The Good-O-Meter

This video explains perfectly the difference between being a follower of Jesus and being a follower of any other religion. While everyone else is performing to gain approval of their god a follower of Jesus relies totally on His righteousness.

Which Chair Do You Sit On?

This post first appeared at REAL Men RoCK

Righteous Encouraging Accountable Loving Men Rely on Christ Kindness

I want to begin by recommending a book for you to read, "30 Days to Experiencing Spiritual Breakthroughs" by Bruce Wilkinson.

In this book he brings up in the book three types of chairs to describe our relationship with God.

The First Chair stands for Commitment. The person sitting in this chair has chosen to wholly love and serve God.

The Second Chair stands for Compromise. The person sitting in this chair has chosen to try to get for themselves the best that both God and the world have to offer.

The Third Chair stands for Conflict. The person sitting in this chair has chosen not to respond to God in any meaningful way, remaining at odds with eternal spiritual realities.

Let's look at the Third Chair first. God is trying to get our attention each and every minute of the day. I believe He uses the shows we watch, the music we listen to and the people we hang with to talk to us. Of course the number one way He talks to us is through the pages of the Bible. Having said that if a person is not reading the Bible then God has to use other methods to get their attention.

The person sitting in the Third Chair might seem to be doing okay but they are constantly facing conflict. God is trying to get their attention through the movies they watch, the music they listen to and the people they hang with. Usually the movies are not edifying or encouraging, the music they listen to are usually not a positive message and the people they hang with often are heavy drinkers, drug addicts or involved in illegal activities. As a result their life is full of conflict.

Now the person in the Second Chair attends Church now and then come Monday they fall back into their old ways. They look good one day and then the rest of the week they have to try to cover up how often they have their hand in the world's cookie jar. I call this person a CINO, Christian In Name Only.

I am going to focus the rest of this post on the person sitting in the First Chair which actually is made up of three different types of chairs.

There is the Easy Chair, the Straight Back Chair and the Stool.

The Easy Chair: The person sitting in this chair is a Christian but they are comfortable where they are. They do not see any reason to continue to grow and they believe they have overcome the world.

The Straight Back Chair: The person sitting in this chair is moving from being a Christian to becoming a Follower of Jesus. They often see that they need to make some changes and seek help in changing the things they struggle with.

The Stool: The person sitting on this chair has decided to commit their entire life to living a godly life. They are not always perfect but they every now and then they achieve perfection as described by Jesus in Sermon on the Mound found in Matthew. The Stool actually can be one of three different types.

The first stool represents the majority of Followers of Jesus. They are committed to Him and sit in an uncomfortable chair and are constantly examining their lives and making changes to overcome.

The Follower of Jesus that sits on this stool is similar to the one that sits on the first stool but this Follower is busy helping others.

The Follower of Jesus that sits on this chair is like the first two Followers but this person is ready to spring off of the stool at a moments notice to do the calling of Jesus. They completely trust in the Lord and do not rely on any other support except for God.

This post applies to every person who reads it. They are either non-responsive to God, responsive to God but straddling the fence, or they are committed to God and respond to each and every message from Him.

The question for us is "Which Chair do we sit in most often?" If we are honest we have to admit our goal is to sit on the one legged stool but more often than not we are sitting in one of the other chairs. The good news is God will patiently work with you to help you sit in a chair that is more committed to Him.

This was first posted at REAL Men RoCK Blog

My wife, Kat, and I are working with our friends, Rick and Karen, in the pursuit of a dream. That dream is a mini-farm with hoop houses which are small greenhouses for year-round organic gardening.

I am reading a book I "Mini-Farming Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre" by Brett L. Markham.

Photo above found at Ecology Action

It describes Intensive Agricultural Techniques. This techniques uses raised beds and grow vegetables more closely together than traditional row methods. It is said that this technique requires less land--thus requiring less water and labor while reducing the need for weeding. Intensive gardening produce the same amount of food in 20% of the space or even less that that, leading to greatly reduced costs.

Photo above was found at Ecology Action

The advantage of using a hoop house or a greenhouse is that it will allow for year-round gardening. Even when it is freezing outside the temperatures in a greenhouse can reach 70-80 degrees. Of course not all vegetables can be grown in winter and I will later be posting more information on which can and cannot be grown. For now this post is about the dream.

What is behind this dream?

Kat and I are in our early sixties and we have decided to take what little we have in the stock market and invest in a small farm of 15-25 acres. We believe that investing in this farm will be a better use and bring us a better return on our money. The main reason we are doing it is to become self-sufficient through having the resources for growing our own food. We have purposely chosen a small farm because it is something older people can manage.

On this farm we will build three different sized greenhouses to be used for different purposes. We will build a small barn to be used for farm animals and for a learning center for teaching other people interested in either greenhouse or hoop house gardening.

Mini-Greenhouse Farming also requires less expensive tools and can almost be done using the tools pictured in the photo to the left.

I will post photos as we move forward in pursuing this dream. The first photo will be of the land we purchase. The photos following that will be of the greenhouses, the cabins and the barn that we build.

One of the most important reasons we are pursuing this dream is because we feel it can be a ministry where we can use the gifts and talents God has given us to help others.

I hope this post will stir in you a desire to pursue your own dream.

Poor Thoughts

This was first posted at REAL Men RoCK Blog.

I want to share an letter that was sent to the Kansas City Star Newspaper and hopefully you will share with me what it stirs in you. As you read it consider what thoughts you have when you encounter the homeless or poor. At the end of this post I will share my thoughts.

What's next for the poor

Mr. Mike Hendricks
Kansas City Star Newspaper


I read your report on the raided homeless encampment with great interest.


My name Richard G. Tripp, and I'm the director of an organization here in Kansas City Missouri, Care Of Poor People, alias{ COPP INC}.


I personally have visited that homeless encampment and met with its residents on several occasions over the past couple years. And yes we have supplied materials to help them survive, and would do it again, I myself years ago lived in a camp on Cliff drive years ago.


I am appalled that the Kansas City Police Department would take the time to harass and destroy an encampment were no proof of illegal activity is apparent. And why technically they were on city property, I personally do not believe that it warranted the actions that was taken, I might add it is questionable whether or not in this case the police acted lawfully.


Fresno, California had to pay out a $2.35 million judgment for destroying the property of homeless people in a similar raid on an encampment. I do not know if this issue has been adjudicated yet in the courts in Kansas City. But the simple fact are I do not believe it's time for our city fathers to have an open season on homeless people. Even the illegal campers have rights, and there is no indication that the rights of the campers were respected by the police.


Unsheltered homeless people have a shockingly high mortality rate. Bulldozing an encampment in the middle of winter is a form of life-threatening assault that should be prosecuted not condoned. Speculation about whether these homeless people would've been better off at city Union mission or any other shelter is simply speculation, you have to walk a mile in their shoes to understand why they would rather stay in a camp or go to the shelter. In the Kansas City metro area we have approximately 15,000 homeless brothers and sisters in that same metro area we have approximately 3,040 beds, Mr. Hendricks would you please do the math.


The question of whether or not a Meth Lab was found at another homeless encampment is needlessly inflammatory. I can absolutely guarantee you that meth labs are not common among the homeless, and no one tares down private homes willy-nilly just because that's were meth Labs are frequently found.


There is a broader moral question here. Our Declaration of Independence speaks of the unalienable right to life. This is something that most American soldiers have died for and countless others have worked and organized and fought for. Should the Kansas city Police Department be empowered to callously deprive people of the very right that is at the core of our nation's founding, and for no better reason than that maybe somebody complained.


On the Times when I visited this homeless encampment I was impressed by the mutually supportive spirit of the people who live there. No evidence has been brought forward that they were harming anyone. I am alternately applauded at the police action and I feel that, at the very least the KC police chief should be questioned as to why he allows his officers to terrorize vulnerable and defenseless homeless people. Of course, that won't happen, but unless some other facts come to light-- and I will keep an open mind, I believe this action at the homeless encampment by the Kansas City Police Department was morally repugnant police misconduct that should not be tolerated in the city that boasts one of America's most livable cities.


Richard G Tripp
Director COPP INC

The homeless stir different thoughts in different people. My thoughts turn to considering how Jesus would react to encountering a homeless person. Would He focus on their need or their sin? Let's look at a couple of examples from the Bible and we will get an idea of what He would want us to do as well.

Matthew 23-25 From there he went all over Galilee. He used synagogues for meeting places and taught people the truth of God. God's kingdom was his theme—that beginning right now they were under God's government, a good government! He also healed people of their diseases and of the bad effects of their bad lives. Word got around the entire Roman province of Syria. People brought anybody with an ailment, whether mental, emotional, or physical. Jesus healed them, one and all. More and more people came, the momentum gathering. Besides those from Galilee, crowds came from the "Ten Towns" across the lake, others up from Jerusalem and Judea, still others from across the Jordan.

John 5: 1-6 Soon another Feast came around and Jesus was back in Jerusalem.

Near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem there was a pool, in Hebrew called Bethesda, with five alcoves. Hundreds of sick people—blind, crippled, paralyzed—were in these alcoves. One man had been an invalid there for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him stretched out by the pool and knew how long he had been there, he said, "Do you want to get well?"

7 The sick man said, "Sir, when the water is stirred, I don't have anybody to put me in the pool. By the time I get there, somebody else is already in."

8-9 Jesus said, "Get up, take your bedroll, start walking." The man was healed on the spot. He picked up his bedroll and walked off.

9-10 That day happened to be the Sabbath. The Jews stopped the healed man and said, "It's the Sabbath. You can't carry your bedroll around. It's against the rules."

11 But he told them, "The man who made me well told me to. He said, 'Take your bedroll and start walking.'"

12-13 They asked, "Who gave you the order to take it up and start walking?" But the healed man didn't know, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd.

14 A little later Jesus found him in the Temple and said, "You look wonderful! You're well! Don't return to a sinning life or something worse might happen."

15-16 The man went back and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. That is why the Jews were out to get Jesus—because he did this kind of thing on the Sabbath.

So what should our response be? I will leave you with the following words of Jesus and you decide.

Matthew 25: 34-36 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.'

37-40 "Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'

To be honest there have been times I was fearful or disgusted when encountering the homeless but then I considered the above scriptures and was convicted that I was fearing out of a lack of understanding and I was disgusted because I lack compassion.

2011 - What Will It Bring?

What will 2011 bring your way?

Here is what I believe it will bring. If you are a negative person it will be more of the same old thing but if you are a positive person it will bring new opportunities.

Many people make new year resolutions and almost all fail to even begin to achieve them. What happens is people get discouraged because their goal is SO LARGE.

I want to encourage you not to make some grand goal and then find yourself at the end of next week embarrassed that you even made it. I instead encourage you to make weekly goals that are achievable each week. Expand them each week building on the week before. By the end of 2011 I believe you will have achieved a lot more than you would have setting many goals at the beginning of the year.

My goal next week is to finish one chapter of the book I am writing. If I follow that plan I should have the book completed in twelve weeks and ready to hand to my editor. Then hopefully by March 2011 it will be ready to head for publication.

What is your goal next week?

Happy New Year

Missions

What do you think of when you hear the word Missions?

For most of us it brings up visions of a person or group of people taking ten days off of work and heading to a region of the earth foreign to them. People from the United States heading to Africa or South America and lending a helping hand to a children's home or providing medical care that normally is not available. 

But is that all there is to missions?

In Matthew 28 we get our commission to share the gospel.

 16-17 Meanwhile, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed for the mountain Jesus had set for their reunion. The moment they saw him they worshiped him. Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally. 

 18-20 Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."

From this one verse I get that our mission is not only to those areas like Africa and South America but it could be as close as the person in the apartment or house next to you.

What I want to do with this post is to provide some ideas for where you could find people who are foreign to you and to the gospel of Jesus.

Here are a few places that you could find people who are in need of the gospel:

Nursing homes, bars, night clubs, children homes, jails, prisons, hospitals, shopping centers, your next door neighbor, coffee houses, the waitress at your favorite restaurant, your child's coach or teacher or the employee break room at work.

You see the mission field is not limited to some distant land it is as close as a few steps from where you are right now as you read this.

Right now you might be saying well I am not one of the ones called to share the gospel and it might be true that you are not called to travel into the inner city, under the bridges where the homeless live, or to some foreign land. But to really answer that question let's look at one more scripture.

I am not going to list the entire scripture here but I will focus on what I feel is the most important words. Matthew 25: 31-46  

37-40"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'

Friends our mission field is any place that people are hungry both physically and spiritually. It is where people are suffering, sick, in prison or in need. Your neighbor may be in need just as badly as the person in Africa. The co-worker who feel he or she needs to drink their blues away is as needy as the one in South America who is steeped in strange religious practices. 

God may not have called you to be a missionary to some foreign country but He has called you to be a missionary to those foreign to Him.

Now how exactly does someone who is not trained to be a missionary be a missionary? Simple share your life with someone else. After all your life is something you know better than anyone else. As you get to know your neighbor share with them where you have been in your life and where you are now and where you believe God is taking you. Share with them the Good News that God has done in your life. Then give them hope that He wants to do the same in their life. 

Finally, be patient as God works in their life. Although Salvation is granted instantly, life long habits are not always instantly changed. Most of the time God uses the process of developing a relationship with the person in the changing of life controlling habits.

I hope that by now you see that God has called you to missions. More likely it is to be a Home Missionary not a Foreign Missionary. In my view both are equally important to increasing the Kingdom of God.

As 2010 Draws to a Close

If you are like me you have been hurt by other people but like me you have to admit you are guilty of having hurt some as well. Both these things happened to me this year. The pain and the shame set me back. As we end this year I think it would be good for us to consider what God tells us through Jesus about how we must handle both situations. 

In Matthew 23-24 Jesus tells us: 
"This is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God.

Jesus is telling us that if we go before the Father and lay our petitions down before Him and do not consider those who have something against us then our prayers are not heard.

Then in Matthew 18: 15-17 Jesus tells us:
"If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him—work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you've made a friend. If he won't listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again. If he still won't listen, tell the church. If he won't listen to the church, you'll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer again God's forgiving love.

Here Jesus is telling us if a fellow believer of His hurts us we must go to them and share what we feel they have done. 

In both of these situations Jesus is talking to believers about believers. But He also has something to say about what we should do when we are hurt no matter who has caused the situation. We find that in Matthew 14-15:
 "In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can't get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God's part.

No matter who it is that has hurt us we must make the effort to forgive them. If we don’t our attitude and our actions will be controlled by what they have done to us. It will hinder our development of healthy relationships and keep us from receiving God’s forgiveness for what we have done.

So as this year ends take the time to consider who it is that has hurt you and forgive them. Consider whom it is you have hurt and go to them and seek their forgiveness. Either way release the hurt to God and allow Jesus to comfort the pain that was caused.

Possibly Some Good May Result

September 3, 2010 began just like any other day. Little did I know the strange turn of events that would soon to unfold. I poured the strong brew into my favorite coffee cup, one that I purchased for my dad while I was serving in the Navy fighting the war in Vietnam. As I poured the second cup, it dawned on me that this was the same date and about the same time that I received a devastating phone call 38 years earlier from one of my uncles. I remember it as clearly as if it occurred yesterday. My uncle told me that my dad was in serious condition and they were rushing him to the hospital. He said I should make plans to come home. Tears began to stream down my face as I stumbled into the bedroom, where my wife, and son were laying in bed talking. I explained to her what the call was about. Just as I was finishing, the phone rang again. My uncle informed me that my dad had died. Now stunned I knew that I would have to make the long drive home and face the fact my hero had died.

 Unable to stop the tears flowing from these memories, my thoughts turned to what a disaster the previous year had been. Now the tears of memories of that day were mixing with tears resulting from the shame I felt because I failed to give grace during a heated disagreement to a pastor who was a friend. It destroyed our relationship. The questions about whether God really intended for me to work as a pastor. The doubts that the passions I had were really from God. Heart broken and overwhelmed by it all, I could feel myself slip into the beginning stages of discouragement. I was feeling the old pulls of wanting to flee to those things I used to medicate my pain.

As I finished my coffee, a random thought regarding my family history moved through the nerve cells of my brain. I put my cup down, opened one of the drawers of my desk and pulled out a stack of papers a cousin sent me several years before. One document detailed my family tree. I followed back through the Clark family and saw that it originated with my great, great grandfather, Seth Gold Clark.

 My interest perked and since I had six hours before I needed to be at work, I decided to do some research and see what I could find out about this man. I turned to my computer and did an Internet search on his name. After perusing many of the sites that came up in the results, I clicked on one that referred to a book called, “The Church at home and abroad, Volume 24 By Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.” What I discovered would change everything.

Have you ever had one of those moments that you knew without a shadow-of-a-doubt that God divinely directed you to do something? It is interesting that I would feel this because I had been asking for a divine appointment with someone who would impact my life in a positive way and for God’s glory. For me, this was one of those moments and the appointment I had asked for. I knew without a doubt God wanted me to read what was written in this book about the Reverend Seth Gold Clark. The words would renew the dream God placed in my heart and give me hope that all of my experiences in life so far happened to prepare me for (OR “for such a time as this”) this very moment in time.”

What follows is about the life of my great, great grandfather and the seeds of greatness he planted. This story is one that God revealed at this moment in time to lift each reader up and to move them forward toward accomplishing their God given dreams. This story is about a legacy that was left by a man who, according to his own words, “lived a very busy, checkered life; possibly some good may result.” One hundred and twelve years later that “good” could be the fulfillment of hundreds or even thousands of dreams, which would not have been achieved without God revealing this story to those dreamers. 

What Started It All

A Home-Mission Enthusiast
“The Church at home and abroad, Volume 24 By Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.”

The Rev. Seth Gold Clark, who died at his home in Appleton City, Mo., on Friday, April 22, 1898, was one of the most enthusiastic and indefatigable home mission pioneers in the central West. For over fifty years incessantly active in the work he loved, he was one of the best examples of a missionary type now fast disappearing.

He was born in Delaware county, N. Y., August 13, 1817, and, after a boyhood spent on farms in New York and Ohio, graduated at Western Reserve College in 1843 and Western Reserve Seminary in 1846. He was licensed by the Presbytery of Cleveland, October 7, 1845, and began at once supplying three little mission churches in Ohio. From there he went to Bainbridge, O., where he was ordained in May, 1847, and remained two years. During his next pastorate, at Aurora, Ohio, his health failed. Then followed eleven years' service as district secretary of the A. B. C. F. M., and three as chaplain of the 10th

Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, from 1862 to 1865. Ten days before Atlanta was taken, he was captured and held at Andersonville Military Prison, but was soon released as a noncombatant. The twenty days' furlough he was then given to visit his family he " spent in helping reelect Lincoln." The mayor of Cleveland telegraphed the President to keep him in Ohio till after election, which he did. Unable on his return to the army to reach his regiment, then on its march to the sea, he was assigned by Gen. Thomas to the work of raising funds for the Sanitary Commission. In August, 1865, he became chaplain of the House of Correction in Detroit and of the Seamen's Friend Society. This he kept but a short time until, on January 2, 1866, he left his home to take up the work in which he was to become most successful, and for which he is best known.

At the close of the war, western Missouri, which had been repeatedly ravaged by both armies, retained but few of its former inhabitants and scarcely any churches. At the request of Dr. Henry Kendall, Mr. Clark came to Missouri to assist in reorganizing Presbyterian work. Of his beginnings here he once wrote: " The Board, by my request, made full provision for my salary the first year. I told them that if I went to such a burned-over country I did not want to intimate to any man, woman or child that a missionary needed anything to eat, drink or wear. I did not say money for a year, except when I paid my bills. The people were just as modest as I was—they never said money to me. I obtained a hardy mustang pony, and went in all directions, preaching the gospel wherever I found an opening." Does that seem a haphazard method, not to be reasonably expected to produce good results? In less than three years he organized churches at Holden in Johnson county: Greenwood in Jackson county; Harrisonville and Austin in Cass county; Butler, Lone Oak and Papinsville in Bates county; Hudson (now Appleton City) in 8t. Clair county, and Lamar in Barton county. Each of these churches he supplied until they were able to obtain regular services otherwise. Some years later two of these towns, unable to obtain expected railroads, died a natural death, as did their churches. Two other churches were outstripped by later organizations by other Presbyterian denominations. There remain today five good churches organized before 1870 by that one missionary " settled on horseback."

From 1871-76 Mr. Clark was financial agent for Highland University. The last two summers of that time were spent with a missionary tent outfit, furnished by Sunday schools in the East. He traveled through northern Kansas and southern Nebraska, preaching daily to congregations averaging 100 on weeknights and from 150 to 300 on Sundays. This was strictly pioneer work in regions beyond ministers and churches. He was everywhere gladly welcomed. This tent work he was accustomed to regard as the most successful work of his life. During 1877-78 he supplied the churches of Iola and Carlyle, Kans.; 1879-80, Baxter Springs, Galena and Empire, Kans.; 1881-5, Rich Hill, Rockville and Hume, Mo., all three of which he organized. He then spent ten years in southwestern Kansas, where he found nine counties adjoining, in neither of which was an organized church. During those years he organized eight churches, seven of which, in spite of drought and consequent depopulation of large districts, are still on our " Minutes." The year 1895 was spent with the Church of Raymore, Mo., which under his labors was much revived, and built a beautiful house of worship.

At last, when nearly eighty, with mind and voice unimpaired, he was forced by physical infirmities to give up his active ministry. It was an affecting scene, when by vote of Presbytery he was " honorably retired," and recommended to the Board of Relief. All knew of his active life, and realized that it was not boastfulness, which led him to rise and say that, able as he then supposed to preach better than ever before, he would gladly sacrifice his right arm rather than go onto the Board, if only he were physically able to continue in the ministry. No service did he ever shirk as too hard, no field as too unattractive. Always and everywhere he loved to proclaim salvation to the uttermost through Jesus Christ. Like every other true missionary, he recognized no bounds of race or clime, but worked and prayed for the universal spread of the gospel. No wonder Miss Mary Clark, the daughter of such a home missionary, should be found today a foreign missionary in distant Persia.

Mr. Clark was twice married; in 1866 to Miss Lucy Peck, who died in 1873, leaving five children; and, in 1875, to Miss Emma Perry, who survives him.
What a record! It will never be fully written on earth. His mission work in at least five states, the organization of 31 churches, most of which during the time of his ministry erected houses of worship, his army chaplaincy, his evangelistic work in prisons, battle fields, mining camps, frontier settlements, and in well-established communities east and west, his vigorous advocacy of education at home and abroad—these are a few reasons why he will be long held in grateful remembrance. A few months ago he modestly wrote of himself that his had been “a very busy, checkered life; possibly some good may result.”

Other Notes: 

To support what I found in the above book I found this in “The Ministerial directory: of the ministers in the Presbyterian Church in the United States” By Edgar Sutton Robinson
Seth G. Clark, born 1816 in Masonville, NY, B.A. 1843, M.A. 1846, Lic. 1845, Ord. 1847 by Presbyterian Church of Cleveland, Pastor Bainbridge, OH 1846-49, Pastor Aurora, IN 1849-50, 
Vesper Presbyterian History Lincoln Center, KS

There is a tradition that Father Morrison, of Salina, preached the first Presbyterian sermon in our county. He was a good old man and usually took his text from some place in Revelation.

Next came Rev. Seth Clark, with Elder Taylor. They ran what the boys called a "Presbyterian circus." They used a very large tent for preaching services. Seth Clark was an eloquent preacher. Elder Taylor helped by selling and distributing tracts, books and Bibles. They thought the prospects for a Presbyterian church at Lincoln Center very poor. This was in July 1873.

 
http://www.ozarkscivilwar.org/archives/83

The average family relocating to the Ozarks of the 1840s and 1850s very well found adversity at every turn. Disease, social isolation, economic want, political divisiveness, familial dissent, weather, cultural challenges, homesickness and unfulfilled self-determination all conspired to break down the ties families and communities held. The emergence of urban centers in the decade before the Civil war created commerce, a spiritual community, and educational opportunities for the scattered families, and provided a natural draw for modern life, as it were, with a tangible possibility for the future Ozarks.

What a life! What an example he left for his family! This is the information I will use to write a book about my great, great grandfather and the impact the discovery of this information had made in my life.

What about you? What do you know about your family? Take the time to get to know who you are. What you might discover is within your family tree is bad news or like me you found that someone worked their entire life to make a difference in the lives of others. No matter what you discover you can begin to make whatever you find work for your good if you will learn from what your forefathers did in their lives.

This Is Important To Men

A few weeks ago the group of men I have been meeting with for the past three years met at Foster's Grille located at 11831 Metcalf Avenue in Overland Park, KS. We ate some good food and had a cold beverage. We then talked about our lives, our hopes and our fears. Then we prayed for each other and as we left there where hand shakes and hugs.

It was interesting to watch the reaction of the some of the customers as they watched these strong men bow their heads and pray together. It was even more interesting to watch their reaction as we bid each other farewell.

As I sat there listening to the men share it occurred to me that there are hundreds of men who wish they had transparent and strong friendships with other men. Friendships not based on status, sex or power. It also struck me how these friendships we have are very similar to what Jesus and the disciples had.

If you are a man looking for friendships with other men without the hang-ups of today's society but do not know where to turn please consider leaving a comment. I will help you find a group of men that you can trust and build strong relationships with.

Hope Rises out of Devastation

     Over the course of the next few weeks I hope to write some thoughts about the adventure I have been on since Friday, September 3, 2010. My hope is what I write will eventually become a book about my great, great grandfather and what his life can spark in the lives of others.

Installment 1

     September 3, 2010 was going to be a Friday just like very other Friday until I realized one important factor. I poured coffee into my favorite coffee cup, one that I purchased for my dad while in Vietnam. As I drank my second cup of strongly brewed coffee, some thing I have done since joining the Navy, I realized I was drinking this cup at about the same time I received a phone call 38 years earlier. A phone call from one of my uncles and it devastated me; it is one that I can remember as if it occurred yesterday. The call was to let me know that my dad was being rushed to the hospital and I should make plans to come home. I stumbled into the bedroom, where my wife and son were laying talking, with tears streaming down my face I told her what the call was about. Then the phone rang again and my uncle let me know my dad had died.

     With tears streaming down my face my thoughts turned to the disaster that the last year had been. The shame I felt because of my failure to give grace to another pastor in a heated disagreement and how it destroyed our relationship. The questions about whether God really intended for me to work as a pastor. Doubts that the passions I have really are of God. Heart broken I could feel myself slipping into the beginning stages of depression.

     As I finished my coffee I experienced one of those times when an unrelated thought moved through the nerve cells of my brain. I put my coffee cup down and opened one of the drawers of my desk and pulled out a stack of papers a cousin had sent me several years ago. I turned to the Clark part of the family tree and something jumped out at me. The tree ended with my great, great grandfather, Seth Gold Clark.

     Since I had six hours before I had to be at work I decided to do some research and see what I could find out about this man. I turned to my computer, brought up a genealogy search site and typed in his name, his birth and death dates. After clicking many of the sites that came up I clicked on one that referred to a book called, “The Church at home and abroad, Volume 24 By Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.” and the article was "A Home-Mission Enthusiast".

     Have you ever had one of those times that you know without a doubt that God caused it to happen? This was one of those moments for me. I knew without a doubt God wanted me to read what was written in this book about the Reverend Seth Gold Clark. The words would renew the dream God placed in my heart and begin to give me hope that all of my experiences in life so far was to prepare my heart for this very moment in time.

     The story that follows is about the life of my great, great grandfather and the seeds of greatness he planted. This story is one that God is having written at this moment in time to lift each reader up to move forward toward accomplishing their God given dreams. This story is a story about a legacy that was left by a man who according to his own words, “lived a very busy, checkered life; possibly some good may result.” One hundred and twelve years later that good could be the accomplishment of hundreds or even thousands of dreams, which would not have been achieved without God revealing this story to those dreamers.

     Please come back in the next few weeks for more installments. If God speaks to you in any way please share it in the comment section.

The Secret

A few years ago I received a copy of a book called, "The Secret" and I read it and as soon as I was done with it I dropped it into my trash can. Usually when I read a book and it does not appeal to me I put it in a garage sale or take it to the used book store but this one I placed it where it belongs.

You might be wondering why I am saying this and I hope to answer that for you in this post.

From the official website of The Secret:

One spring day towards the end of 2004, Rhonda Byrne discovered a secret - the secret laws and principles of the universe.

Almost immediately her life was transformed, as she began to put into practice what she had learned. And in that moment her greatest wish, and mission, was to share this knowledge with the world.

The secret describes the "Law of Attraction" and how you can harness the power of the universe to work for you so that you attract people into your life who will help you achieve your dreams and goals.

As I read the book I discovered there was one big piece missing in the writing, any reference to the creator "GOD" being involved in you having the "Law of Attraction". Many of the principles stated in the book are no doubt true and work but apart from them coming from our creator they are nothing more than the power given by the spiritual powers that battle against His involvement in our lives. That alone makes the trash can the appropriate place for this book.

There actually is a true but not secret law of attraction and the power behind it is none other than the creator of the universe which the book, "The Secret" does not recognize or credit for the power in the first place.

This book is none other than Satan's attitudes packaged in a "New Age" religious thought. It is not a book that glorifies our creator, gives credit to the Holy Spirit for any power that we have or acknowledges Jesus as the source for our connection to God. I have no doubt that real power results from practicing the teachings in this book. But where does this power come from? I am confident that it is not from the creator God.

If you want to receive the true gift of attraction take the time to study the topics of spirit and power within the pages of the Bible. You will find that God is willing to give you spiritual gifts and power that will bring Him glory. You can develop the fruits of the Spirit which will attract people to you. You will find that you can tap into the Holy Spirit who will cause divine appoints to occur with people He wants you to either touch or be touched by.

Here are the steps to receiving the true power of attraction:

1. Accept Jesus as your savior.

2. Surrender all to the ruleship of Jesus.

3. Discover the Spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit gives you.

4. Utilize those gifts in serve to others.

If we deeply examine our lives we are either living for the Kingdom of God or we are living for the kingdom of a fallen world which has Satan as it's leader.

I have purposely not listed any scriptures so that you do the study with an attitude subject to the power of the Holy Spirit and prove for yourself that God is not behind the book, "The Secret". 

If you allow God to guide you, you will discover what I did: "The Secret" is none other than another attempt by Satan to mislead people and draw them to himself. If you open your Bible you will discover the lie that is packaged in this book and you will find the true source of the power of the universe.

3 Chairs, Which One Do You Sit In?

In Matthew 25: 14-30 Jesus indicates that those who do not use what God has given them are guilty of not honoring the Master. (Luke 19: 12-27)

In every community there are three groups of men, which I like to describe as sitting in three different chairs.  

The Third Chair I call the Easy Chair – has no relationship with God and does not acknowledge a need for a savior and is a comfortable chair that is full of conflict.

The Second Chair I call the High Back Chair – attends church weekly – appears godly but sometimes in hiding is worldly and is somewhat comfortable chair that is full of compromise.

The First Chair I call the Stool – striving to become Christ like and is an action chair that is full of commitment.

Most men sitting in chair 3 know they that something is missing in their lives but they do not know or maybe even want to know what it is. They feel this way because of wounds or examples they have had. What they need are men who are sitting in the first chair to come around being an example of what they truly long for.

Men sitting in chair 2 are being pulled between the world and the kingdom of God. Because he struggles with this pull he does not utilize the gifts given to him. They maybe struggling with sin, life controlling habits, fear, or doubt. What they need to move out of the 2nd chair to the first is another man to come along side of him.

Hebrews 10: 25 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the day approaching.

The idea I would like to present to you today is the idea of Christian Accountability, which applies to men in the second and first chairs. I can tell you today that 100% you need accountability because you have difficulties in one of the following areas:  

Each of us need more prayer time, need for more Bible study, we battle with Lust, we have problems with Finances, problems at Work, we struggle with Pride and Power, we have a problem Sharing the Gospel, we struggle with time to Exercise, we do not Eat Right, or we Let Life Rob us of Joy.

What is Accountability?  

It is a system of check and balances to protect us from harm from ourselves or others.

It allows us to be answerable to one another that we have chosen, focusing on key relationships such as our spouse, close friends, colleagues, coworkers, boss, small group members and pastor.

It enables us to share our lives with one another in a deep, introspective way.

It is not a place to vent all of our frustrations.

It is not a place to complain about how life has dumped on us.

It is not about confronting.

It is more about encouraging one another and challenging each other to move forward toward the goals we choose.

It involves trust, confidentiality and honesty.

With this post I encourage you to consider which chair you are sitting in and which chair you would like to move to. If you are already sitting in the first chair I encourage you to reach out to another man who is sitting on chair two or three and help them move to the next chair or make the leap to the first chair.

Note: The three chair idea comes from Bruce Wilkinson's book, "30 Days to Experiencing Spiritual Breakthroughs"

A Desire Passed Down?

I have been doing some research into my roots and I have found something that is interesting  and might explain  my interest and desire to be involved in ministry. If we look at the Old  Testament we find that God used families based on their family skills to perform certain duties in regard to building the  tabernacle. I believe in some ways abilities and desires are passed down through the ages. Here is an article about my Great-Great Grandfather that I believe helps to explain my desire to be involved in ministry.


A Home-Mission Enthusiast

The Rev. Seth Gold Clark, who died at his home in Appleton City, Mo., on Friday, April 22, 1898, was one of the most enthusiastic and indefatigable home mission pioneers in the central West. For over fifty years incessantly active in the work he loved, he was one of the best examples of a missionary type now fast disappearing.

He was born in Delaware county, N. Y., August 13, 1817, and, after a boyhood spent on farms in New York and Ohio, graduated at Western Reserve College in 1843 and Western Reserve Seminary in 1846. He was licensed by the Presbytery of Cleveland, October 7, 1845, and began at once supplying three little mission churches in Ohio. From there he went to Bainbridge, O., where he was ordained in May, 1847, and remained two years. During his next pastorate, at Aurora, O., his health failed. Then followed eleven years' service as district secretary of the A. B. C. F. M., and three as chaplain of the 10th

Ohio Vounteer Cavalry, from 1862 to 18G5. Ten days before Atlanta was taken, he was captured, but was soon released as a noncombatant. The twenty days' furlough he was then given to visit his family he " spent in helping reelect Lincoln." The mayor of Cleveland telegraphed the President to keep him in Ohio till after election, which he did. Unable on his return to the army to reach his regiment, then on its march to the sea, he was assigned by Gen. Thomas to the work of raising funds for the Sanitary Commission. In August, 1865, he became chaplain of the House of Correction in Detroit and of the Seamen's Friend Society. This he kept but a short time until, on January 2, 1866, he left his home to take up the work in which he was to become most successful, and for which he is best known.

At the close of the war, western Missouri, which had been repeatedly ravaged by both armies, retained but few of its former inhabitants and scarcely any churches. At the request of Dr. Henry Kendall, Mr. Clark came to Missouri to assist in reorganizing Presbyterian work. Of his beginnings here he once wrote: " The Board, by my request, made full provision for my salary the first year. I told them that if I went to such a burned-over country I did not want to intimate to any man, woman or child that a missionary needed anything to eat, drink or wear. I did not say money for a year, except when I paid my bills. The people were just as modest as I was—they never said money to me. I obtained a hardy mustang pony, and went in all directions, preaching the gospel wherever I found an opening." Does that seem a haphazard method, not to be reasonably expected to produce good results ? In less than three years he organized churches at Holden in Johnson county: Greenwood in Jackson county; Harrisonville and Austin in Cass county; Butler, Lone Oak and Papinsville in Bates county; Hudson (now Appleton City) in 8t. Clair county, and Lamar in Barton county. Each of these churches he supplied until they were able to obtain regular services otherwise. Some years later two of these towns, unable to obtain expected railroads, died a natural death, as did their churches. Two other churches were outstripped by later organizations by other Presbyterian denominations. There remain to-day five good churches organized before 1870 by that one missionary " settled on horseback."

From 1871-76 Mr. Clark was financial agent for Highland University. The last two summers of that time were spent with a missionary tent outfit, furnished by Sunday schools in the East. He traveled through northern Kansas and southern Nebraska, preaching daily to congregations averaging 100 on week nights and from 150 to 300 on Sundays. This was strictly pioneer work in regions beyond ministers and churches. He was everywhere gladly welcomed. This tent work he was accustomed to regard as the most successful work of his life. During 1877-78 he supplied the churches of Iola and Carlyle, Kans.; 1879-80, Baxter Springs, Galena and Empire, Kans.; 1881-5, Rich Hill, Rockvilie and Hume, Mo., all three of which he organized. He then spent ten years in southwestern Kansas, where he found nine counties adjoining, in neither of which was an organized church. During those years he organized eight churches, seven of which, in spite of drought and consequent depopulation of large districts, are still on our " Minutes." The year 1895 was spent with the Church of Raymore, Mo., which under his labors was much revived, and built a beautiful house of worship.

At last, when nearly eighty, with mind and voice unimpaired, he was forced by physical infirmities to give up his active ministry. It was an affecting scene, when by vote of Presbytery he was " honorably retired," and recommended to the Board of Relief. All knew of his active life, and realized that it was not boastfulness which led him to rise and say that, able as he then supposed to preach better than ever before, he would gladly sacrifice his right arm rather than go onto the Board, if only he were physically able to continue in the ministry. No service did he ever shirk as too hard, no field as too unattractive. Always and everywhere he loved to proclaim salvation to the uttermost through Jesus Christ. Like every other true missionary, he recognized no bounds of race or clime, but worked and prayed for the universal spread of the gospel. No wonder Miss Mary Clark, the daughter of such a home missionary, should be found to-day a foreign missionary in distant Persia.

Mr. Clark was twice married; in 1866 to Miss Lucy Peck, who died in 1873, leaving five children; and, in 1875, to Miss Emma Perry, who survives him.

Do You Use the Bible as a Weapon?

This post was inspired by a sermon by David Andersen who is one of the pastors at Vineyard Church in Overland Park, KS.

I have sat through hundreds or maybe thousands of sermons and many were a call to war. We were exhorted to battle with the flesh, battle against the evil ruler of this world, and battle with those of the "world". I sometimes found that some sermons encouraged me to use the Bible as a weapon agains those who have sinned.

Make no mistake about it we as followers of Christ are called to war. We are called to battle our own sinful nature and the temptations this world brings our way. 

BUT... How are we called to use the Bible in this war? Are we to use it in pointing out the sins of others? Are we to use it to beat each other over the head when we have a dispute? The answer to these questions are found, you guessed it, in the pages of the Bible.

How are we called to use the Bible in this war?

2 Timothy 3: 14-17 But don't let it faze you. Stick with what you learned and believed, sure of the integrity of your teachers—why, you took in the sacred Scriptures with your mother's milk! There's nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.

Notice: These verses focus on using the word for showing US the truth, exposing OUR rebellion, correcting OUR mistakes, training US to live God's way.

Are we to use it in pointing out the sins of others?  Over and over again we are told in the New Testament to encourage one another. If you look at the times God rebuked people for their sins they were followers of His. In most cases He used those people to show the ones who were not His followers how to live and how to take correction. He did not call us to go up to someone who was outside of our fellowship and point out their sin to them. Within the fellowship we do have a responsibility to do that but only after we have considered our own sins and weaknesses. 

Matthew 7: 1-5 "Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, 'Let me wash your face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt? It's this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor. 

 6 "Don't be flip with the sacred. Banter and silliness give no honor to God. Don't reduce holy mysteries to slogans. In trying to be relevant, you're only being cute and inviting sacrilege.

Are we to use it to beat each other over the head when we have a dispute?  

Matthew 5: 23-24 "This is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God.

Matthew 18:  15-17 "If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him—work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you've made a friend. If he won't listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again. If he still won't listen, tell the church. If he won't listen to the church, you'll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer again God's forgiving love.

In Ephesians 6 it is clearly pointed out that we are in a war but it is not against flesh and blood. 

Ephesians 6: 10-12 And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.

Look people are going to be people and they will at some point do something to hurt you and break your trust. If you say you forgive them but use the Bible to beat them over the head even when they have come to their senses and apologized you condemn yourself by the very Word. It is especially important that we reconcile with those who have taken the steps to correct a wrong they have done. If we do not then it is like our prayers and our offerings are stuck on the offering waiting for us to make the move towards reconciliation.

Most often what keeps us from making that step is PRIDE. We would first have to admit we may have also contributed to the problem and second acknowledge we have sin in our life as well. Pride keeps us from doing both of those things.

In March of 2010 I hurt another person, their ministry and those who followed that person. I had to acknowledge what I did and I had to admit I have sin in my life. I then had to apologize and seek forgiveness. It was not an easy thing for me to do but I knew if I did not I would be like Israel and be sitting outside of the Holy of Holies and access to God's Mercy Seat. 

Consider for a moment a person in your present or past that either has something against you or that you have used the Bible as a weapon to point out their sin. Let the Holy Spirit convict you of your part and then take the step to overcome your PRIDE and move toward reconciliation. Now as Dr. Laura would often say, "Go do the right thing".

I Am Who I Am

I wrote this on my facebook page: I am who I am and God is willing to work with that. He does not expect me to be perfect but to seek His perfection. There is a big difference in the two. The first is not possible but the second is a continual process.

What keeps a lot of people from attending church is a preception that those already attending are sinless or nearly sinless. It is true we are to be pursuing a life without sin but the truth is we will never actually reach that destination in this life. My vision is of a church where people come as they are warts and wrinkles and all. I do not mean they come content with who they are but real about who they are and what baggage they carry.

Let me break down the above statement.

I am who I am. I am not sure what your age is but during the course of your life you have become a certain personality and you have certain wounds and yes sin in your life. You are who you are.

God is willing to work with that. Believe it or not God is pursuing you just as you are. He is not waiting for you to clean yourself up because if He did that it would never happen. Let's be honest with ourselves we are a mess and well we have things hiding in our closets we do not want anyone to know about. The true is God already knows and He still wants to have a relationship with YOU. 

Romans 5: 6-8 (The Message) Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn't, and doesn't, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn't been so weak, we wouldn't have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.

He does not expect me to be perfect but to seek His perfection. A lot of energy could be put into what really counts if we could only accept what God knows about us and that is we can never be perfect. What God does expect us to do is to hunger for righteousness.

Matthew 5:6 (New International Version) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

The first is not possible but the second is a continual process.

I do not care who you are or how much Biblical knowledge you have you will never reach the goal of perfection as a human being apart from the full measure of God's Holy Spirit. 

2 Peter 3: 18 Instead, continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Messiah. Glory belongs to him both now and on that eternal day! Amen.

Growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus is a life long process and God is willing to work with who we are until the day He changes us completely.

Until then I will admit "I am who I am" and I am thankful that "God is willing to work with that".

Can You be a Christian and Not Attend Church?

The simple answer to this question is YES! Going to church does not make you a better Christian than someone who does not attend church. Going to church does not make you more spiritual. No where does it say in the Bible that your salvation depends upon you belonging to or going to church.

BUT... and there is a big but. But being a Christian and not going to church is like being a hunter or fisherman and not grabbing your gun or fly rod and heading out to kill something. It is like being a chef and not going into the kitchen. It is like being on the football team but never going to the game.

We are told in Hebrews 10: 22-25 So let's do it—full of belief, confident that we're presentable inside and out. Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.

Let's first understand what the church is and what it is not. The church is not the organization with a church name although that organization is part of the church. The church is not a building that people go to although it is the place the church meets. The church pure and simple is the people God has called to Himself and that He is working in and through. It is called the body of Christ. Paul talks about this in Ephesians, Corinthians and Romans. 

So what is the value of attending a meeting of other believers? In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul talks about all of the various gifts that God gives through the Holy Spirit. Now understand you have at least one of those gifts where you attend church or not but...those gifts are given for the common good (1 Corinthians 12: 7).

If you think about the body of Christ as a body it becomes clear that unless the body in some fashion gets together it can't function as a body. For example if the eye were apart from the body how could the body see where to go? If the hands separated from the body what could the body hold? Gathering together as a body is not just to hear a great sermon given by a talented person using their spiritual gift although that is one reason. Gathering together is a time for each part of the body to exercise their part as the body. Some encourage, some bring healing and others provide strength.

The following statement will be somewhat controversial but it is true. You can be a Christian and not attend church. You can get fed a great spiritual food without going to church. There are hundreds of websites, books and cds that contain good, strong, Biblical messages that people can get fed by. What you will miss out on is the opportunity to rub shoulders with other parts of the body and build relationship and exercise spiritual gifts. You can grow spiritually sitting at home but it will be at a much slower rate than when you are building relationship with other people.

I have one more illustration that came to me as I was shaving the other day. As I pressed the top of the shaving can out came just a trickle of cream. It wasn't thick but just kind of like a liquid. As I applied it to my face I could tell it was not going to lather up and make shaving very easy. I had reached the bottom of the shaving cream and it was not as good as when the can was full. Attending a good, solid Bible teaching church that has the Holy Spirit flowing is like the full can of shaving what we get from it is thick and useful to our lives. We can still be a Christian by not attending church but our lives will be more like the empty can of shaving cream and not as much of a benefit as a full can.

The choice is up to you. You can be a slow growing Christian or get around others and have the opportunity to be a fast growing Christian. Either way you have salvation but in instance you are working out your salvation and the other you are living in your salvation.

As I make future posts I want to know what you would like to read about. I am most interested in what people who do not attend a church are wanting to know. So please leave a comment and let me be clear no comment is stupid or not worth my time. If you genuinely want an answer I will try my best to get it for you. I do not promise or claim to have all of the answers but I will research all comments.

A Vision for a New Church

I am ordained in the Association of Vineyard Churches and I am exploring beginning a new house church in Louisburg, KS.

First, let me share the problem in Louisburg and the Miami County area. Right now there are Baptist churches, a Lutheran church, Methodist churches, Assembly of God churches, Catholic and Presbyterian churches, a Cowboy Church and some non-denominational churches. Each serves the community in it's own way and does a good job of doing what it does.

For some reason though many in our community are not flocking to their doors or responding to their efforts to reach out. The problem is not with the churches themselves but with a lack of an alternative to what they have to offer. Throughout our great country and indeed the world there is a movement away from established churches and a movement to new alternatives. This movement began in the late sixties along the coast of California. Hippies, Surfers and Rock n Rollers were begin to discover this guy called Jesus. These folks were being pulled away from the spiritual emptiness of the drug culture by the spiritual fulfilment of what the Holy Spirit was doing through a new movement called the Vineyard. Now the Vineyard movement is not the only one that is drawing folks looking for something different than what is already available but it is the one that I have found healing in.

The population of Miami County is about 28, 350 and the data I have collected shows that 14, 240 people identify with one of the churches above but that leaves 14,110 that do not. Out of the 14,240 who do identify with a church of some sort probably a quarter to one half do not attend on a regular basis.

People do not attend church for a variety of reasons which range from "it does not seem important" to feelings that the "church is full of HYPROCRICS". I would have to agree with them to a point but argue that they are also operating from perceptions based on faulty experiences.

What I hope to do with this post is share my vision of a church and try to answer the misperceptions about the church.

Vision

The vision I have is based on several scriptures:

In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul talks about different gifts the body (the church) has. It is my opinion that everyone who becomes part of the body receives some spiritual gift or even gifts. No one person (not even the pastors) has them all and so it takes the entire body working together to achieve the goals of the church leaders.

In Mark 10: 28-45 we are told that leaders are to be servants and not ruling over the church. It is my opinion that the greater the servant the greater the leader.

Now I could list many more scriptures but I want to use these two to build the foundation of the church on with Jesus being the corner stone by which is the ultimate example of how we relate to each other.

Structure of the Church

The Lead Pastor is the one who does the teaching and meets with the Board of Elders who help govern the body. The role of this group is to set vision, goals and missions for the body. They establish a budget and are accountable to the body for how that budget is managed. An outside accounting firm will be used to audit the corporate books.

Each pastor and department leader will be required to have an accountability partner who will meet with them on a weekly basis.

The salary of the Lead Pastor and other pastors will be established by the Board apart from input from the pastors.

Ministry will be done through the body with members being taught how to identify their gifts and trained in how to use them. The various ministries of the church will be led by people from the body and each will be held accountable by a department head. All ministry leaders and department heads will be interviewed and approved by the Lead Pastor and the Board of Elders.

The Lead Pastor will help each department and leader to establish goals and will allow them to come up with the plan to implement them. Goals and plans will be reviewed every six months.

The Lead Pastor will meet with the pastors and department heads each week and handle any problem situations. The Lead Pastor will meet with the Board of Elders each month and review the progress of the church and handle any problem situations.

The church will be built around the idea that it is a church of small groups that comes together weekly for a worship service. Spiritual and physical growth of the church will be the direct result of strong vibrant small groups.

Financial Giving

It is scriptual for the church board to request that the body give on a regular basis. Although tithing will be encouraged it is not required for salvation. Giving is an expression of the appreciation one has for what God has done through the service of the ministries. God does ask us to give in accordance to what we set in our hearts. 2 Corinthians 9: 5-12 but it does not secure our salvation.

The pastoral staff will not have access to the giving records of the body. The only information the staff will receive is the total amount of giving for a particular week. The giving records will be maintained by a member of the board and reviewed by the outside accounting firm.

Messages

Sermons will be developed by the Lead Pastor or other Pastors. The Lead Pastor and Board of Elders will establish quarterly themes but be flexible about subject matter. Sermons will be Biblically based and relevant to the lives of members.

Ministries

I believe that ministry is done through use of the Spiritual Gifts that has been given to the body. Pastors have the gifts of teaching, speaking, and maybe leadership. Most of the other gifts are given to the body for the common good and I believe that is where most of the ministry takes place. Every member of the body has a part to play in ministry. 1 Corinthians 12: 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

Association

The church will apply to be associated with the Association of Vineyard Churches USA once it has grown to the 100 member level and will be called The Vineyard Church of Louisburg . Until then the organizational name will be Vineyard Fellowship.

Why Misperceptions?

It is my belief that there are several reasons for the misperceptions people have of the church. For one thing if we try to say or act as though we are perfect we live as HYPROCRICS because the truth is none of us will ever be perfect as flesh and blood humans. What we should be doing is trying to live as perfectly as we can and own up to our faults and sins.

It is my experience that some churches just do not preach messages that are scriptually based and are not relevant to the lives of those present. What the Lead Pastor should be doing is getting to know the body and teaching from the Bible truths that meet their needs.

For more information about the ideas behind the Vineyard please visit this website:

Why the Vineyard

I watched a movie tonight called "Crazy Heart" which was about a country singer who struggled with alcoholism. One of the missions of the church is to bring healing to the wounded hearts and to walk with them as they battle the giants in their life. Jesus showed us that freeing the captives is one of the missions of the church. Not an easy task nor is it without pain but when one person is set free it erases the hardness and pain.

My heart desire is to see young people discover the Jesus I know and for people struggling with life controlling habits to break free.

More to come

A Moving Experience - First posted at REAL Men RoCK

     Several years ago I received a call from some one I attended church with. They asked me if our men's ministry helped people move. I answered no but let me see what I could do. I called around and got a few volunteers and we moved them. Now 30 some moves and six years later I want to share why some one who hates to move would help over 30 individuals move.

     After that first move I remember the fun I had with the other guys as we loaded the truck. We talked as we did the task and shared simple life stories with each other. After the move was done I remember the person we helped tell us how much stress it took off of her to know she had men showing up to help her move. It seemed every time we helped some one something marvelous happened between the men who moved the stuff and in the person's life that we were moving.

     Most of the people we helped were attended the church we went to but every now and then we would get a request from some one other than church members. Once I got a call from a church member to let me know they had read a post at CraigsList about a person needing moving help.

     I checked into it and found the woman had had several men offer to help but that they would expect some special favors from her before they would help. When I contacted her she asked what I was going to expect from her and she was shocked when I informed her that all she had to do was sit back and watch. She shared with me how she and her parents were physically unable to load anything and how her parents had given up on finding any honest and decent men to help.

     As we loaded the truck her two girls, ages 8 and 11, watched us. After a while they began to talk with us and shared with us how out of all of the people who had ever helped them they liked us most. The 11 year old shared how much fun we were having and that we seemed to actually care about them. It was at that moment I realized that what God had set up was one of those events where what was taking place here on earth was arranged by Him.

     On another move the reason we were doing it became clear as one of the guys who helped with moving the party told me how important that day had been to him.

     Let me be very clear I hate moving. My wife and I have been married for 24 years and up to six years ago we were moving every two years. But...I really enjoy these Moving Experiences. I enjoy rubbing shoulders with other men, talking with them, sharing our hopes and dream, sharing our disappointments and failures, and watching the stress drain from the faces of people dreading the move.

     Why do I do these moves? The answer is found in 1 Thessalonians 5: 11 So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you'll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you're already doing this; just keep on doing it.

     Bringing encouragement to another person does not require you to spend a morning or day moving them. It could be as simple as paying for their coffee, milk shake or changing their tire. I encourage you to take a moment and give some one encouragement even if it is only giving them a smile.