Why Go To Church?

I had college professor who would end every class by saying, “Go to church this Sunday; It will do you good!”  That has stuck with me all these years and I tend to end my Wednesday evening mid-week Bible studies at the church by encouraging everyone to “come back to church on Sunday it will do you good.” 

Some time back I read where a “church goer” had written a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. “I’ve gone for 30 years now,” he wrote, “and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can’t remember a single one of them. So, I think I’m wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all.”

 This started a real controversy in the “Letters to the Editor” column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:

 ”I’ve been married for 30 years now. In  that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this. They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would  be spiritually dead today!”

Thank God for our physical and our spiritual nourishment.  I pray that you do go to church this Sunday because I know that it will do you good.

 In His Grace (and so glad I am)

Chad Eric Donley 

What Do You Want For Christmas This Year?

As a child, I loved when the Sears “Wish Book” would arrive in the mail.  Do you remember those?  The catalog contained toys and other holiday-related merchandise. The first Sears Wish Book was printed in 1933, and was a separate big-book catalog from the annual Sears Christmas catalog. Over time it has diminished in size and was even discontinued at one point.  It was revived in 2007, but today they are nothing in size compared to the books I remember from my youth.  Children today don’t really need one.  They have the Internet and their high tech toys to cruise the information highway to identify their holiday “wants.”  But “back in the day” the Sears Wish Book helped us answer the seasonal question: “If you could have anything for Christmas, what would you ask for?”  I would always turn straight to the toys and circle all my wants and desires in red marker to be sure that Santa wouldn’t miss anything.  I must confess that I still experience the same excitement today when the Bass Pro catalogs arrives and I still circle all my wants and desires in red marker.

You may not need the Sears Wish Book today, but you have some wishes too, don’t you?  With Christmas just a couple weeks away how would you answer the question, “If you could have one thing in the world, what would it be?”

King Solomon had to answer that one.  He asked for wisdom.  And God gave it to him.  But by the end of his life he had accumulated more and more: more gold, more horses, and more wives.  He had it all and wanted more.  In the midst of all these gifts he lost sight of the Giver.  He turned away from God and lost it all.

Another King gave us another path to follow.  He had it all and gave it all . . . for us.  In this Christmas season, or any season for that matter, you can guard yourself from the tyranny of too much stuff by giving.  Simply give so that others can simply live.   That’s what the King born as a baby in the manger did.

And my wish?  That you visit the manger and find him.  I also hope you will join us next Sunday (23December2012) at Ham Lane Church for a very special Christmas Worship service at 9 & 10AM.  Then come back and join us for some Christmas Caroling (we’ll meet at the building at 4:30PM) and finally a very special Candle Light Service at 6PM followed by a Hot Choco and Christmas Cookie fellowship.  Plan to attend and invite your family and friends – you’ll be glad you did.

Christmas Blessings,

Chad

The Season of Advent

The Advent Wreath

The Advent Season begins this Sunday 2 December and ends on Monday 24 December 2012. In my own religious tribe, we have not traditionally celebrated or observed the Advent season as some other churches do. In fact, before I went to Seminary, I had never even heard of “Advent.” If you, like me, are not familiar with the “Christian Holiday” of Advent; here’s some history for you…

Within 300-400 years after Christ, many Christians set aside an Advent season as a time for fasting, reflection and penitence to prepare for Epiphany, a day celebrating Christ’s “epiphany” or appearance to the Wise Men (in the Western church) or his baptism (in the Eastern church). With the evolution of Christmas as a special day on December 25, the focus of Advent gradually moved from Epiphany to the “coming” (adventus in Latin) of Christ at his birth.

Advent later came to symbolize anticipation for Christ’s second coming also, and the Western church dropped fasting during Advent. The season of Advent, which Catholics, Anglicans and Protestants begin on the Sunday nearest November 30, includes four Sundays and ends on Christmas Eve. (Eastern Orthodox have a longer, more solemn Advent season.) Many churches and homes now mark this season with wreaths, candles, special colors and religious calendars. It is a time for anticipating Christmas as the celebration of Jesus’ birth, for anticipating his coming anew into our own hearts, and for anticipating his coming again in person and in power at the End.

The word “Advent” does not appear in the English Bible, but the idea behind that word — the “coming” of the Messiah — runs through both Old and New Testaments. Luke tells of Simeon and Anna who eagerly awaited the coming of the Messiah, and who joyfully recognized him in the infant Jesus (Luke 2:25-38). The apostle Paul describes Christians as people who now eagerly await Christ’s second coming (1 Cor. 1:7; Phil. 3:20; 2 Tim. 4:8). Since neither Jesus nor his apostles specifically commanded Advent (or Christmas or Easter), Christians cannot be faulted who choose not to observe these religious holidays. But neither is there any harm in using these special occasions to remember and to celebrate the important events which are certainly at the heart of our Christian faith (Rom. 14:5-6).

Blessings,

Chad

The Power of Submission

As a martial artist, I know the power of submission.  When your opponent is able to get you into a submission hold (say for example a rear chock hold) you quickly understand the power of submission; it’s submit or pass out!  However, the Bible speaks of a power in submission for the one who is doing the submitting.  “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7 ESV).  Talk about a power in submission!  If we submit ourselves to God, our enemy, the devil, will flee from us!  In Philippians 2:5-11, we see that it was the power of Jesus submitting to the will of His Father and suffering death on the cross for our sins that makes it possible for us to have a restored relationship with God and the gift of eternal life with Him on the other side of eternity.  Now that is POWER!  The submission of Jesus to the cross has the power to save you and me from our sins!  The Scriptures say “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow” (Philippians 2:10).  Have you submitted your life to the Lord?  If not, I suggest you tap out now and submit to Him.  Then you’ll experience the power of submission in your own life.

Give Me Liberty

July 4, 1776 is a day all patriotic Americans re­member as the birth of our nation. It was on that historic date that British colonies declared their in­dependence from England. On July 8, 1776, along with church bells throughout the colonies, the Lib­erty Bell peeled out the symbolic message of free­dom and independence. On the bell is found the inscription, “Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” The inscrip­tion is taken from the Bible, Leviticus 25:10.

Until 1835 the bell rang every year during the celebration of the declaration of independence. Now it is just a relic. The Liberty Bell is one of the few remaining national symbols on which a passage from the Holy Book of God remains. That indicates the respect the founding fathers of this nation held toward God and His word. The current legislators reflect just how far away from that respect this na­tion has come. The Bible has been made an illegal book in federally funded programs and in public schools.

Men will shed blood for political freedom. It is not so with spiritual freedom. More seek to avoid spiritual freedom than to achieve it. Bruce Barton once said, “What a curious phenomenon it is that you can get men to die for the liberty of the world who will not make the little sacrifice that is needed to free themselves from their own individual bondage.” The way to spiritual liberty is through Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God. He said, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

Truth is the only thing that frees man from spiri­tual slavery. But liberty requires that the slaves to sin rise up in a spiritual revolution and rebellion. A declaration of freedom against the bondage of sin is made the very moment one comes out of sin into freedom. “But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness” (Romans 6:17-18). The turning point from slavery in sin to freedom in Christ is wholehearted obedience.  Obedience must be grounded in faith. Faith comes from hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Saving faith obeys the word of God without reser­vation.

This Wednesday, when you celebrate the 4th of July, remember the wide discrepancy between the moral and spiritual values of America today and those of the men and women who died to make this one free nation under God. We need to return to the former disposition toward God and to a time when men felt free to inscribe passages from the Holy Word of God on our most valued national symbols.

Captains of the Church – A Suggestion to re-title Preachers & Pastors

I spent close to 5 out my 9 years in the Army serving in the rank of Captain.  My best friend, Leon Green, would often refer to me as C3 (Captain Chaplain Chad).  Although there were times that it was advantageous and even necessary to use the title “Captain” before my name; I am really enjoying just being “Chad” again.  Typically in the churches of Christ our minister choose not to use titles such as “Pastor,” or “Reverend.”  There are many reasons our ministers, teachers, and evangelists tend not to use titles before their names, but mostly it’s a personal choice.  Still, there are many members in the church who want to give their ministers a title.  So, here’s my suggestion…

Mike Foster, preaching minister at Ridgewood Bible Church, said that we should stop calling ourselves “Pastor.”  In a tweet he wrote: “If I don’t make employees/clients call me ‘Creative Principal Mike’ then why do some expect ‘Pastor’ in front of their name?”  He’s not the only one dropping the “Pastor” prefix. Erwin McManus is known as the “Cultural Architect of Mosaic.” I’ve also heard of a few executive pastors who are the ”Chief of Staff.”

Maybe they’re all on to something.  After all, “pastor” doesn’t carry the cache it once did. According to one survey the profession of “pastor” (“minister”)  is near the bottom of the list of most-respected professions…just above “car salesman.” To make matters worse, pastors don’t seem to think very highly of their profession either. The following stats come from The Fuller Institute, George Barna, and Pastoral Care Inc.:

* 90% of the pastors report working between 55 to 75 hours per week.

* 80% believe pastoral ministry has negatively affected their families. Many pastor’s children do not attend church now because of what the church has done to their parents.

* 33% state that being in the ministry is an outright hazard to their family.

* 75% report significant stress-related crisis at least once in their ministry.

* 90% feel they are inadequately trained to cope with the ministry demands.

* 50% feel unable to meet the demands of the job.

* 70% say they have a lower self-image now than when they first started.

* 70% do not have someone they consider a close friend.

* 40% report serious conflict with a parishioner at least once a month.

* 33% confess having involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with someone in the church .

* 50% have considered leaving the ministry in the last months.

* 50% of the ministers starting out will not last 5 years.

* 1 out of every 10 ministers will actually retire as a minister in some form.

* 94% of clergy families feel the pressures of the pastor’s ministry.

* 66% of church members expect a minister and family to live at a higher moral standard than themselves.

So, what should we do about this dilemma? Based on a recent commentary I saw by John Hodgman, I’d like to propose a change. Rather than calling our church leaders “pastors,” let’s start calling them “captains.” Think about it…captains are all very respected and liked characters in our culture:

Captain America

Captain “Sully” Sullenberger

Captain James T. Kirk

Captain Kangaroo

Captain Caveman

Captain Stubing

Captain Jack Sparrow

Captain Crunch

In addition, they are very strong leaders often depended upon in life and death situations. They must set vision, direction, and hold the course in a storm. From time to time they must face the threat of mutiny. And to top it off, captains are qualified to marry people.

So, forget about “cultural architect,” “spiritual leader,” or even “cheif ecclesiastical officer.” The next time you see your preacher , greet him  as “O Captain my captain!”

Stop Playing In the Sewer

Transformation is God’s greatest desire for your life.  God wants to change, mold, and transform you each and every day to be the express image of His Son, Jesus Christ.  In order to make you more like Christ, God wants you to develop the mind of Christ.  God wants to change and transform you to be more like Christ by changing the way you think.  Paul said, “there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes” (Ephesians 4:23).

In his book “Glorious Mess,” Mike Howerton tells the following story about a childhood experience playing “mud football.” After a huge downpour, he and his neighborhood buddies found a gully filled with two inches of standing water. Howerton describes what happened next:

We had a blast. Every tackle would send you sliding for yards and yards. The ball was like a greased pig, which meant tons of fumbles and gang tackles and laughter.  I remember tackling one of [my friends] and watching him skim across the surface of the water for something like four miles and thinking, “I might be in heaven.” When he got up, I noticed something stuck on his shoulder. I peered closer, wondering, “What is that?” Now, there was a huge, concrete sewage runoff drain right next to the gully. And apparently during heavy rains, all sorts of things got backed up, and I don’t know if the apartment complex immediately next to the school burst a pipe or what, but I do know we didn’t really pay attention to the flotsam in the gully until I noticed that something on Craig’s shoulder. I peered closer and suddenly realized it was a soaking piece of toilet paper. In that same instant I realized the smell surrounding me was a bit more pungent than a typical mud football game ought to smell. I yelled out, “We’re playing in POOP WATER!” and we bolted for home as fast as we could.

Talk about an instant of mental transformation …. Sometimes in life we need our thinking transformed. Sometimes we think we’re having fun until we realize we’re rolling around in sewage.  The way you think determines the way you feel, and the way you feel influences the way you act.  This is always true.  Change the way you think!  Stop looking at this life from the World’s point of view and start to view your life from God’s point of view.  Get into God’s Word, the Bible, see what God has to say and watch your life begin to change.  The GOOD NEWS is that you don’t have to make the change by yourself!  God will change and transform you if you allow Him.  Romans 12:1 says, “do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”  The Bible says “be transformed,” allow God to transform you by changing the way you choose to think.

Want to change your life?  Want to be more like Christ?  Want to get out of the sewer?  It starts by changing the way you thing, developing the mind of Christ from the Word of God and then allowing God to make the transformation in your life.