Random Thoughts
So it’s late Thursday night. Thursday is in many ways my second favorite day of the week. I”m putting to bed my outline for Sunday, have my bulletin stuff done (if I’ve got songs) I have the worship handout done....it just sort of feels nice.
So, it’s late but I thought I’d publish some various unrelated thoughts and quotes that have been tossing their way around in my head.
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The logo above is a new one that Scott put together for us. It is for the podcast “iPreach” you can hear it above at “iPreach”. I like the logo because it is simple, clean and crisp.
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Is the Bible ever scary to you? I’ve had a couple of verses on my mind lately that sort of falls into that category: “Who being past feeling...” (Ephesians 4:19), and “without natural affection...” (Romans 1:31). I know the primary application is toward those who have gone so far from right they no longer even care. I don’t want to pull it out of context and think I may have, but I fear sometimes getting past feeling. Desensitized to life. Seeing a person hurting and not having any feeling. Seeing a person on TV starving and feeling nothing. A man on the side of the interstate and having no feeling of human compassion toward him. Or hearing - hearing profanity mixed in with humor on a sitcom and not having any feeling of shame, disappointment or indignation toward the inappropriate words. They are there and they are expected. Or beyond feeling toward those who have disappointed me or tried to do me harm. Not caring any more what they say or do or how they act. Seeing a baby and not realizing the potential in them. Seeing a baptism and not realizing the miracle of salvation. Beyond feeling? Does that make any sense?
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I ran across a neat thought the other day and I didn’t write down the source but here it is: “We should build our relationships on who is going to cry at our funeral.” True this, true this.
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And somebody sent me this quote from ME (when I said it I didn’t really think as deep about it as I have since :)): “Let the good overwhelm the bad…” (It’s probably not original with me either). The good that God has done and is doing in our lives should always overtake and take over the bad. When things are challenging we don’t need to ignore them or deny them or sometimes even expect to fix them - just let the good overwhelm the bad!
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Gone...and forgotten? Frankly sometimes I have thoughts that I don’t really like. I watch preachers and preaching and churches a lot. One of the sad things is that someone can do a good work for years at a church, leave under no hint of scandal, people mourn their leaving and then one week later it is as if they were never there!!! I was on a website trying to find a new number for a fellow who left a congregation after 22 years and I couldn’t even find evidence that he had ever been there other than the archive page for past sermons. The guys name wasn’t even on that page. And it made me think about how strange: You write 2 bulletin articles a week, help plan programs, serve, preach twice a week, teach two or more classes a week, baptize, marry and bury and then you announce you are leaving. They make a statement of how much they will miss you and how thankful they are for you and give you a party and a money tree and then you leave. They run your new address in the bulletin and then your name is NEVER mentioned again. It is as if all evidence of your existence or impact in a place is gone. It is as if what you have poured your soul into for many years is washed away. One place I preached for several year you will find my name on their website one time. But that is also true of the man who served there for 50 years!!! Another place my name isn’t even mentioned in the history section but the material I wrote for the site is still there - only my name has been removed from it :). “Oh, we’ll miss you...Oh, that sermon changed my life...” But forgotten. I suppose it is to remind us in ministry that they work we do is for the Lord and not for ourselves. Do any of you relate?
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I spoke again this year on “Exposure” over the holidays. What an event! It’s my third time on the program. I’ve gotten to do the “Q&A” section the last two years and loved it. I’ve also keynoted a couple of times. And, when I’m there I am just honored to be involved. I think I’d pay to do it. And I always conclude after that I wish I was better and could influence this group more. I wish i was better prepared, better equipped, just better. There are over a thousand young people who give part of their holidays, many youth leaders who sacrifice some family holiday time, and a hoard of dear friends who I love to get to spend some time with. Also my son, Andrew, has gone with me the last two years and it is just a blast to be with him.
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Thanks for listening today. Some of this is very random and some of it could be its own post but just thought I’d do a mind dump today. And as always, post away...