listen

Day 9

I'm preparing to preach from the book of Ruth on Sunday. I have never preached directly from the book of Ruth and I have only mentioned Ruth in passing. Yet the story of Ruth is a profound story for so many reasons! Of all of the many themes in Ruth, I am moved by how God often uses the unlikeliest of ways to convey a message. It's striking that in Ruth, a Non Jew (Ruth) emerges as the hero of the story and she displays an integrity that hadn't been displayed by the average Israelite. She displays the message of God's goodness and faithfulness.

God is always speaking, are we always listening? Or are we not listening because its not coming from the right sources? During this season, I feel called to put up the extra antennas of my heart and try to pick up the signals from God and not to dismiss the message, when it transmits from an unlikely source. Or something like that!

Tonight's Menu: Kristy's Birthday Dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse

The Final Rose

Day 7

So I will confess, I watched "The Bachelor" last night and tonight! I didn't watch any episode this season, just the finale and tonight's follow up episode. It was great TV. The bachelor chose one girl over another and then six weeks later decided he was in love with the girl we rejected. It was kind of funny! I really don't like that show, but that was entertaining stuff! It was painful at times to watch this guy make such a gut wrenching decision. He cried and he struggled a great deal.

How gut wrenching of a decision did Jesus make for me! Death on a cross vs. relief from pain. Painful humiliation vs. painful payback to his accusers. It's this simple... Thank you Jesus for giving me a rose and choosing me!

Tonight's Menu: Fried Chicken, Fried Potatoes and Corn on the Cob

Randy, Paula or Simon

Day 6

I really wish I could go into why I missed posting yesterday. Safe to say, my plan to blog daily through Lent has been derailed. But I'm not guilty. To put it plainly, I've been involved in a dire attempt to minister to two of my friends and family in Christ!

The situation I find myself in got me to thinking about a weird question. Who would you rather your church be made up of - a bunch of Randy Jacksons, Paula Abduls or Simon Cowells? I hope you recognize these names as the judges of American Idol, one of my favorite shows. If you're a fan, you know that each judge has their own personality that has been the subject of ridicule and caricature in the media. Randy is the hefty likable rah rah guy! He often refers to the contestants as "dogs" and tries to use "hip" language as a way of expressing his comments! Paula is the sensitive, heart warming judge who rarely says anything negative! She is often hard to understand leaving viewers with the task of trying to make sense of her comments. And then there is Simon Cowell who is without question the most honest judge. he doesn't hold back. His comments are often the source of much laughter while simultaneously causing a collective cringe. His comments can sometimes come across as insensitive and outright rude!

So which Judge would you like your church to be full of? Would you like it to be full of hip guys who go to great lengths to sound cool and be a rah rah figure? Or would you like it to be full of people who shy away from being real honest because they don't want to hurt anyone's feelings? Or do you want a church full of people who just tell it like it is, even if it it comes across rude and insensitive?

After going through what I have gone through in the past 3 days, I realize that it all depends on the day! There are days, I wish church was full of the rah rah hip dude! Then there are days that I wish I was surrounded by the super sensitive always positive Pollyanas! And there are days that I want brutal honesty and I want the harsh truth givers!

And when all is said and done, the truth is we need Randys, Paulas and Simons in our churches. (BTW - I'm watching the Bachelor 13 and this is jacked up!) What makes the American Idol judging component such a success is how the personality of the Judges work together in harmony despite the high contrast in personality and tact. Why would it be any different in church?

Tonight's Menu: Pizza