Are we ready?

I'd be willing to guess that at some point recently you have been asked; "Are you ready for Christmas yet?"  

I'd also be willing to guess that the answer to that question has probably been a quick "no" followed by a sigh.   But why aren't we?  It's because, we don't have all the lights up, The ham hasn't been purchased yet, the gifts aren't all wrapped, let alone purchased.  And come to think of it, we haven't even decorated the tree yet... (Not to mention we probably haven't watched National lampoons Christmas Vacation, Elf, Charlie Brown Christmas or any of a number of Hallmark Christmas movies yet)
Here's the thing, when we think about all those reasons, then we are correct, we really aren't ready for Christmas,  But those aren't the things that make it truly Christmas is it?  (I hope not)

What are we forgetting?

Is celebrating Christ’s coming to earth one of the things that we are actually ready for this Christmas season?  I mean, it is the reason for the holiday. Isn’t it?  When was the last time you saw a news truck at a church talking about the line up at 3 A.M. days before Christmas waiting for the doors to be opened so they learn about the free gift that will last eternal like we do for that television or computer on Black Friday?  When is the last time you had to get in line at a church to get in for a service at all?  Now I’m pretty sure that I can answer for most if not all of you that you never have; But why not?  

Do you ever catch yourself wondering “what happened to the way things used to be?”  Do you remember when businesses and organizations weren’t open on Sundays?  Do you remember when schools used to purposefully not plan stuff for Wednesdays or Sundays because those were church days?   What happened to those days?  What happened to Christ being the central focus?    Honestly, I think it's getting a little worse too.  I even know of churches that are now no longer having Christmas Day services because it's too hard to compete with family Christmas parties (and yes that is a reason that is given more often than you think)  Don't get me wrong, I'm all about spending time with family, it's becoming a lost art, but really...??    Are we less ready because we spend less time getting ready?Have we lost our Holy Expectancy?

What happened?  Are we truly ready to remember Jesus’ first foray into this world?  If we aren't ready for his first coming to the world,  Are we really ready for his second coming? 

Are we being John the Baptist?

Wait, what does John the Baptist have to do with anything?  Well guess what, before Jesus started his earthly ministry he had to be preceded, people had to be "made ready" for his coming.  So how about now?  Are you being John the Baptist?  Are you letting people know about Jesus’ birth?  Do your neighbors know?  Did the person standing next to you in line at 2 A.M. know?  Do all your family members know? 

“A voice of one calling:

“In the desert prepare

The way for the Lord;

make straight in the wilderness

a highway for our God.

Every valley shall be raised up,

Every mountain and hill made low;

The rough ground shall become level,

The rugged places a plain.

And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,

And all mankind together will see it.

For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

                                -Isaiah 40:3-5

This advent season, as we go about lighting the advent candles, remember, that while they all stand for words like Hope, Joy, Christ, etc… One of the other words for the first candle is “Prophecy.”  Because, if we don’t prophecy like John did, how can others have the same Joy and Hope that we have.

My prayer for you, and I hope you pray for me as well is to remember the true focus of Christmas

Are you ready?

Prosperity Gospel or Redemption Theology

Did you know that Kanye West put out a new album on October 25^th and it’s his 9^th consecutive #1 Album  (Did I lose some of you already on this one?)

Do you find yourself thinking; "Brent, Why do I care about Kanye?” (You wouldn’t be alone)

The reason I tell you all this is because Kanye's most recent album is entitled "Jesus is King"

Yes, You read that correctly, Kanye West released a "Gospel Rap Album" and say’s “He’s found Jesus”

After 20 years of "secular (even violent) music and all the selfish things he's done, we are expected to believe he just "all of a sudden a Christian?"  

     Honestly, I'd say yes, we should.  Above that, not only should we believe, but we should accept and celebrate it.  But it's hard isn’t it?  It's hard to overlook all the things that we remember in the news of what he has done and said.  The natural inclination most of us have is to take a "wait and see approach"  We want to see if he is really all about it or if he is just trying to "talk a good game"  Christianity isn't easy so let's see if he can handle it before we accept his faith.  (That honestly has been the response from many of my fellow youth pastors, and I even found myself entertaining those thoughts a little bit) And if I may be so bold and honest, that is the wrong response to have.  

     Yes, Christianity is hard!  Jesus never said following Him was going to be easy, but he did say following Him was The Way.  When a person decides to follow Christ, Jesus doesn't sit up there and say "O.K. you are in a 90 day trial period and at the end of that time we will evaluate."  I think when "the lost" find their way to God, there is a celebration in heaven!  We should do the same thing here, we should celebrate but we should also begin to pray.  Pray for Kanye and that he may hold true to his conversion and his Profession of Faith (Just like we celebrate it when people here Profess their Faith, we also acknowledge that the Profession isn't just an end goal, but the next step to actively living for God and we promise to help them).  Pray that he will continue to see God.  Pray that people who can help him when struggles of life happen people can walk alongside him.  Pray that God will use this for his God.  Pray that people who previously laughed at the idea of Christ and God will take notice and start to explore Faith and find Christ.

However there are many who say he is only in it for for making money and why wouldn't he take advantage of an "untapped market" (Christian music industry) to broaden where his financial gain could be.  No disrespect meant to KJ-52 or John Reuben but in terms of Rapping Talent, he carries a little more "musical respect" than the vast majority (if not all) of the Christian Rap industry.  Would a "True Christian" charge $140 for a pair of sweatpants, $250 for a sweatshirt or even $20 for a single pair of crew socks?  I know of several people (especially youth) who look at rap as an emotion and musical driven way to express life.  For most people, music is a driving force for passion to expressed.  (I mean when was the last time you hears someone "talking along to a book on tape in their car?)  Maybe Kanye looked at the Christian Rap industry and saw and "underwhelming industry" and thought to himself why don't I add to my numbers but doing something no one else in the secular music world has?  I understand the question, but if we are going to play that game, there was this one guy named Thomas in the New Testament once who doubted.....

What I'm saying is yes, it is a struggle to see that part and that question will always be prevalent because, well that is the day in age we live in.  It's easier and more natural to come up with reasons to doubt or reasons (excuses) for why it's false then it is to why it may be true.  And maybe in time that is what we will discover (though I hope not) but I do not know the mind or the heart of Kanye.  Only God and Kanye do.  At the same time though, the same thing could be set about me, or you.  And what is Kanye wasn't as well known for what he is known for, if he was an "average guy like me" would our impression/thoughts be any different?

Even though we may be skeptical of who is proclaiming Christ, Christ is still being proclaimed and we need to continue to pray for that

Maybe in the end it will be about Prosperity (I hope not but again, I don't know).  But for now, I'm hoping, praying and talking about it as a Redemption.

I'm sure Chuck Colson, Lee Strobel and even Saul would agree

Possibly the least favorite phrase in church...

Want to see 95% of people squirm out of their seats in church?  Or for them to start scanning the landscape of the foyer for the closest exit?  Ask them if they would consider being a volunteer Youth Leader.

Now maybe this is just my youth ministry experience coming out... (or bias) but why does that question cause so much angst and anxiety?  (Curious what I mean, you can read an article I wrote that The Banner published here)

Lets be honest though.  Very rarely does anyone have an issue with volunteering in the nursery and holding a baby or two, and sometimes the adults have just as much fun (if not more) building the cardboard block fort as the 1 year old has knocking it down so you can do it all over again. 

Why does this kid that we know and have seen grow up in church for a dozen and a half years cause us such angst and anxiety?  Actually it comes long before that.  Does it start at 13 years old?  8 years old???  (Well that is a rhetorical question anyway)

Now before I get people up in arms (especially those who have been volunteering in programs for 5, 10, maybe even 20+ years)  I'm asking this as a broad question for the church, not necessarily just for individuals.  I also know that sometimes yes, volunteers need breaks  (I mean you can only fill someone elses bucket as full as yours currently is.) but in talking to many of my peers in ministry in other churches, our needs are the same across the board.  A lack of "volunteers"

However, as I've contemplated this issues about the need from volunteers, it was from a conversation I had today in a morning committee meeting about our need for more volunteers where I got hit over the head by God's bricks (and not the same ones we have in the nursery) I've started to really think about the word "Volunteer"  How did it get into the church vernacular today?

Do you know what word you only come across maybe half a dozen times in scripture; and never in the new testament?

Yup, Volunteer   (Unless you count the one time use of "voluntarily in the book of Philemon)

Why is that?  Because honestly, I think it's because of Matthew 28:20 and Eph. 2:10

In there Jesus calls us to "Make Disciples" (Matthew) and that we have "work that God prepared in advance to do" (Ephesians)  

God didn't call people to "volunteer"  He called them to make disciples in whatever ways were presented to them.  Sometimes it was running alongside a guy in a chariot, sometimes it was while they were in prison... They didn't volunteer for those positions, God presented them and they responded.  They never even thought about saying "no"  or coming back with saying "I'm just not equipped for that"  God had all of them equipped through the Power of the Holy Spirit and it is no different today.


Maybe we need to stop asking people to Volunteer and instead need to start asking people to "fulfill their calling"

Is that too bold a statement?

Recently I asked a congregation if they thought "The Youth were the future of the church" and I was met with numerous "Amens"  Honestly, it pained me a little bit.  (Not because I have an issue with that phrase... which I can get into another time) but more so because if the church agrees so much with it, then why are we scared of it? (Not to mention when is the "magic time" that they become the "church of today??") 

Honestly, I believe everyone is called to "youth ministry"  because everyone is called to "ministry".  I'm not saying everyone needs to rush out to Seminary and get their MDiv. because well I haven't done that.... yet.... and not everyone is called to "Preaching" but everyone is called to "teaching"


God is providing us the opportunities to minister and he has provided us the power to do it through his Holy Spirit (which scripture tells us we all have) but  I'm not saying that from this day forward you are committed to teaching a Sunday school class for the rest of your life  (Lets be honest, even Jesus had to get away to be "filled by his Father") 

For many, they have found their current calling and you have my appreciation, respect and prayers

If you haven't yet, I'd love to help you discover what it may be.

God already has given us the calling... When are we going to heed it?

A 6 year Sabbatical...

It's been a long time and I'm sure most of you  didn't even realize it and for the rest of you, well I'll just say we didn't know each other yet ;)  

Yet hear I am back on this site that probably no one will read (because lets be honest, I'm wondering if I'll even have the time to write in this... let alone expect someone to actually read it.)

But that is just it, do we actually take the time anymore.  Do we have the patience.  Before, when I first started writing in this 10 years ago, I did it because.. well I was writing for the church news letter and I had the energy  of a 26 year old;  what changed?

Ministry did

Life did

I did

God called/directed me to a new ministry.  While I tried to keep up relationships with people from the previous church, it also meant getting to know everyone at a larger church.  With larger churches comes more programs, more people, more responsibilities... you get the idea.  Thank goodness God revealed a special woman to help me along that journey a few years ago.

But now we come back to this.  What will this look like?  I don't know yet, but 6 years is long enough I think.  I used to enjoy writing about ministry, and I still do I think, but it's taken a back burner and it now I think takes  more if a discipline rather than the "off the cuff writings" I used to be.  I've changed the heading from "Brent's Random mind" to "Ponderings"  What God places on us isn't Random, it comes for a reason, but I think I was just to "ministry naïve" to realize it at that time.

It's less about what I want to say, and more about what I think God needs me to say.

so stay tuned  (if you made it this far)  Lets see what happens.