Ghost Busters!

Do you believe in ghosts? I'm pretty skeptical when it comes to things like this, but at the same time, I'm fascinated by the paranormal. I like to watch T.A.P.S. sometimes, and I am intrigued by stories of UFOs, Sasquatch, and the Loch Ness Monster. To me, they're interesting legends, and they're entertaining stories, but I really don't believe in ghosts or mythical creatures. However, I know some people who do. One very dear lady in my church very matter-of-factly told me that she has heard her husband (dead for many years now) in her house, and her adult son confirmed this as well. Both of them took it as comforting to think of his spirit still in the house. I've had others tell me that as a man of faith, they're surprised that I don't believe in ghosts, because I can easily take a leap of faith in spiritual things as they relate to God, so why not take a leap of faith in the paranormal? Anyway, I'm fascinated by ghost stories and such, and just wanted to pass along to all of you - you know that prickly feeling you get on the back of your neck? That's THEM!

Crossing Denominational Lines

I have an interesting Christian pedigree - born and baptized into the Catholic Church, raised and confirmed as a United Methodist, sampled UMC, Baptist Church, and EV Free in college, went to a Brethren Seminary, attended an independent church while at Seminary, got married in a Baptist Church, and now serve as an ordained UM pastor. Methodism has definitely predominated, but I've worshipped in a variety of denominational settings, and I believe they each have value. Right now we send our kids to the AWANA program at the Baptist church in town, simply because it is an outstanding program for kids, and my own church doesn't have anything similar to offer. At first, I felt a little funny about my kids going to another church on Sunday evenings, but I got over it quickly because I saw the value for my children. They are learning a lot about the Bible and the Christian faith through this program, they are socializing with many other kids, and they don't have to see "Dad" in the forefront for this portion of their development. I fear that my being a pastor could be detrimental, in some ways, to my children. We've all heard of those rebellious PKs that raise so much trouble, and I don't want my kids to be that someday. But if the church where I am appointed to serve does not offer ministry to my children, do I neglect their needs for the sake of my church? I understand that I could start a ministry for them, (and we have kept them involved in many of our own church's activities and ministries, and started some as well) but the Baptist church offers a great program that they can utilize. And, Karen and I get to drop them off for an hour and a half every Sunday night and go out to dinner together! What more could we ask for? Seriously, I just wanted to post about the importance of helping my children develop their Christian faith in the best way possible, and if that means crossing a denominational line to do so, I'm ok with that. I try to keep them rooted in Methodism, but the focus for me is Christ, not a particular denominational expression of Christianity.

Theology from SpongeBob

It's my day off, and I'm watching the kids. What better way to pass the day than with SpongeBob Square Pants? Today's episode was about Mr. Crabs losing a special dollar bill to a blue lipped clam. This wasn't just any dollar bill, it was his 1,000,000nth dollar bill. So, he goes to exorbitant means to get it back. It begins with him driving the people around him crazy by getting them to pursue the clam and get back the dollar. That doesn't work, so then (in a stroke of genius much akin to Brett's gaining weight for the sole purpose of having some weight to lose) he offers a substantial reward to anyone who can help him get back his dollar. Yes, a reward for finding a dollar. I'm no math major, but.... Well, the reward doesn't work either, so he then uses SpongeBob and Squidward as bait to attract the clam, who then shows up with the dollar. Mr. Crabs still can't get the dollar from the clam, so he makes a deal with the clam - trade SpongeBob and Squidward for the dollar. What's the theology of this? I couldn't help but think of things in our lives that we desperately hang on to, or seek after, at the expense of those around us. In what ways do we cling to something of very little actual value, and in the process, we lose things of great value. What relationships do we endanger because of our overemphasis on work, or ministry, or the pursuit of self interests (or the almighty dollar)? What do we sacrifice of our own well-being, our own integrity, our own health, in pursuing things that don't really matter? What grudges do we carry, refusing to forgive others even as we watch ourselves negatively impacted by our vindictiveness and refusal to forgive? These are just some of my thoughts as I kick back and reflect on an absorbent, porous, yellow guy who lives in a pineapple under the sea. Nice to have a day off every now and then!

Right, Wrong, or Indifferent?

Back to Blogland after a very busy Advent season! The Magi came bearing gifts, I come bearing questions. I read Jeff Kahl's posts, some of which are political in nature (Poli-Sci undergrad, what else can I expect?) and I reflect on the commonalities between politics and religion. With politics, we have our parties: Republicans, Democrats, Independents. All hope to make positive changes and influence the world in positive ways, utlimately. They just have very fundamental disagreements on how to bring about such changes. Many democrats can't stand George Bush. Many republicans couldn't stand Bill Clinton. All are pretty much united against Hillary. Just kidding. But my point is, each party believes wholeheartedly that, in many areas, they are right and the other is wrong. Enter religion. Don't we see the same thing? Catholics believe they (and only they!) have the keys to the kingdom of heaven. In Methodism, the traditionalists believe they are right, the contemporary folks thing they have it right, the Conservatives believe they have the answers, the Liberals believe they do, and on and on and on. Without attempting to be divisive, I raise the question - who's right? Who's wrong? Who's indifferent? What really matters, and what doesn't?

Who Is The Customer?

I was asked this question on a recent blog posting, and needed to give it some thought before giving my answer. For those interested, here it is, from my perspective. Let’s start with answering that question in the reality of our world from a business perspective. Who is the customer? There are many different levels of ‘customer.’ To the manufacturers of the product (let’s stick with toothpaste as the product, as per last week’s blog), WalMart itself is the customer. Aquafresh markets to WalMart, not to the end user. For WalMart, the customer is the person who actually purchases the product. Mom comes along, and throws a few tubes of Aquafresh in the cart, takes them to the checkout, and buys them. In one sense, Mom is the customer. However, who is the end user, or consumer? Now the Aquafresh makes its way to the master bathroom, where Mom and Dad use it dutifully every morning. Another tube goes to the family bathroom, where the kids use it as well. And yet another tube goes to the guest bathroom, where it is only used occasionally. Mom is the customer, but so are the others: Dad, the kids, the guests, etc. One might call them residual customers, because although they didn’t actually make the purchase, they are using it and they are benefiting from it. So, in a spiritual sense, who is the customer in our churches? I believe the customer is the one who benefits. Let me be clear, we’re not hawking a product here. We’re sharing good news with people that can lead to a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. If ‘good news’ is our ‘product,’ then, who benefits from us sharing it? God? One could say that our worship pleases God, but God is unchanging. God does not benefit from our worship of Him. He is, was, and is to come, regardless of what we do. Who benefits? I believe the people in the pews benefit from coming to church, praising God, hearing the Word, and being spiritually uplifted, challenged, encouraged, etc. They are, in that sense, ‘the customer.’ Who else? Those outside of the church who benefit because people in the church are sharing the love and mission of Christ. These are the residual customers; the end users. The husband who may not come to church regularly, but is blessed with a godly wife who influences him and the children. We may not see the results immediately, but there are residual benefits that are passed on to people outside of the church. I realize there are people who are thinking – IT’S NOT ABOUT WHO BENEFITS! IT’S NOT ABOUT WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME, WHAT I GAIN, ETC.! But isn’t it? I realize we are in worship for what we can give, and what we can offer to God in our praise and worship and submission of ourselves to Him. But the Bible is full of examples of Jesus teaching that coming to God results in benefits for those who come. Rest for the weary. Peace for the troubled. Eternal life for the lost. Relationship for the disconnected. Hope for the hurting. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. If that isn’t a benefit, I don’t know what is. Sunday mornings, I come to give and offer what I have and who I am to God. But God gives me abundantly more than I could ever give to Him. I forget who said it, Spurgeon perhaps: “I am simply a beggar who is telling other beggars where to find bread.” I’m not going to send them there and say, “but don’t expect to get anything for yourself out of this! There’s bread there in abundance, but it’s not for you!” Of course it’s for us, that’s why God sent Jesus into the world.

Marketer Created Preference

In my business classes in college, we studied the concept of a "Marketer Created Preference." Basically, this is when advertisers set a standard, or create an expectation (preference) for their product in a way that is self-serving. Examples abound in the consumer goods industry. Look at your average toothpaste commercial. The ad shows a swirl of toothpaste in the shape of an "S" on the toothbrush - about 3 times as much toothpaste as is necessary. If you put that much toothpaste on your brush (and many people do), most of it falls in the sink before it ever hits your mouth. Cha-ching! The more you waste, the more often you have to buy another tube of toothpaste, which means more money for AquaFresh, Crest, etc. Over a life time, if you buy toothpaste twice as often as you need to, that doubles their sales. If everyone does this, the increase in sales is quite significant. Shaving cream is another great example. Barbasol shows a man with enough shaving cream on his face to pose as Santa at the local shopping mall. It's absolutely unnecessary to have that much. But, in showing these quantities in their ads, the marketers 'create' the preference, and people blindly follow along, using their products in like manner. It's quite an interesting concept, and it works for marketers. Very well. Think of the products you use, and think about why you use as much as you do. Is it really necessary, or do you just do it because that's what the commercial/the box/the actor says you should do? So, how does this relate to the church? What 'marketer created preferences' exist in your church? What standards and expectations have you set? These aren't always bad things. You can create good, positive preferences for people, and guide them when they aren't sure how to use a certain product, and you can use church created preferences, for lack of a better term, to teach people how to live a Christian life. How often should a person read their Bible? Pray? Evangelize? Serve others? Are you, and others in your church, modeling a good standard for others to follow? On the flipside, are you wasting people's time by modeling ineffective behaviors and patterns that ultimately don't accomplish much? Just as many people trust advertisers and follow their lead, so do many people trust you, and follow your lead as a Christian. Set the standard high, and make a positive impact in the lives of those you lead!

STRESSED? Line Up the Usual Suspects

What are the usual suspects when it comes to stress? I believe there are 4 that 'line' up readily for most of us - Headlines, Deadlines, Lifelines, and Bottom lines.

1. Headlines - Reading the morning paper or watching the evening news can trigger unbelievable levels of stress, as we consider the common newsroom phrase "If it bleeds, it leads!" Sadly, this is all too true. So much tragedy, death, and destruction abounds in our world, and simply reading the Headlines every day can depress and stress us.

2. Deadlines - Too much of life is a race against time, trying to squeeze in every activity, for ourselves or others. Church responsibilities, family responsibilities, unexpected situations, etc. can take away so much time, and leave us scrambling to get done with the things we feel we need to accomplish.

3. Lifelines - Here I think of health and wellness issues, and relationships. How does our lifeline look? That call from the doctor regarding your last checkup, that last meal you ate that gave you heartburn, that anxiety over the growing numbers on the scale, etc. Problems in relationships - with God, with spouses, family members, friends, that idiot that cut us off in traffic - can cause unbelievable amounts of stress and worry.

4. Bottom lines - Financial issues, folks. Debt continues to grow, expenses continue to rise, and income continues to, well, not quite keep up. This happens personally, and in the church. Financial issues are one of the top issues that couples fight about, and are a common factor in divorces.

Think about what stresses you out. Does it fit into one of these 4 categories? Most of the time, my stressors fall squarely in one of them. There are no simple answers, but I do think that identifying what stresses us out can help. I also think that when we categorize them like this, it shows us that it is very common for these things to cause stress, and we can know we're not alone in battling anxiety in these areas. While there are no easy answers, I do believe that perspective is important. Paul writes in Philippians 4 some very compelling and challenging words that relate to all of these things:

Philip. 4:10-13 "I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last
you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you
had no opportunity to show it. [11] I am not saying this because I am in need,
for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. [12] I know what it
is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the
secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry,
whether living in plenty or in want. [13] I can do everything through him who
gives me strength."

What an amazing outlook! I used need to take a page or two from Paul's book when I start to worry about the things going on in my life. And I thought I was an optimist!