our Lord.

Christians long for connections to the broader culture. We want to be relevant in all areas of life; music, movies, podcasts, and books have all been produced in the last decade emphasize the importance of cultural relevance. The glad enjoyment and participation in civic holidays is one way to achieve that end. 

2-Non-consumerism is not the same as glorifying God-. So many beloved Christmas movies (It’s a Wonderful Life, Christmas Carol, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas) and stories like “Gift of the Magi” are about Christmas being a time where people and their needs are more important than money or stuff. However, Consumerism and Christmas clearly seem to be happily married. Most retail establishments focus their entire year on the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas to have a successful sales year. In fact, the day after Thanksgiving is called “Black Friday” due to the fact that stores will get in the “black” for the year. Our most popular images of Christmas in our country are not the images of the God-man as a baby in a manger but Santa Claus, in a red suit giving gifts to children, which was popularized by Coca-Cola and Hallmark. This means of course, that our consumerist holiday’s most iconic image comes from 20^th Century marketing. Most Christians “go with the flow”, some may reject Santa Claus, some may give more to charity, some might be more stringent in sticking to a budget, but overall Christians spend too much money on Christmas. There have been other Christians, many who are quite thoughtful that have rejected the gift giving concept almost altogether as a protest to consumerism. I can appreciate this sentiment, but one must remember that when stuff is the focus (even if “stuff” is the object of the protest), Christ isn’t the object of worship. In other words, Christmas to the Christian is not a protest to anything but it is the special day when we intentionally remember that Immanuel came to Earth .We must remember the first point of the blog. Christmas is a Christian holiday. It’s our holiday. Yes, the culture at large celebrates it and I enjoy the general Christmas “culture” (music, food, celebration etc.) but the point of Christmas is the Incarnation. Admittedly, I don’t know for everyone how that sacred truth makes someone think about Christmas budgets (or non-budgets) or if, Santa is a good (or bad) personification of a civic Christmas, but I do know that when the focus of the season is stuff and not the One, we have not celebrated Christmas.

3-Traditions are more important than anyone realizes- As a culture, Americans are not extremely traditional. We are a “melting pot” of cultures so much of our culture comes from older countries and cultures that moved to America to begin anew. That is a major highlight of our national character. We are more “forward focused” than almost any other nation on Earth. It has led to our economic success and scientific progress. Of course, Progress always has its casualties. One of those casualties is the idea of “home” .People in the U.S. more frequently move; we have the highest divorce rates in the world and in many ways are lonelier than ever. I have talked to several people in Sioux City that dread the holidays because going home for the holidays is a painful chore they do once a year to maintain peace. The holidays for many are a blur that they would rather slumber through or be teleported from rather than endure with a plastic smile. No blog on the holidays can correct deep dysfunction, but a couple pointers on how to return to “home” might help.

Traditions are important. Families that have holiday traditions communicate “rootedness”. For example, my family for over a decade saw the “Christmas Carol” at the Theater Memphis. It gave me appreciation of theater, Dickens and a love for an enduring Christmas story. It also helped frame my holiday experience as “home”, it has been years since I have seen the play, but when December 1^st hits, memories flash into my mind. I feel anticipation and warmth. It’s small but important. Establishing need not be that difficult. Movies enjoyed, cookies baked, ham or turkey smelled and ornaments hung consistently in the same way every year creates an atmosphere for positive memories of” home” and rootedness .For Christians, simply reciting a version of the birth of Christ on Christmas Day, or taking the family to a communion service at your church on Christmas Eve or other simple but deliberate customs that point to Immanuel can build the sense of “home.”

No, traditions do not make heartache from the pain found in many broken families disappear ,nor would making a certain pie every year for 50 years for Thanksgiving keep marriages together, but they are small bits of “home” that can make the holidays special.

4-Food is more than food- It’s no mystery, Americans do love to eat. Coming from the South, food is intertwined in our culture more than any region. Americans, however may love food, but don’t have a deep affinity for meals. Much of our eating is done alone and quickly. We invented drive –thru fast food, pizza-by-the-slice, ice cream cones, and TV. dinners. All of those innovations changed how we eat in our modern world. Mobility has been the key motivator in our nation’s culinary landscape. While, there is nothing sinful about ordering pizza by the slice (Amen and Amen). Jesus, however, understood the beauty and intimacy of a “traditional” sit-down meal. For example, he gave us a way to remember him by, “The Lord’s Supper”, His final discipleship time on earth was the “Last Supper”, he was seen as an enemy by the Pharisees, because he “ate with sinners”- which 1^st Century inhabitants knew as a symbol of love and fellowship; Christ refers to himself as the “bread of life” and, one of his most powerful parables taught by Jesus about the love of God was the “Great Banquet.”

The holiday season is full of “sit down” meals, whether it’s Christmas or Thanksgiving lunch, a New Year’s party at a friend’s home or the numerous “get togethers” that dot the holiday calendar. Menus may vary, and the size of groups most certainly do., but all of us can do one thing during these meals- VALUE THEM. Meals taken together are refreshing, relaxing, festive, and serve as natural icebreakers. Few things signify connection with people like sharing a meal together. What does this mean for Christians?

First, Christians should offer simple thanks to God for these meals. God has provided food, friends, stories, smells, corny jokes and memories through a simple mealtime. The Bible says that “all good things come from God.” This includes the smallest of blessings. Secondly, invite others to join your family, for many the holidays are an emotional struggle, their families are torn, and holidays are a war zone complete with verbal grenades and failed mediating peacekeeping efforts. These people won’t ever have a “second” family, but simply inviting them to enjoy your healthy holiday experience can be an encouragement. Finally, don’t just eat together in the holidays. Obviously, Thanksgiving dinner should not be eaten every week (I type this with a tear), but the love and connection between friends and families should happen more often a few times a year. Throughout the year, try to make it a point to eat dinner together three times a week, or organize monthly desserts and coffee meetings with friends in your church, or invite a neighbor to lunch occasionally. Christians must remember that small, consistent acts of love usually have greater impact than complex, massively planned efforts. Beauty is usually simple.

These are a few reflections on the holidays. I hope they are helpful.

 In Christ, 

Richard

Hanging my Harp in the Willow Tree.

“When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongues with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, ‘The LORD has done great things for them.’ The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad. “Psalm 126: 1-3

This psalm I understand. It spoke straight to my heart.  The Israelites were returning to the Promise Land.  They had been delivered from their enemies.  Again.  Their deliverance happened so quickly that they barely had time to register that they were free.  Surely they thought, “This must be a dream!” As they slowly began to realize the truth their mouths were filled with laughter and their tongues with shouts of Joy.  I can hear the celebrating in my mind.  Psalm 137: 1-3 also talks about the time of Babylon captivity “By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion.  On the willows there we hung up our lyres.  For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!

Nothing would be more crushing to my soul than if somebody not only took music from me but made me sing my music out of spite and ridicule. Music of my country, my heritage, and my family made a complete mockery of.  It infuriates me when I see other countries mocking “The Star-Spangled Banner”.  It also makes me angry when people try to improve or sing their own version of the National Anthem.  No, the National Anthem cannot be improved. It is perfect the way it is.  The Song of our country is beautiful and it can’t be improved. 

What if we woke up tomorrow and it was gone. What if it became illegal to sing the songs of our country?  “The National Anthem”, “America the Beautiful”, “God Bless the USA”, and “My Country Tis of Thee” were all banned from our mouths?  This is just a small illustration of what the Israelites must have been experiencing. I can picture the Israelites walking underneath those trees and looking up longingly at those harps.  Their fingers would be itching to play and their voices desperate for a song.  They had to keep walking on by. I just know the day of their freedom a group of them went running to those willow trees and cut those harps down so quickly.  Their music would be filling up the land for the first time in 400 years. Oh what a Glorious Day it must have been! (yes I know this is figurative)

Over the span of my life I have played many instruments and have sung in many choirs.  I picked up the flute in 5^th grade and played my way through college on a flute scholarship.  Music is what brought me through a difficult childhood.  I dove myself into it and let it carry me away.  There are so many people that know exactly what I am talking about.  Music is a powerful thing.  So many times a song has been able to express the words/feelings I could not express myself.  So many times I have been moved to tears by music. Music can make me jump to my feet and dance, or make me calm and reflective.  It can cater to my every mood.  I believe I have more music stuck in my head than anything else. Thousands of songs are there and I can recall them in a second.  Most people can hear a few bars of music and know exactly what television show it belongs to. What would a movie be without music?  What would life be without music?

Every day you can hear me whistling or singing. Much to my husband’s dismay something in our home is always playing music.   Richard’s first indicator that something is bothering me is silence.  Only a few times have I experienced sorrow that was so overpowering, it stifled the music right out of me.  Sorrow so deep that silence was my only desired company.  Times when I hung my harp in the willow tree. 

Seven years ago my life shattered into a million pieces.  For a year and a half I had to rely on the mercy of others just to live.   It was a devastating time for me.  In addition to this shattering of my life I lost two grandparents, deep family skeletons were brought into the light, and a serious relationship in my life had ended abruptly.  I felt the enemy was choking the life out of me.  I spent every day for an entire year praying for deliverance. I felt surrounded and hopeless..  When my deliverance came, my mouth was filled with laughter and my tongue with shouts of joy! The LORD had most definitely done great things for me.  My music had been returned to me and it was more beautiful and precious than ever.

I know no matter what happens in my life I can rest in the promises of God.  The LORD will bind the brokenhearted, will proclaim liberty to the captives, and freedom for the prisoners…and comfort to those who mourn. (Isaiah 61:1-2) We all will experience sorrow. Some of you are experiencing it now.  Your harps are hung so high in those trees you can barely see them and they have been there a long time.  Some of you hung your own harps; while others had theirs ripped from their hands and nailed to that tree.  Sorrow most definitely hurts. Couple it with guilt or betrayal, and that sorrow runs much deeper.  I can give a hundred verses about comfort and sorrow but I am not going to.  All I can assure you is that one day you will stand in the throne room and “He will wipe away every tear from your eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:4.  All things will be made new.  This gives us hope for the future.

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:8

That my dear friends is something excellent. I am praying for you whose hearts are broken and shattered. Whose beauty has been turned to ashes. Those who go to bed weeping and wake up sobbing. Praying you find rest and peace in the presence of Christ.  He is the only one who can turn your mourning into dancing. Who can turn your sorrow into music. He is the only one who can take your harp out of that willow tree. 

In Christ,

Amber

Letter to a Church Planter #3

This is the 3rd installment of "Letters to a Young Planter", the contents came from my journal. The idea I stole from Pastor Calvin Miller's book Letters to a Young Pastor

Dear Young Planter,

You will ask this a million times "What's my church's biggest weakness?" If you don't ask that every once in a while, you are foolish. I guess the answer varies from church to church, but overall I've learned that my answer isn't that hard.I've learned who the greatest weakness in the plant is. It's me!

That's not silly false humility, I believe God has equipped me, just like he has you. You will find (I hope) the greatest ministry work you will participate in is, of course, Prayer!  Planters that don't pray; don't stay (pretty catchy?) It's true. Pastoral work drives you to your knees and planting keeps you there.
I would pray and pray; I would pray for God to move, do powerful things, and he would often answer as only he can, but after reading 1 Peter, I realized I had neglected my greatest gift other than Jesus- my wife. I wasn't an absentee husband, but I could be overly critical and sometimes mean spirited.
 It was not intentional, but it happens.... It also is bad for ministry.

The book of 1st Peter offers admonishment we need. As a planter, you will get to know 1st Peter well, it's a book that gives instruction to a misplaced, misunderstood and marginalized church. Two verses should grip you. They are 1st Peter 3:7 and 1st Peter 4:7.  To summarize, the first one says that you need to love your wife in an understanding way, SO YOUR PRAYERS won't be hindered. The 2nd says we should be self controlled and sober minded FOR THE SAKE OF OUR PRAYERS. Pretty powerful; God cares how we live our lives. Here's a more direct translation.

Translation: all that begging God for resources and people and vision and stuff doesn't matter if you are mean to your wife and don't take personal holiness seriously. Desire for a "touch from God "and spiritual power and vision can be held in check if we don't fight to be sober minded and love our family!  The key to your success may not be your cleverness or "cultural exegesis" (you will learn that term in time), but it will probably be rooted in your integrity of character.

Look around, the pastors that "fall from Grace" are often the most talented and most brilliant. They simply forgot to take their non-public life seriously; this cut off the spiritual lifeline to Christ through prayer and over time they "Died on the Vine".  If you want to last, cultivate character.

Finally,You want to be missional and impactful. Praise God, but you won't do it without prayer and your prayers won't do it if you're greatest gifts: your relationship with God and your beautiful bride aren't first in your life! Learn this lesson now; hopefully God will bless your family and your ministry!

Keep Plowing
Richard