Things I Think…
1. The church I pastor meets every Saturday night via Zoom. Saturday was a brutal day for me before the service…big family problems exploded, I was in a lot of pain physically and emotionally, and as the time for me to teach grew near, I started having a reaction to one of the pain meds I’m taking.
I should have cancelled the service…but I didn’t.
My church was then treated to a semi-coherent exposition of a text interjected with occasional tears and the prospect of a complete breakdown by the pastor. The text and the people deserved better. Had this been a mega-church pastor on Youtube, Twitter would still be on fire.
I tell you all this to tell you what real church looks like…or what it should look like. Despite how “unprofessional” my “performance” was it didn’t shake the people God has gifted me to serve. They supported me through the mess and prayed for me at the end and we’ll do it all again next week.
I am not worried that I’ve lost my “image” or “authority”…I’m glad that I have a safe place to be whom I am in front of people and the Lord. I’m grateful to know I’m loved when I’m at my worst and have people that will whisper my name in front of the Lord… that’s what church is…and I wish every one of you had a place like this to be…
2. I’m neck deep in the violence of the later chapters of John’s Revelation and I’m enjoying the carnage. Some folks, (including a number of Christian commentators) are repelled by the violence, but there are times when violence is necessary for justice…
3. One of the interesting observations I made about the wrath being poured out is that even at the end the actions are made only by God, not God’s people…wrath belongs to God, forever…
4. One of the more disturbing things that I see in our culture is that there is a lack of understanding that evil exists and there is no such thing as sin…it baffles me how people cannot see this…
5. I really don’t care what anyone thinks…I thank God for my cat…
6. I’ll say this too…there is no way you can understand the Revelation through a dispensational lens…
7. There will be no “making America great again” until we choose to make community great again and the church the hub of community again…
8. The world as presented on social media is nothing like the world it purports to show…but many are too deceived to know the difference…
9. Every miniscule act of kindness and grace is an act of war against the darkness…be a warrior…
10. I have a combined 9 books that I’ve started…and at least that many queued…what’s moving you this summer?
I’ll never forget back in the late 1970s during a midweek study at church … 2 young men were our regular worship leaders. After 3 or 4 songs one of the men just stopped, hung his head and wept. He finally said that he felt like a hypocrite singing these songs of when his heart felt dead. He asked for forgiveness and we all prayed for him and for one another. Many of us were weeping and we understood his heart. After a few minutes we continued a time of prayer and song. I’ve never forgotten that honest and brutal time of seeking God, crying out for His forgiveness and resting in His grace. It was honest and real.
Nonnie,
I think that’s what God intended…it’s how a family responds to each others needs…and it is life giving.
#1. Yippee!
Two of the three senior pastors at the church I’ve attended the last 20 plus years have broken down in the pulpit. Both times, the church has stopped the service and people have gone up on the platform to pray for them. That was the rest of the service, and then we were dismissed quietly to go home and continue praying. In 2010 when I was sitting in the back of the auditorium trying to keep it together because my mom had just been diagnosed with terminal cancer and placed in hospice, one of the senior pastors noticed me and he prayed for me right there. It has certainly challenged me in how I deal with people. I can listen, but then we can go to the Great Listener and lay our needs before Him.
“I’m grateful to know I’m loved when I’m at my worst and have people that will whisper my name in front of the Lord… that’s what church is…and I wish every one of you had a place like this to be…”
wow. So powerful. ❤️
We’re thankful that you and your community are real and genuine. Thank you for sharing the love that keeps you all engaged. ❤️🙏🏼❤️
Linn,
It’s so critical that everyone gets noticed and prayed for…can’t be church without it…
Thanks, Pam!
Thanks, G!
#9 is the antidote for #7&8. Or at least a good balm.
Regarding #4–the residual evidence of sin is “offence.” If you’re offended, someone has sinned. It is a human construct, a bastardization of the offence to God and His holiness.
fil,
That second one was worth some thought…
Just to clarify my comment … I rejoice for the church being the church for Michael. Brothers and sisters being there for you…yes.
#6 – I have never known Pre-Milleniallism apart from Dispensationalism, and have adopted a more Amillennial position. To have a Pre-Mill’ view of The Revelation that wasn’t literal and chronological sounds challenging. I think it’s what I suspect the reality will be, but I’m not sure how I can read the book that way without it being Post-Trib Dispensationalism.
Once at the beginning of a wed night service the pastor told the congregation he wasn’t going to be teaching that night, he needed to go home to take care of his wife who had been verbally attacked by a member of the congregation and went home crying and upset. He implored the congregation to consider their actions and to pray for themselves and him and his family, which we did. He was righteously angry that night. I will never forget that night because it reminded me how broken we all are. We spent that service praying and worshipping. I was grateful for his realness and vulnerability. I’m sorry you have been going through so much for so long. I am grateful to know your congregation supports you so beautifully. You are so appreciated and even though I’m not a formal part of your congregation, you have been a huge part of my life for years now and have helped me get through parts of my walk with the Lord where I would have otherwise walked away. Thank you for that.
I must admit, I look forward to the side of Jesus that will be chewing bubblegum and kicking butt (They Live reference) in the future. While I’ve mellowed out in my old age, I still look forward to justice… and moreso now to letting Jesus dole it out as well. It’s sad to me that people won’t allow for God to have “wrath” as a personality trait equal to His love, but I guess it’s safer than thinking about being on the receiving end of it. I actually appreciate that He is the epitome of being the well-balanced Deity.
I picture small children with their fingers in their ears walking around saying “la la la la la la” when you try to discuss that evil exists and that sin is pervasive with a great number of believers. But honestly, if you just understand that God created beings who were mad at some of His decisions (like creating us and giving us power over those beings), it seems easier to understand. Some of God’s created beings are at war with Him because of what He decided… and as a result, they are responding with evil and convincing us to do the same, which is sin. Why is that so hard to grasp?
I thank God for your cat too. All of them, past, present, and future. I’m grateful for mine too, Imzadi. She has kept me going on days where there wasn’t a soul around to help me. May those that don’t appreciate that be reviewed by the Universal Cat Distribution System for correction. LOL.
Dear God, please help us to make community and the church great again. Or at least more like your Son.
Social media is a digital lie being marketed to us as the answer to a lack of community. I miss the days before technology and while I’m glad it has done some things well, I am sad for the damage it has and will continue to cause.
Every miniscule act of kindness indeed. I will fight by loving until the very end.
I thought since it looks like the end of society is on the horizon that I would enjoy A Distant Mirror – The Calamitous 14th Century by Barbara W. Tuchman. Not disappointed so far.
Thank you for being such an example of what it is so many of us are missing in our lives.
Donner…thank you…they are a gift.
Terry,
I was steeped in some measure of dispy thought for so long I had to catch myself from automatically reading through those lenses.
It helps to use guides that don’t use those lenses at all.
The early church was premil for the first 150 years or so…but they had no notion about a Rapture happening at any time…
Kristi,
Thank you for the kind words…you’ve been through a lot in these years and I admire your strength because I understand what it cost.
You said a lot of good stuff there…but I have to commend you on one especially…
“I thought since it looks like the end of society is on the horizon that I would enjoy A Distant Mirror – The Calamitous 14th Century by Barbara W. Tuchman. ”
Reading history has always brought me back into balance when times looked especially dark…and as you probably know, I’ve advocated for people to do likewise…it really can be a helpful corrective. Good on you!
10 good thoughts to ponder, today, Michael – thank you
Michael wrote:
The early church was premil for the first 150 years or so…but they had no notion about a Rapture happening at any time…
It’s amazing what you (generic you) can manufacture from Scripture.
#1. You are faithful with what has been given to you Micheal. That is inspiring.
Thank you Michael! I’m enjoying the book so far and looking forward to what I learn from it. Thank you for your encouragement, steadfastness, and the wonderful example you are for us. May God be glorified in our sufferings and our honesty in sharing them.
Here’s what I’m currently reading…
Testament of Love, by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Homegrown: Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Right-Wing
Extremism by Jeffrey Toobin
Unlimited Atonement: Amyraldism and Reformed Theology
ed. by Michael Bird and Scott Harrower
The New Golden Rule: Community and Morality in a Democratic
Society by Amitai Etzioni
You’re Lucky You’re Funny by Phil Rosenthal (creator of “Raymond” TV series)
Rereading Where the Light Fell, Philip Yancey’s memoir
Rereading “My God and I” by Lew Smedes — encounters he
had with Anglo-Catholic thought, Lewis and Karl Barth are worth the price of the entire book.
bob1,
You just cost me more Amazon money…
You’re in good company Michael. I remember during my time hiding out at Capo Beach how jr (that’s how he wrote it) would often leave, unannounced, and when he returned, share how he just had to get away to cope mentally and spiritually. Often, he would go to a monastery in the Big Sur area and talk to the monks.
John,
I haven’t missed any time yet…thank God…