A unique need a church sometimes has is a litany, dedication, or responsive reading at the beginning of a pastor search process.  Here is one I wrote for use at our church that may be a help to yours.

Charge to the Pastor Search Team (PST)

Pastor: As an elected member of the search team for Forest Hills Baptist Church, do you accept the responsibility given to you by God and this church membership?

Search Team: We accept this responsibility.  

Pastor: Do you commit to being faithful in prayer, holy in your Christian walk, and dedicated in your sense of purpose?

Search Team: We make this commitment. 

Pastor: Do you promise to strive for unity in your decisions, to represent the congregation’s trust in you, and to seek God’s will for his direction?

Search team: We make this promise.

Pastor: Do you seek the goal of confidentiality in matters regarding the search process to protect the church’s relationship with whom God calls as its next Shepherd?

Search Team: We seek this goal. 

Pastor: Will you dedicate yourselves to meet regularly, keep the congregation informed, and stay the course despite discouragements or redirection that may come your way?

Search Team: We make this dedication. 

Charge to Church

Pastor: To the congregation of Forest Hills Baptist Church, do you promise to pray for your search team, support them with encouragement, and stand behind them in their work?

Church: We do.

Pastor: Do you promise to exercise patience, kindness, and love with the search team and with each other during the pastoral search process, in anticipation of the calling of the man God has for us to lead us into the next phase of the church’s history?

Church: We do.  

Pastor: Do you strive to continue in the work of the Lord through His church in exercising unity, refraining from gossip, and seeking to let the peace of Christ rule in your heart during this journey?

Church: We do.

Christmas Expectations - Responsive Reading for Christmas Eve

We were expecting a special guest, royalty, a coming King

Receiving instead a humble visitor clothed in frail humanity

We were expecting a conqueror and a warrior

Receiving instead someone who would conquer our sins 

We were expecting a royal court

Receiving instead the brays of donkeys and the company of shepherds

We were expecting a royal pedigree

Receiving instead a line that included prostitutes, adulterers, gentiles, and evil kings

We were expecting a great light

Receiving instead a light that we are to share and to shine

We were expecting an example of boldness and charisma

Receiving instead an example of meekness and humility

Thank you O Lord for teaching us your plans are better than our expectations

And help us, God, to shine Your Kingdom’s light in this dark world

Memorial Litany

 This is a responsive reading/litany for use on Memorial Day, that pairs well with a sermon on unity and the worship songs "Make Us One" and/or "Let the Peace of Christ Rule In Your Heart."  

Leader: As we strive for unity in our homes and churches, our prayer is also for unity in our nation

People: United we stand, divided we fall

Leader: We yearn to be indivisible, yet seem more divided than ever

People: United we stand, divided we fall

Leader: Let the remembrances of the sacrifices of those who paid the ultimate price hold us together on this day.

People: We can stand united, because of the fallen

Leader: Let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts

People: We were fallen in our sins, but can have God’s peace through forgiveness.

Leader: We thank God for His peace that unites us, and pray for peace, unity, and righteousness for our nation.  

People: Lord, hear our prayer for solidarity of heart this day. 

Leader: Amen.

 “Your Bethlehem”

By Chris Bridges

Weary travelers set about

To Bethlehem for a Roman count.

A virgin mother, Joseph her aid,

Looking there for a place to stay.

No lodging there for a special birth,

The world knew not yet of His worth.

A place where animals fed and slept

Transformed to a place where Messiah was kept.

Shepherds bowed to the angels’ story

Of the mighty King of glory.

Many would then think it stranger

That Jesus was born in a manger.

Rushing now then to the stall,

They found Him there, our All-in-all.

And later, Magi from far off lands

Also beheld the Son of Man.

Today, through clouds of deepest gloom

Our heart may have an empty room

Invite Him in this Christmas night

And you too may now find the light

One brighter than that Christmas star

Your Bethlehem is not that far.

Christ is Risen, Hallelujah - Responsive Reading

Leader: Orange haze and morning dew, greets Christ followers with this news!

People:  He is Risen, Hallelujah!

Leader: Our precious Lord was crucified. For us, He suffered and He died.

People: He is Risen,Hallelujah!

Leader: Death defeated, it has no sting, we now serve a risen King!

People: He is Risen, Hallelujah!

Leader: Grace, forgiveness, free for all! Listen for the Spirit’s call

People: He is Risen, Hallelujah!

Leader: The curtain in the temple torn, The Son has risen this Easter morn.

People: He is Risen, Hallelujah!

Leader: Peace and blessings without measure, eternal life is now our treasure

People: He is Risen, Hallelujah!

Hosea chapter 14, in my own words

Hosea is a hard book to read.  Sure, it's the first few chapters are are quite dramatic and deal with the bizarre love story with Gomer and it's Jerry Springer-esque plot.  But the middle part is just a lot of doom and gloom judgement.  That's no fun!  But then, tucked in the end of this weighty little book is one of the simplest and most beautiful "sermons" I've seen in scripture.  After the complex details of judgement and guilt-trips in the middle of the book, this felt more like a Billy Graham message.  It moved me.  So, I decided to rewrite it in my own words as sort of a therapeutic exercise for myself as I begin my day. 

It is your own sin that's brought you to this place.

Admit your failures and disobedience to God.

Ask Him for forgiveness and praise Him for it.

Our networks and allies ultimately can't save us.  Our tried and true best methods won't always work. 

We have got to put aside the things that we hold in higher regard than God. 

It is only in God that the weak, lonely, isolated, and unconnected find mercy. 

God says He will forgive us our lack of faith, show us unlimited love, and will no longer show His anger. 

God will provide refreshment, renewal, and sustenance to our weary malnourished spirits and make us strong.

Our reach and influence will be wide and others will be drawn to us looking for our source of strength. 

Stay away from the things that keep God in second place. 

God always answers prayers, always provides, and always loves. 

Can't you see the wisdom in this, and the evidence for all of these truths?  Keeping in line with God's principles is the way to go. 

Going the other way leads to problems and pain.

Memorial Day Responsive Prayer

A responsive reading/prayer for Memorial Day
by Chris Bridges

Leader:  Eternal Father, strong to save, we pause now in thankfulness

People:  We remember the acts of soldiers and statesmen

Leader:  We are thankful for the blessings of freedoms that we now enjoy as a result of the fruit of their labor.  

People:  We are strengthened by the resolve of those who considered freedom more important than their own lives.

Leader:  Help us now, in acts both small and grand, to embrace sacrifice as a worthy attribute

People:  Being willing to share, willing to serve, willing to give, and willing to lay down our lives

Leader:  Protect, we pray, the lives of those in service even now for our nation

People: Give comfort to all who grieve those who have paid freedom’s biggest price

Leader: We ask this prayer in the name of Jesus, who Himself is acquainted with grief and sacrifice.

People:  We remember, and say “let this be done.”

Leader:  Let us now pause for a moment of silence to remember those who have died for our freedom.

My Sushi Place - A Metaphor on Our Reaction to Change

The following is actually a true story.  This is intended to be tongue and cheek, with a modicum of sarcasm and hyperbole amplified for comedic effect.  This story is a metaphor for how we handle change of any kind, whether it's at our favorite restaurant, our job, or even (heaven forbid)....our church.  It's a lesson that we, myself included, often fail.  

Today I waked into my favorite Sushi place.  I love my sushi place because of the nice folks that work there and the wonderful and affordably priced sushi at lunchtime - and it's all you can eat.  I enter hungry and leave satisfied.  But today, something was different.  The Japanese lady that usually greets me was not at her post.  Instead, a shorter and less outgoing Asian lady was there...doing the same thing that MY sushi lady was supposed to do.  I saw a few other new faces too.  And, the only other familiar face I saw was the cashier, who somehow looked sad, different.  And he's sporting a new haircut!  I don't like it.  Suddenly my eyes spot my normal sushi lady, in the kitchen.  What?  Why is she not out here with me, attending to MY needs?  Will I be forgotten about?  I am suddenly scared.  Fear of a less than average sushi experience grips my heart.  It's all I think about. After I'm seated, I pull out my phone and immediately text my friends, who also frequent this house o'sushi.  

"What's with the new lady?"  I ask

"Not sure.  But she seems nice." one responds

"She's not as good as the other lady" the second friend texts back.  

"I am not sure I like this change" I said.  

My order is taken and the food arrives.  It's delicious like normal....except the wasabi.  It's dry and there is clearly not enough of it.  Is it because the sushi lady is in the kitchen and not in the hostess spot?  That must be it!!!  One personnel change and the whole balance of the universe is shifted!  I can not enjoy this sushi experience now.  It's all wrong.  Everything.  As I grapple with my internal philosophical sushi ramblings, I happen to notice my sweet tea is empty.  No one has attended to this. More imbalance.  The new lady comes by and asks if I want more.  I say yes.  But, she never comes back. Such incompetence!  Sacrilege!  Does this lady not know the unspoken rule that no sweet tea glass south of the Mason-Dixon line shall never reach the point where sucking through a straw creates the painful audible rattle of emptiness?  New haircut guy sees my issue and quickly comes over and fills my glass, and I drink it with the entitled flair of a king at a Renaissance Fair.

Upon my exit as I pay my bill, my normal sushi lady comes to ring me up.  We share some polite nods as I search for the pen to sign my debit card receipt, which incidentally did not work and I had to switch to the "backup" pen.  This further omen forces me to ask the unavoidable question.  

"Uh, I'm not used to seeing you here in the back, you know, in the kitchen." I ask with faux empathy. 

"Oh, yeah.  It's been busy, and I'm working until 9:30 tonight. It's going to be a long day" 

This didn't answer my question about the new hole in the universe that she was a part of creating. And did she think I would sympathize over her long work schedule when my wasabi was dry and my tea glass was empty?  I think not! So, I sadly left with a stomach full of sushi but a head full of unanswered questions.  I knew this may very well be the end of sushi as I know it.  In my mind, a tear slid down my face just like the one on the old Native American man in the anti-littering commercials of the 1980's.  Nothing left now but to walk out the door, possibly never to return.

Essay: Conversation Therapy for the Task-Oriented Christian

I am a task-oriented person.  And before any of you respond by saying, "What? You're in ministry!  How can you not be people-oriented?"  Let me stop you there and say don't fret, I am also quite people-centric as well, and never neglect the relational aspects of what I do.  No one in pastoral ministry can really be exclusively task oriented in their makeup.  It wouldn't work. Like-wise, exclusively people-centric folks would never accomplish anything.  I believe it is possible to love both the checklist and the human soul.  For task-oriented people, one of the hardest things to manage is how much of the currency of our time we should spend within conversations with people who may not have the same "task-oriented" makeup as ourselves.

This week, I saught after two different people to "check off the list" certain questions or information I needed to inquire about or pass on to them.  My task-oriented mind was in full gear.  Shortly into both of these conversations, I found myself quickly diverted by these folks from my original mental checklist item into areas of which I had no interest, or could provide no further insight into.  The people who had lured me into these rabbit trails were obviously not trying to sabotage my checklist.  However, my "task mind" began to loudly protest:  "They didn't answer your question;"  "You have already told them you cannot help or don't have an opinion;"  "Don't they realize how valuable my time is?"

Then there's the guilt.  The "people mind" begins to wake up from it's slumber.  It analyzes the situation and empathizes with the other party.  It suggests spending liberal amounts of time in the continual relationship-building processes of the conversation you are in.  When you finally are able to end the conversation, the task mind punishes you about the rush you will now need to be in to finish your other work.  The people mind worries that you didn't empathize enough in the situation.  And you just feel awful.

So, how do you tend to spend the precious currency of time in these situations, as to not remain unsatisfied in the balance of task vs. people?  I am not sure I have yet to find a consistent answer, but these are some simple things I am working through in my own thoughts and behaviors to provide balance.

1.  Weigh the risks of a conversation before you have it.  
Sometimes a conversation cannot or should not be avoided.  But, if there are important Spirit-led objectives you are ignoring in order to have it, don't enter into a conversation that has the risk of using too much of your precious currency of time.  Find a way to engage that person later in a more controlled low-risk environment, or maybe a more digital alternative that still shows you care, but puts some limits or distance that protects your time. In one of the conversations I had this week I did this, but then ignored my own assessment, and ended up spending 30 minutes that a two sentence email could have done just as well.

2.  Be assertive but loving in ending conversations.
I struggle with saying the simple phrase "I really need to go."  But, I've noticed others don't seem to have trouble with it, even when it's abrupt or in the middle of something I'm sharing that's quite personal or important.  That phrase can be painful to hear in moments of vulnerability.  It implies, although perhaps unintentionally, that something else is more important than whatever the offended was trying to say.  I have tried as of late with phone calls to set parameters early:  "I've only got a few minutes before a meeting, but I wanted to return your call."  I've found that gives you permission to politely exit before you have to make that happen.  It's harder with face to face situations, but an interjected promise of "Can we finish this conversation later?" or "Let me call you back about this at another time".  The problem with this technique, though, is that you must be willing to follow through on whatever is promised, or else you are setting up for further disappointment.

3.  The divine encounter trumps everything
Sometimes it becomes very clear early on that the conversation in which you find yourself has definitive supernatural origins.  These "right place at the right time" moments are always ones that are exciting and full of potential.  We need to become better discerners of when these moments are happening, and wait for the spiritual prompting on how we are equipped to serve as God's hands and feet in this situation.  When a moment like this is happening, and the task mind objects, I whisper a quick prayer for strength to listen, and for clear words to handle whatever the situation needs.  The checklist must be moved to secondary when the divine encounter is happening.


It's not often easy being a task-oriented Christian, especially in conversations.  Like everything else in our faith, when something shifts too far in any direction, we can often find ourselves frustrated or ineffective.  I am looking and praying about ways in which I can change that for myself.

A Personal Prayer for Living in Today's Divided World

Lord, may my words today be soft, gentle, and wise.
May my compassion be judged as genuine.
Forbid that my passion for my personal moral creeds be seen as hateful, while having the strength to anchor myself in the harbor of the foundations of your Word.
Allow that I may be indeed slow to speak and eager to listen.
Permit me to exercise the wisdom of the forgotten act of being silent and writing in the sand, rather than my haste to judgement
Undergird me with a foundation in which my joy cannot be stolen, but instead shared
Help me to never be so inaccessible that I am seen as uncaring, yet have the resolve to retreat for times of solitude when my soul's health is at risk
Enable me a thirst for the Word of God, and let my joy be the Kingdom's joy.
Eliminate in me the desire to brood in the things of no significance
Grant me the patience to overlook the interruptions in my plans to see the potential blessings of Yours.
Remind me often of Your presence, even in times where I am the one who is hiding.
Show me regularly my place in Your plan, and point me in the tasks in where I can be best used of You in the moment.
Instill in me that the knock at the door, the footsteps in the hall, and the ringing phone are not always envoys of burden and ill-will.
Ensure that I remember to not neglect the maintenance of my faith

This I pray in the Spirit, thankful for Christ as my intercessor.  Amen.

Responsive Reading “We Stand Thankful”

by Chris V. Bridges

Reader:  In times of plenty, and in times of want

People: We stand thankful for both the blessings and challenges that You give to make us strong

Reader:  In times of the drudge of the daily grind, and in times of jubilant celebration

People:  We stand thankful for opportunities for rest and thankful for spiritual zeal

Reader:  In times of hunger, in times of thirst

People: We stand thankful for your provision to meet our needs

Reader: In times of health, in times of sickness

People:  We stand thankful for your healing, your miracles, and your ever present hand upon us.

Reader: In times of sin, selfishness, and our disobedience

People: We stand thankful You are a God who restores, forgives, and saves

Reader: In times of disagreement, disorder, unrest, or uncertainty

People:  We stand thankful that You are a God of order in the chaos, and that you never change.

Reader: In times of terror, heartbreak, or struggle

People:  We stand thankful that You will never leave us nor forsake us

Reader: In times like this, where we pause to recognize all of who You are

People: We stand thankful Reader: Let this be our Thanksgiving prayer both for this time, and always

The Death of "Extra-Curricular" Church: An Essay

Somewhere it happened.  Maybe it was a community paradigm shift.  Maybe it was a growing lack of zeal by the church as a whole.  Maybe it was too much competition between secular and sacred choices. But it's happened...the death of extra-curricular church.  

What do I mean by this?  For the purposes of this discussion, let's define "extra-curricular church" as any activity or ministry outside of the primary worship service(s) or Bible study time.  As I was growing up, the church was not just a place for Sunday worship and possibly one other gathering (Sunday night or Wednesday night), it was a hub of family activity.  The church was not just a Sunday or Wednesday place....it was a Monday place, a Tuesday place, an all week place.  This is not to say that every waking hour was or should have been spent there.  But there was whole-family participation in meaningful pursuits beyond a primary worship service and a Bible Study.  There were weekly prospect & evangelistic visitations, Christian sports leagues, faith-based support groups, specialized music ensembles, and all seemed to be well-attended and successful.  In many cases the church stepped in to fill gaps the school and community were not filling.  

It seems though, in the last 20 years school and community sports, and other pay to play activities like dance, martial arts, private music lessons, etc. has exploded in growth.  It's a good thing to see community growth and connections, as they lead to witnessing opportunities in wider venues.  But, the church has seemed to at best, provide lower-quality alternatives, and at worst have thrown up their hands in surrender.  This has led to churches normally bustling with growth to go dark on nights other than Sunday or Wednesday.  In some cases I've seen hints of anger from church workers almost with an "if you build it they should come" mentality, thinking any church event they put on should automatically and enthusiastically supported by all its members and the community.  But sadly, these events are often planned with minimal effort and little sacrifice, and isn't prayerfully supported or well-organized.  Given, church resources play into this, and some churches do not have the monetary or physical resources to do things in the way they want.  But sometimes money is more of an excuse for what is really a lack or spiritual drive behind what could be something really special. 

Before solutions can be offered, the first question to be explored is "should we even try to fix this?"  Should the church cease to try to be an "all things to all people" sort of place?  I am not sure that I know the best answer,  but I have a few ideas that can maybe help us in this transitional time in the church's history.

Rediscover the Uniquness and Centrality of the Gospel

The first and most obvious question we should ask is what makes the church unique amidst the plethora of other community organizations and extra-curricular diversions we choose to support with our participation?  The answer should be obvious: the gospel message and the centrality that the truth that Jesus Christ offers a hope that absolutely nothing can substitute for.  Once this becomes central again, no financial problems or other lack or resources can derail the mission of Christ's church.  

Assess and Purge

I have seen many churches I have been a part of get to a point where a traditional, maybe even historic ministry steeped in many years of success come against the brick wall of unexplainable attrition.  Why would God no longer resource and equip a beloved ministry that has in the past experienced great success and produced much fruit?  It is at these times we must pray for one of two things: for God to provide the resources (people of finances) for its continuation, or ask if it is in His will for the program to end.  Has research been gathered within the church and community about the passion level for it to continue?  Does the ministry fit the community context where God has placed the church?  I firmly believe, and have personally experienced times of drought in the life of a program or ministry which I thought was the Lord's clear voice that the end was near, only to discover that the Lord had put us in a period of testing.  After that time, the Lord again equipped, staffed, and rejuvenated it, to my surprise. Sometimes this lead to an almost Jonah-like bitterness for me, as happened when the Ninevites unexpectedly repented.  So, don't be eager to throw programs into the fire too soon, but at the same time, don't be reluctant to discard, reinvent, or suspend that which is truly ineffective.  

Simplify and Refocus

In the midst of the program reanalysis and purging, you may often find that the elimination of programs can sometimes free up resources that allow people to explore other gifts and passions, not to mention the obvious lightening of financial burdens.  What many churches do then, is try to fill the void with creation of other programs that become just as, or more draining than the predecessors they replaced.  Resist this temptation!  Churches, like nature, tends to abhor a vacuum.  Instead, good leadership from the pastoral staff and communication with leaders and influencers should lead to discussion of priorities and voids which need to be filled.  In turn, this may lead to an actual reallocation of resources into other existing, but emerging areas of ministry.  The end of one ministry doesn't automatically call for the creation of another.  Simplify.  Simplify.  Simplify.  In God's economy, I believe it's often better to do simple things well than complex things poorly. Likewise, it's better to do fewer ministries with excellence than many things watered down.  The Lord will make clear what the new focus is in His time. Until then, pray, continue self-assessing, purge if necessary, and wait on the Lord.  

So with these starting steps in mind, this brings us back to our original query about the death of the extra-curricular church.  You could argue though, after implementing these steps, that the absence of activity caused by simplification and the purging of unsuccessful ministries could lead to the church further forfeiting its grasp of the extra-curricular, allowing other entities to sweep in and monopolize the time of families. There is potential for that in certain situations where programs and services are eliminated prematurely.  However, the church has already lost that battle in the last decade for the most part anyway, and Christ-centric churches that are using their resources well are actually poised to succeed in this environment.  Why?  I believe that in the end, there is no secular equivalent to find true lifelong (and in fact eternal) significance and purpose. There is no athletic pursuit that can supersede the victory over death. There is no artistic endeavor that will ever be as beautiful as God's grace and forgiveness. Until the return of Christ, there will always be a human longing for the connection to something bigger than the shallow worldview today's society offers.  This is one of the reasons I believe our generation is filling their schedules with the pursuits that provide this satisfaction.  And they find it, in a temporary form, in this saturation of extra-curricular involvement.  But, never truly fulfilled, they continue adding activity upon activity, jumping from venue to venue, and from diversion to diversion.  

The church is partially to blame for this, though.  In its failure to be Christ-centered, it no longer gave a compelling significant reason for families to be connected.  In its poor stewardship of resources, it created programs that were not spiritually fulfilling, and also of poor quality.  In its quest to be all things to all people, the church failed at being the one thing it really needed to be.  

Can the church go back to being the hub of activity for the life of a family? I believe it can, but the damage done cannot be undone quickly.  It will take bold and prayerful leadership, hard choices, good stewardship, and consistency.  And once there, the church should remain vigilant in being all that is equipped by God Almighty to be, not be everything to everybody.  And what is to become of the abandoned or sparsely attended weeknight church activities - are they gone forever? For many churches, they may need to be gone for a season, until the spiritual and stewardship foundations are back in the right places. Only then can they return, when the people yearn for more of God's heart, and submit themselves to His kingdom plans for the mission of the local church.

Theory and Practice

I remember the first time I heard the phrase "theory and practice."  It was my freshman year as a music student and one of our textbooks was called "Music in Theory and Practice."  Much of collegiate education focuses on a balance between the "theoretical" (the philosophy, history, and nuts and bolts of something) and the "practical " (the day-to-day, hands-on, in the moment use of something).  I'm sad to report that both in collegiate and my graduate classes, for the most part, it was heavy on the philosophic and light on the practical.

I have recently thought about these two words again in light of our worship experience and how polarized we are about elements within it, whether it be traditional music vs. contemporary music OR reverence vs. celebration.  In some ways, when you break these hot-button debates down, there is a "theory vs. practice argument" in place here as well.

Traditional hymnody appeals to the intellectual side of what we do, or the "theoretical" side.  The same can be said for those that desire a more quiet and reflective atmosphere in worship.  Reflection stimulates thought, and this thought is what helps us ponder, philosophize, and engage our intellect.  These are valid and Biblical things.

Contemporary worship songs are lyrically and musically designed to engage on a more emotional level.  Our emotions reflect the "here and now" of our who we are.  We can get emotional over nostalgic things for sure, but for the most part, our emotions are a very "practical" thing.  They are in the present and are reactionary to our immediate surroundings.  Thus, charismatic music, celebratory songs, and mantra-ish repetition (hear me: not necessarily a bad thing) engage the emotions, and are a loose parallel to the "practical" side of this comparison.  Guess what - also valid and Biblical parts of our worship experience.

I don't think we give Mark 12:30, known as the greatest commandment, it's full emphasis of the balance of loving God with heart, soul, mind, and strength.  This is especially true when we become critical of one of the two "sides" I've mentioned.

So, just like trained classical musicians like myself should be theorist and practitioners, in our worship we should worship God, in theory, and in practice.

There's an app for that.

"There's an app for that."  The Apple slogan reminds us that within their grand and glorious app store lies the answer to all of our problems.  Any need that we have, had, or would ever have can be fulfilled totally and completely by the tiny wondrous icons that fill it's inner sanctum.  Need to draw something?  There's an app for that.  Need to make a document?  There's an app for that.  Need a game for an addictive diversion?  There's an app for that (but stay away from Candy Crush, seriously).

I have to constantly remind myself that not everyone in the world embraces technology like I do.  Twice in the past week I have observed folks that use technology in slightly well, inefficient ways.  I'm not criticizing anyone here, but you find yourselves saying "How come you aren't using the Doohickey App?"  or "You'd be able to communicate better if you used X or Y app."  But, I've had others in higher echelons of technobabble say the same sort of unintentional condescending things toward me too...so I get it.

One of the most frustrating feelings is creating or doing something to help, only to see it be ignored or unapprecciated.  You've been there.  You've taken time out of your busy schedule to stop by and help someone with something at their house, only to never get a thank-you.  You've given a gift that you've put a lot of thought into to a friend, and you see it sitting on a shelf unused, discarded or regifted.  It hurts, doesn't it?  On the app illustration again, I imagine that a developer somewhere creates an app:  they put in blood, sweat and tears knowing that somewhere, someone has a need that program will help.  How disappointing it must be when no one downloads, installs, or uses what they worked so hard to create, all the while knowing that they could have made a difference.

I think God's Word, a.k.a. "The Bible" or "The Good Book" (It's actually a GREAT book) is something like that in our lives.  God gave us this special gift, an "app store," if you will, of tools that can help us with a myriad of life's problems.  Discouraged?  There's a scripture for that.  Feeling hopeless?  There's a promise for that.  Feeling angry?  There's encouragement for that.  Fearful? There's protection for that.  Do you have a song on your heart?  There's a psalm for that.

You may not consider yourself the greatest theologian the world has ever seen.  You may be a Bible "noob." (a.k.a. newbie, novice, beginner) and are not quite at a place where you're using your Bible to its fullest potentional.  Hey, that's okay.  We all start somewhere.  But, the tools are there.  If you take time to familiarize yourself with the great resource of the Scriptures, you'll find that "app" perfect for you.

And, as an addendum, do make a point to acknowledge when someone takes the time to do something for you to help you. Even if it's not "your way" of doing things...always think about what effort went behind whatever was given or done, and see it in a different light.  It's better to be gracious over an imperfect gift than to break a relationship because of your indifference.

Litany for Evening Communion

Litany for Evening Communion

by Chris Bridges

Leader:  Tonight, we come before you guilty, stained with the scars from our sin.

People:  Lord, we confess our sins to You.

Leader:  Tonight, we come before you, our relationship broken, injured from the consequences of our sinful actions and thoughts.

People:  Lord, we ask for Your forgiveness

Leader:  Tonight, we thank you Lord for the offering of Your Son which has provided atonement.

People:  Lord, we praise you for this sacrifice.

Leader:  Tonight, we come to you, as you have commanded, to acknowledge what You have done for us.

People:  Lord, we remember Your sacrifice and Your substitution.

Leader:  Tonight we remember Your shed blood and broken body.

People:  Lord, for we know without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness from sin.  

Leader: Tonight we take and eat, as You demonstrated for us, as an offering of praise.  
People:  Lord, we honor You in this act, and we honor You with our lives.  

Leader:  Amen.  

The Lost Art of Dependability

I was recently asked to write an article for "The Mooresville Weekly," one of our community newspapers.  With their permission, I am reprinting it here on this blog as well.

Imagine for a moment that you just fell into a crisis. It doesn't matter what type: financial, personal, or medical. Now picture in your mind the one person you would call first. Maybe it's a family member.  Maybe it's a good friend.  Maybe it's a Pastor.  Whoever that person is, your mind no doubt went to them because they possess a quality or connection to you that makes them invaluable. More than likely, topping the list of characteristics that caused you to choose them is their dependability.

Being dependable is a valuable character trait, and one that the Bible says God values, both in our relationship to Him and to each other. Sadly, in our churches, community, and culture today, there is an epidemic of undependability.  It's not uncommon for me to hear a "yes" from someone when I ask them to help me, only to find that their actions that follow are a very clear and decisive "no" instead. 

Jesus tells a story in Matthew 21:28-31 about two sons.  One son says "no" to a task, but later thinks better of it and does it anyway.  The second son says "yes" but never does what is asked of him. Jesus asks his audience which of the two was the most dependable, to which his audience obviously replied "the first son."  Now, truth be told, neither of the sons in the story were perfect examples of reliability.  The one that got the job done still led their father to believe that they could not be counted on.  However, in the end, whether it was guilt, conviction, or a sudden onset of ethics, the task the father asked for was fulfilled.  In James 5:12, James also reminds us about making promises bigger than we can keep, which set us up for failure (swearing oaths), saying we should simply let our "yes be yes" and our "no be no".   Consistent statements of what we will do, with actions to match, makes us a person others can call "dependable." 

The flip side of this situation is that none of us are perfect, not one.  Ecclesiastes 7:20 reminds us of this hard truth.  The same grace that God gives us when we fall should always be offered to others when they let us down.  Still, as with any sin, the promise of God’s forgiveness and the Christian “duty” to forgive is not a free pass for us, or anyone else, to not strive to be the most dependable, reliable, and faithful people we can be.

So finally, now imagine you are on the other end of the conversation where a friend is in crisis or need.  You were the one that got the call this time.  Before you make that promise of help, will your words say what your actions will follow-through on?  Let's all work towards, as God intended, for us to reclaim the lost art of dependability.

Pattern People

One of the things about longer ministry tenures is that you can sense and see patterns before they even happen.  This is more prominant when dealing with specific people, but you can also see it in the macrocosm of the congregation at large too.

In dealing with individuals though, there is a hard reality that no matter how many times you correct, positively encourage, or admonish some individuals towards change, some people remain unchangeable, or will go in an almost memorizable repetitive cycle of disobedience and obedience. And who is chief amongst them?  Me, of course.  I doun't doubt for a second that my heavenly Father sees me in that same light too.  "Here he goes again.  He's going to withdraw a bit until 'x' happens and then he's going to have a mini-epiphany and move forward."  That's an over-simplification, of course, but I think you get my point.

As a big social media fan, I see this pattern full-force amongst the pages of facebook and twitter.  I see posts of angry rants, followed by contrition and resolve to change, followed by spiritual highs (accentuated by a million inspirational memes added for good measure), then failure or crisis, then rant, cry of desperation......and the cycle begins again.  Sound like someone you know?  Sound like perhaps yourself?  In some ways we have seen this pattern in the life of the nation of Israel in the Bible too.  It's nothing new.  But, it's still a problem.

I do, get weary quite often as of late about these patterns in other people, and I'm trying not to lose heart, and to keep perspective that we all are "pattern" people. God's grace is there for those bad cycles in these patterns for us.  I want to be known as a pattern person, but I want my pattern to be one filled with qualifications such as 'dependability, loyalty, steadfastness, and Christ-likeness.' Breaking a negative pattern can be tough.  A new routine and set of behaviors can be a scary thing to confront.  Let's pray for eachother as we set out to do just that.

Every. Hidden. Thing.

Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 NIV)

Secrets.  Motives.  True Feelings.  Buried deep down within the heart of who we are is, well, "who we really are."  For the redeemed Christian, that place deep down within should be a clean spotless place.  But truthfully, we know that on this side of eternity, that inner room needs sweeping up now and then.  Well, who am I kidding?  That inner room needs a remodel in the case of most of us!  

I came to the conclusion working today through Ecclesiastes, which in the last decade of my life has grown to be probably one of my favorite sections of scripture.  It speaks well to the realization of aging, of what's truly important in life, the frustrations of the mundane day-to-day life and the fruitless pursuits in which we waste our time.  

The final passages hit home, because in summary it tells us what we know in our hearts is the common-sense game plan that should be in motion for all of our lives.  Here's the Chris Bridges paraphrase: "I've said all there needs to be said.  Do what you know you're supposed to do for God.  He knows your heart and will judge you for it."  In another study I'm going through at church on Samson, the author, Chip Henderson, spends much time on discussing how much Samson kept hidden.  Most of what he kept hidden came back to haunt him later.  Skeletons in the closet rarely stay there.  Someone we let into our lives at some point, you know, that supposedly trusted friend, that person we're trying to make a good impression on, etc. will gain access to our heart and start walking around opening doors.  The results can be character-shattering.  Don't take that risk.  Pull the junk out of your mind's closets and deal with them (maybe have a yard sale? - okay, not really).  

Because one day, like this passage says.  God will come knocking.  He's got a universal key, so He lets Himself in.  (I'm over-generalizing here, of course, but stay with me).  He doesn't just walk the halls.  He looks in that closet.  He lifts up the rug.  He pulls down the attic stairs and climbs up.  The crawl space.  The hollowed out book.  The search history on your computer.  The sock drawer.  It's all laid bare and everything is exposed.  I don't believe that God has a clipboard in His hand waiting to issue a citation.  Instead, with that loving, diciplining look of disappointed Father, he'll glance back at us, like Jesus did when Peter denied Him, and we know he knows....EVERY HIDDEN THING.

And to make a further point of clarification, I don't think this is just an end-times judgement sort of thing in this passage.  There will be judgement then, of course.  I think this refers to "pop quiz" moments of inspection as well too.  You know, the times the teacher handed you that quiz you were unprepared for?  So, let's be ready.  Let's start the clean-up or the remodel.  Inspection could come at any time. 

Embrace vs. Escape

I'm reading through Thomas Wolfe's second novel "Of Time and the River."  Like the first book, it's not an easy read, but it's nice to see Wolfe's progression as a writer and the differences in his style as he matured.  Reading his "Look Homeward Angel" was a bucket list goal of mine, and I'm proud to say I got through it over many months.  

In this second book, Wolfe's semi-autobiographical character Eugene Gant enters Harvard University. In describing the students in one of his playwriting class, he makes an interesting statement:

"The impulse of the people in the class was not to embrace life and devour it, but rather to escape from it."

This thought echoed a Biblical passage I had read earlier this morning, in Ecclessiates Chapter 11. The whole chapter is a fantastic read, but I especially like the dichotomy in vs. 8 

 "However many years anyone may live,  let them enjoy them all. But let them remember the times of darkness, for there will be many.  Everything to come is meaningless" (NIV)

Wolfe's implication was that writing, to others around him, was escapism.  To him, it was to flesh out all of the emotions that came with life, good and bad, dark and light, and fully paint out the spectrum of the human experience.  In some ways, I see the same thought in the Bible passage too.  A commentator I read earlier (Holman Old Testament Commentary) mentioned that the teacher in Ecclessiastes was reminding his students that life in itself has good and bad.  We should enjoy the good, but also learn the lessons that the dark times teach us, not losing sight of the fact that death is an inevitable conlusion for all of us, save if Jesus returns first.  It's so hard some days to really enjoy life and the small happy moments of living in the now; to not seek "escapism" by whatever vice that tempts you, which in itself invites more dark times.  But my friends, we must.  Neither ignore or over-emphasize the dark times in your life.  They are part of the journey.  They are real.  They are not fun.  But in the grand scheme of things, in God's plan, there is a purpose for these things under heaven, which Ecclessiastes Chapter 3 (the source of the famous Byrds song) reminds us of:

Ridgecrest Music Week 2015 Day Four

Whew.  I'm bushed.  It's been a pretty good day, though, with another good round of classes and worship times.  

I started off the day with a class from Liberty professor John Kinchen, who spoke on humility in worship leadership.  He was one of the most engaging speakers of the week - you could tell he's a prof!  He had some great sound byte moments with statements such as "There is only one "I" In Worship - I AM!"  And "The church is a perfect institution, until you add people."  He used the example of Christ to parallel the humility we should have as worship leaders. 

Next was another class with Slater Murphy on Keys to Worship Leading excellence.  He gave a very practical list of game-changing principles in areas of personal and church life for ministers.  Most were just refreshers and reminders for me, but there were a few principles that I hadn't really spent much thought on that we're very helpful.

A theme I've that kept coming up in several classes or so was the issue of verbal transitions between songs and how best to handle these segue times.  Slater's class danced into this area, but our worship leader for the week, Jeremy Busler had a whole hour on the subject.  This is an area I had not spent much though on previously.  Much of the discussion dealt with limiting your spoken transitions to just a few very thought-out and very intentional words.  There were some very good thoughts about flow and transition in general too in Jeremy's class.  

A week ending tradition is Mike Harland's Q & A, where we get a chance to ask him anything on our hearts.  Since it was burning a hole inside of me wanting more information, I asked him about the reasonings behind moving the week to Gatlinburg and away from Ridgecrest.  I appreciated his honest response.  He shared that much discussion about canceling or moving the week had been going on for many years, and that attendance for the week was down overall, and did not seem to be attracting the new generations of worship leaders like they had hoped.  Originally the idea was to move the week to Nashville, but when the LifeWay building sold, that changed things.  At that point, they tried to secure Ridgecrest again, but their summer schedule had already been filled up.  So, since the Music on the Mountain event in Gatlinburg had shown signs of growing over the last few years, they have decided to give Gatlinburg a try.  Coming back to Ridgecrest is not out of the question, but who knows when that will be or what it will look like.  Still, my soul is sad because of this decision. For me, the event and the place are inseparable, and the long history of this camp inspiring and refueling generations of church musicians, myself one of them, ending because of this experiment into a new locale and format just still does't make sense in my brain.  Will I give it a try? I'm honestly not sure.  It's further away and likely will be more expense out of pocket for my family.  As it takes shape, I'll pray about it and evaluate the options. I've thought about trying Oasis or Choral Festival instead, or maybe just taking a year off completely.  

In worship today, Jay dealt with the issue of unity.  One neat thing was that they involved the children's choir, of which Ginny was a part in the worship songs on stage.  They also were a part of the evening feature with Tommy Walker tonight. Sidebar: You know, I love Tommy Walker, he's a great worship leader, but it's his third time being here in the last 5 years or so.  He never disappoints, but it almost smells a bit of croney-ism.  End sidebar.  :)  I was thrilled that Ginny got a chance to perform on the Ridgecrest stage, though, meaning that now everyone in my family has done that in some way.  That's a blessing.   Can you find Ginny below?

After the concert tonight, we walked over and explored the amphitheater that they are restoring.  Mike Harland had told us that years ago there was a rock amphitheater, which they built the Crystal Springs conference center right in front of obscuring it from view.  The amphitheater fell into neglect and the forest reclaimed it.  Well in the last year, Crystal Springs was raized, and Ridgecrest apparantly decided to resurrect this old amphitheater.  I had no idea this was even there. 

Sharon also was able to find the lake up on the mountain, which also I had never seen.  Tomorrow morning we leave and head home.  I hope that I can soon find my way back here, and more ideally, hope that LifeWay will realize that this is the true home for Music Week.