Martin Holman Jr.'s Blog, page 3

National Compliment Day

Today, January 24th, is National Compliment Day.  As a society, we are so inwardly focused (social media hasn’t exactly helped this) that we hardly have time to pay someone a compliment.  So spend today making a commitment to compliment as many people as you can in an authentic way.

 

My church celebrated yesterday by wearing blank name tags and writing down generic complimentary messages they wanted to share with others who they passed after the left the building.  Here were a few of my favorites:

*You are amazing!
*You make God smile
*You are so wonderful
*You look smashing today!

When we get lost in the hustle and bustle of our days, we think heavily about ourselves and ways we can improve and the kind of person we are.  Don’t pass a person today without first taking a second and paying them a compliment of any kind, as long as it’s positive.  And thanks so much for celebrating with us here at the Holman Report.

Oh by the way, you really are a fast reader!

23 Years of Friendship

On the Chaffin Church Podcast, I interviewed my friend of 23 years, Al Dancy, and we talked about our journey as friends, mostly in Bible college and the church.  Enjoy and let me know what you think in the category below.

 

Introducing the New Chaffin Church Podcast

 A few weeks ago, Ryan Thompson and I decided to change up our online services at Chaffin Church to a video podcast, and over the last two weeks we have made that change and created something we’re pretty proud of with good content and we connected it to our church.  It’s called the Chaffin Church Podcast, and you can watch the video podcast here and subscribe to the audio podcast here  via apple podcasts or here via anchor podcasts.

Please check it out and let us know what you like or don’t like about it.  Here are the segments from the podcast:

Opening dialogue
Ask a Pastor
Family Reunion
How do I…?
Chaffin Good News

A Letter to the Left and Right, #1: Grace In the Age of the Fallen Empire

Image converted using ifftoany

The evil Empire has been defeated. The Rebels have established a new Republic and are working to repair the galaxy for a better, shinier future, including hunting down anyone who fought for or supported the fallen Emperor. Whether these people were evil or not, whether they’d been tricked or fooled into giving support, doesn’t matter. They don’t believe what the most vocal of the Rebels believe, and so do not have a right to citizenship in the New Republic.

No, this is not describing the Star Wars franchise. It’s the world we’re all living in now, especially within the Arts and Entertainment industry, and it’s gotten very, very wonky.

Let me be clear about something as we start: politically, I lean liberal. In recent years I’ve moved a bit towards the center, not because I find myself agreeing with anything on the so-called “right” but because I find myself disagreeing with many of the behaviors of my compatriots on the “left.”

For anyone not familiar with these terms, a simplistic but effective trick is: Left = Liberal [L=L] and Right = Republican… that’s not completely accurate and there are shades of grey, but it should help you remember.

With a couple of exceptions since the George W reign, I’ve mostly voted Democrat because I honestly do see many in the Republican leadership as an evil empire. Your mileage may vary and I get it. I still love you.

I also see my fellow liberals, especially the more vocal of them, as having gone off the rails in a few distinct ways, destroying the careers of anyone working in the Arts that don’t agree with their specific set of rules or beliefs. I love you, too, but we need to talk.

For this discussion, I’m putting aside the Black Lives Matter movement, because that encompasses a larger set of issues and social needs, so does not fit into this specific conversation. Residually it might apply, but that particular item is a nationwide crisis and has been since long before I’ve been alive. We’ll talk about everything else, though.

 

Certain members of leadership aside, I believe people who follow one socio-political leaning or another have the good of their fellow human beings held close their hearts. Both sides. A lot of people on both ends of the spectrum, of course, don’t agree with that sentiment.

The intentions of the Left’s vocal majority (as well as the more silent liberals like myself afraid to say anything for fear of being put against the wall and shot) are largely positive: they want to make a better world for everyone, not just straight, cisgender (or is the term heteronormative these days? I can’t keep up with the language so excuse me if I use an older term for this article) white people as it has been for most of the country’s history. That said, I do suspect things on that end are being manipulated by something or someone(s) with far more sinister intentions. No differently than the painfully-obvious forces who have been manipulating the Right forever – but I’ll get into that in a bit.

 

Why am I writing this now, when this has been going on for years?

My last (but far from only) straw was the Gina Carano incident a few weeks back. She played a character on The Mandalorian. I didn’t much care for her character, myself, it felt a bit stilted, but my wife liked her as did many others. Problem is, the actor is apparently a die-hard Republican and Trump supporter who drank the Kool-Aid on a lot of the conspiracies his people were spreading, especially the anti-mask and voter fraud programs. An online movement has called for her firing since November, because she posted things were supportive of former president Trump and the far right. Granted, she also mocked the trend of people publishing their pronouns which may have offended some of you personally, but she wasn’t, as far as I can see, mocking actual transgender folks. More on this major (and central to everything) topic later.

More recently, she shared a tweet comparing persecution of conservatives with that of Jews in Nazi Germany. Not the brightest idea – and though I do understand the point she was trying to make, the post she’d shared was a bit extreme with the imagery. I should also add my Jewish son-in-law did find it antisemitic, and his opinion, being Jewish, does carry more weight. However, I’m not sure that was her intention, it was simply a (bad) historical comparison. Nevertheless Disney+ fired her from the show and any future project. Variety Magazine had the most even-handed write up of the story if you want more info here (https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/gina-carano-mandalorian-controversy-twitter-1234905140/). Agree or not with that final post of hers, remember that people have been calling for her firing months before because of (mostly) politics.

Carano is the latest performing artist to be fired for not being left-thinking (she was very, very much so, and honestly didn’t seem like someone I’d probably want to hang out with but that’s beside the point, it really is). Agree with certain “rules” people have laid out for everyone else to believe in, or incur their wrath. This trend has been gaining momentum for years.

Here’s the thing: there will always be people crying for someone to pay, someone whose behavior or lifestyle does not match their own or who did something long ago which was offensive. Everyone feels threatened by something. The squeaky wheel will always squeak. Now, sometimes their target has truly said terrible, mean-spirited and downright vile things (yes, I’m referring to the late Mr. Limbaugh as a prime example). However, some people like Carano are merely vocal about beliefs. They were opposite from my beliefs, but I never wanted her fired.

In the end, how a publisher/corporation/streamer reacts will decide how much power any group of people have over their fellow human. A corporation will invariably react out of fear for lost sales and viewership. Disney+ catering to cries of #FireGinaCarano encourages this, and makes it a more frequent event as angry people scour the internet – sometimes going back decades – for ammunition against targets they do not like. Even what I’m writing right now could become a target (when I mentioned I needed to write something about this my youngest daughter said, “Be careful,” which honestly increased the need to say something).

 

Magazines and Publishers dropping artists when their personal opinions or lifestyles do not coincide with the far Left – even artists who do but have said something the company is afraid might anger the masses – need to stop and remember how many more people there are, from both parties, who find themselves frustrated when their networks or magazines or publishers make decisions solely to please either end of a social spectrum. They need to remember, always, that some people have different opinions than the ones who are complaining.

Isn’t that what being tolerant is about? There have been so many cries over the years that the political Right is intolerant, and in some ways they are, but when it comes to rejecting opinions and attacking the person having them, I’ve found my fellow liberals to be far worse.

Yes! you say, I’m intolerant of injustice.

I am, too, which is why I’m writing this. Now be quiet and keep reading. I’m getting to the main point.

 

But first we need to stop and take a breath. People don’t do that enough in discourse these days.

I need to remind myself that there’s a specific perspective that I, personally (again your mileage may vary), need to maintain for anything good to come out of this, especially today. I’m a Christian, and everything I say and do must be filtered through what is taught in the Gospels. Not what Moses wrote in the Old Testament, nor what Paul wrote in his letters. Jesus boiled everything down to two primary principles for the kingdom: Love God, and Love Each Other. Everything else stems from these two commands.

You’re not loving God, or yourself for that matter, if you’re not loving your neighbor. All of your neighbors. It’s very hard to love all of my neighbors without keeping Jesus in the center of my own life, especially when loving your neighbor is not contingent on them loving you back. Granted, some of the horned-rebels storming the Capitol in January, or calling for violence even now behind their anonymous message board names, don’t love their neighbor. And, they will face the legal consequences of their actions, in a proper court of law. Some others, I would venture more than a few, do love their neighbor and actually thought they were doing the right thing. Brainwashed into believing words that many others could see were obvious lies, because they were told them by the president of the United States. Think about that for a moment.

Remember, until you’ve been in someone’s shoes, you do not know their whole story.

 

Many of my liberal cohorts might think they are loving their neighbor, but Gina Carano is also your neighbor. J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, is your neighbor. Gareth Roberts, screenwriter for a number of Doctor Who episodes is also your neighbor. And these are just a few examples.

From safe, comfortable couches people have called for the social and financial spurning of someone like Rowling because she doesn’t agree that a transgender woman is one hundred percent female. They cry for her career to be ended with words like “transphobic,” but refuse to understand her perspective. Not that she needs to justify anything – it’s her opinion, gruffly as she may have expressed it from time to time, and who also calls for equal rights and fair treatment for the trans community even now – but the loudest voices don’t seem to care she was abused and raped in the past by men, and as such probably has an innate distrust of the opposite sex, or that she has rallied most of her life for women’s rights. When she sees someone born biologically male insisting to be one of those women, legitimately or not… I personally understand her pushing back, as I try to understand her perspective.

Everyone’s personal experiences will drive their view of the world. I’m amazed that so many people I know who have been through terrible life experiences have such a positive view of the world, and people in general. While on the other side, dismayed so many who have had loving, comfortable lives have grown to be so vindictive and scathing to others with different opinions than themselves.

 

However, if you think how someone like Rowling, for example, views life means she deserves to be fired and ostracized from the arts community, read the next paragraph, then you can stop. But read the next paragraph first.

Here is the point that everyone has to understand: someone not agreeing with the same things you believe is not an attack on you. If it was, then everyone who is not Muslim should probably be considered Islamophobic. Don’t agree? A Muslim’s very existence, or anyone of devout religious belief, is centered on their faith. Mine is. Do you believe Allah is the one true God and do you follow the teachings of the Prophet Muhammed? If you don’t, by your own standard you hate all Muslims and are Islamophobic. There can be no picking and choosing simply so you don’t look bad. Anyone who is not Christian hates all Christians and is persecuting them for their religious beliefs; and to step into even more extreme waters, anyone who does not believe in the tenets of the Republican party is advocating the rise of an oppressive authoritarian government without political discourse.

Now I don’t believe you are Islamophobic if you aren’t a Muslim, or that you are attacking an entire belief system, or me personally, if you are not a Christian. Or that other thing which I don’t feel like retyping because it was too long with big words.

But you cannot have it both ways.

The rules can’t be the rules some of the time, to suit your whim or feed your righteous indignation.

 

Grace is a missing ingredient in all of this. Acceptance that people:

Come from different backgrounds,

Have different upbringings and experiences, and have

Grown up wealthy or

Dirt poor,

Been molested or beaten before they were ten or

Grew up in a healthy loving family,

Have parents and grandparents who tended a farm and felt ignored for decades,

Never felt need or want for anything,

See their future as frightening and dark, because Fear has ruled their life, or

See their future as full of unlimited potential,

all of this builds their own worldview later on.

 

Everything has become black and white, right or wrong, good or evil. Yes, I will propose that the previous administration fanned these flames. Regardless, everyone has drawn a line in the sand and will not listen to another opinion. Other opinions are evil.

A virus to be wiped out.

But why? Why are these two extremes so extreme? What is driving the vocal left and the right of society these days?

 

The Right, specifically the people who have rallied behind Donald Trump, and who make up a good chunk of the country if you look at the numbers, are driven by fear. This fear is fueled and stoked by those who wish to gain, or remain in, power.

The Left is driven by a combination of rage and the need to be affirmed by others. They feel driven to bring equality to every person regardless of race or creed or orientation, which itself is a wonderful thing, yet much of it seems to be driven by guilt over the fact that they themselves are straight, white, cisgender and/or privileged. Not to mention burdened by guilt for what our ancestors have done. I say this because the majority of voices (remember, BLM excluded) crying for justice against their fellow person are mostly white, straight and cis. You might argue this point, and you are free to, but pay attention next time when something ignites. Look who is shouting the loudest. You might be surprised. Even family members of, say, transgender people, who have the most right to raise their voices, need to look at whether a person is attacking someone they love, or simply has a different opinion.

At times Rowling, or Carano and others, have stated their points with a somewhat mocking or frustrated tone. Were those attacks, or merely opinions amplified by the elevated status of the speakers? I’m not saying which, because I wasn’t the one hurt by any comments. All I’m suggesting is that your first reaction should be to take a breath, and try to understand the other side even if you don’t like what they said. Personally, I enjoy listening to Bill Maher. The man is level-headed and intelligent, but he constantly mocks anyone of faith, and does so very meanly. I don’t think he should be fired, and if I swallow my pride I might even agree with some of his points (this is the subject of another essay in the future so let’s move on).

 

Look at yourself now. Seriously look. Whoever is reading this is likely getting very defensive. Is your reaction fear, that maybe I’m giving the liberal Huns too much room to move closer to your neighborhood, or anger that I am attacking you or some underrepresented person group and so you need to lash out, and do so publicly so others see you doing it?

Really – look at yourself. I’ve been doing that myself lately and it’s resulted in some sleepless nights. That’s why I’m writing this, before I give myself a heart attack.

 

What motivates you?

Whatever it is, it’s also what the people who want to control you can capitalize on. Remember that. Be bigger than that. The Far Right stokes the fears of the conservative mindset: immigrants will kill and rape your children, Blacks will burn your stores, liberals will make the USA a communist state. The Far Left stokes the guilt and indignation in its “constituents,” pointing at conservatives (and anyone not agreeing with you) as terrible people who should be punished, banished from decent society, unless re-educated to better fit into society at some far future date.

Both sides mock the other for ignoring science.

Both sides ignore science when it suits them.

 

Fear and Rage. Left and Right.

And we in the middle, who try to understand both sides (not agree with both sides, but accept them as someone’s opinion) are silent because we’ll be attacked if we try to reason with either.

In the end, corporate America will decide which side to cater to, depending on where they see the money coming from. Don’t believe me? In the late 90’s and early naughts, especially after 9/11, the networks and media catered to the Right, politically. Freedom Fries and fears that Ellen DeGeneres’s newly-acknowledged “gayness” might indoctrinate our children (remember that, Disney/ABC?). Now, they have jumped over the net to the other side, out of fear of losing ratings. Don’t trust them. They are for-profit corporations.

Money is their driver.

I love Disney, they’ve built a massively entertaining product.

I simply choose not to make them – or any political party or ideology – my god.

 

Here’s my final point, and personally a very painful one for me:

The Arts and Entertainment industry has a wonderful diversity of people, beliefs and personal / social orientations. For me, since childhood, it has been a bastion of love and freedom; an expression of who we truly are and could be. Let’s celebrate each other, but remember that the better we get at this thing called Life, the stronger other forces will work to bring it down. Sometimes, people try burning down a concert hall simply to watch something burn. We still need to love those people, too, because there’s a reason for their twitchy state (and their incarceration as arsonists).

The entertainment industry has seen this kind of moment in history before. Learn about it if it’s not familiar to you, because as George Santayana said, “Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” In the 40’s and 50’s McCarthyism destroyed the careers of anyone in publishing or film who might be associated with the Communist party. All of them, banned from working in the industry for having this specific political leaning, and sometimes for nothing other than an accusation. Many great artists never worked in the business again because of this. John Wayne, one of the most famous actors of the era, was a leader in this movement. Because of that I don’t care to watch his movies, disliking what he and his cohorts did. But I would never want his movies to be banned, nor would I ever have wanted him to be fired. If I did, I’d have been no better than him.

If there is evil among us, one of its names is Intolerance, of others who might be different from us. That includes someone with a different opinion or perspective. For years the only perspective accepted outside our private A&E world was a white, straight, cisgender, what-have-you perspective, but within this world we embraced everyone.

Embraced everyone.

Grace was the word of the day; Love was the nourishment; Acceptance was the foundation.

Everything happening in the industry now is antithetical to all of that, and is being driven not by the need to protect the weak, but to have our views affirmed. Right now, I affirm you, and your existence. Everyone around us should expect the same in return.

 

The Empire has fallen, and we celebrate with everyone else, but the New Republic needs to take some time and breathe; to look under the couch for that Grace it needs to survive. There’s a reason we rebuilt Japan after WWII, rather than pave over their country with concrete and kick the dust from our shoes. Every human being is worth our love, forgiveness, and acceptance. We don’t need to agree with them, or even like them, but we have to love them. This isn’t easy. I love many people whose political and personal beliefs make my toes curl in indignation. My own father is one of them. I absolutely adore him. We just don’t talk politics when I visit.

I believe in a world where people have the right to be free and treated with respect. All people. Every human being has been fearfully and wonderfully made, and should be treated that way. Even if we think they are weird, annoying, wrong, racist, mean or they smell.

A wise person told me recently, “We need to make a change as a society and… yelling at people for every mistake they ever made will not make [them] want to be better. It will make both sides just that much more spiteful and unwilling to listen to each other. Spread love not hate, and that’s how you will help. If we teach our kids not to judge others, they will be the people in power and making the rules in the future. That is how we make change. We can’t force anyone’s hand, [only] create a culture that people will want to do the right thing, anyway.”

That quote is from my 24 year-old daughter, and that in itself I think proves her point.

If you don’t agree with any of this that’s OK. Your opinion is as precious as mine – as long as you do not call for violence against me or my neighbor or try to destroy me or my neighbor for believing something you don’t. Even if your opinion turns my stomach. Mine might turn yours. Or someone else’s.  Who knows?

That’s the beauty of being human in a free world.

 

Who you are not

When revitalizing a church, your temptation is going to be to do it like the big dogs.  You want to be the next Andy Stanley, Rick Warren, Steven Furtick, Craig Groeschel or whoever else is popular at the time.  Your church, however, should be different.  It should be different because you are different, your members are different, your community is different, and your calling is, therefore, different.  I spent years trying to pastor like everyone else, and when I had the circumstances of most people, I realized that’s not what I wanted.  I wanted what God was calling me and my church to be.  A few weeks ago, I shared an idea with the board at our church, and one of its members literally said, “That doesn’t like you or us.”  We must remember that copycats rarely become more successful at their vision than the original things God gives whom He calls.

So how do we find our calling as a church when it is being revitalized?

Prayer
Go to God!!!!  Don’t forget as excitement builds with the church that the reason you’re doing all of this is your Creator.  He knows what’s best for your living organism known as ekklesia.  He knows what you should do, and wants you to succeed.  Spend deep time in prayer by yourself, with your family, and with those closest to you.  Schedule it and make it happen when it isn’t scheduled.  “Much prayer, much power”

Figure out where you live
What is the community like around your church?  Part of the reason churches die is they become so inward focused that they lose any real connection to the people around them.  When having guests in your church becomes an awkward thing, and your the people in church don’t know how to act when new people arrive, it may be time for a revitalization.  But who lives around you? Is it rural, urban, tundra?  Are the people around you used to professionalism or one on one hangouts?  It matters.  Just as telephone books are not used anymore, choirs, robes, and papered church directories have also become relics of the past.  Figure out who you are reaching out to, and create something that connects with people while not watering down the good news of Jesus.

Understand your core
Who are the people you currently are ministering to, and how do they love to minister?  Do they love big productions, anthemic worship music, online video equipment, to have quiet one on one conversations?  If the people around you are nothing like you, they will probably not be around you in a matter of time.  People who help start a church are not always the same people who stay in the church.  Carefully take inventory of those who will be with you as your help revitalize your church or group and focus in on helping them grow in Jesus.  Don’t just use them as people who can help you launch a church.  They are disciples and your desire should be for them to grow up to be followers of Jesus just as much as that person who might step foot in your church who you don’t know (or may never know if the church gets large enough).

What’s in your heart?
Finally, what’s in your heart?  What is the style and focus of ministry that burns within you, that you would not e happy if you didn’t make happen.  When I first came to my present church, I found the original vision statement.  It clearly hadn’t been used since the early 1900’s, but I loved it and brought it back because it had everything that I loved.  It was;  “Working together (Community) in Christ’s love (Agape) to spread the gospel (Good news!)”.  I grabbed on to that statement and though the church was not presently living in that reality, that reality was in my heart, so I went with it.  My heart connected with the church history, and we rolled with it!

It’s easy to figure out who other people are, but much more difficult who you are and by extension, who you are not.  You are not Andy, Rick, Steve, or Craig, but you are you.  And God is calling you to this project!  So tell us…who are you?

This is a series on Church Revitalization by Martin Holman.  Part 1 and Part 2 are here for your enjoyment.

Does God want me here?

Before you decide to revitalize your church or your small group, and to bring dead bones to life, first go to God and ask Him if he’s down with that plan.  We started our revitalization conversation here, and if you’re trying to turn things around or just beginning your story, you’re probably excited about the journey.  Stop the excitement however, in favor of going to God with your situation.

I am just finishing Matt McConaughey’s new book “Greenlights” and in the book he talks about processing God and doubting him for a while.  He came out strongly believing in God, but he said that at times we use God as an excuse to not do things.  I wholeheartedly agree with the “A Time to Kill” actor, but still believe we need God’s green light before we move forward in most major things we do.

Here are four ways to know that God is giving you the go ahead in your new church or group revitalization:

The Open Door

This one makes me a little nervous because Ive seen people believe that open doors represent a definite answer from God.  It does not, but an open door can provide a nice entry way for beginning something God wants you to do. Are you finding open doors in the building of your new adventure?  Did someone call you or email you about something similar to your thoughts?  These are open doors.

Your spouses support

If you have a spouse, their support is absolutely necessary to moving forward with your life giving plan.  A few years ago, I was offered a church revitalization job as a lead pastor.  The church wasn’t dead, but it was headed that direction.  I wanted the job and I could see the church revitalizing in my mind’s eye.  My wife, however, wanted nothing to do with the part of the job that required us to move to the Midwest.  I promised God I would not do it without my wife’s green light.  She never gave it.  I did everything I could to talk her into it, but she was not budging, so eventually I backed off and the church went another direction.  I was heartbroken, but eventually took another job, and that church went into a very good situation as well.  If I look back and give an honest opinion of how the last few years have looked, I can say that everything turned out good, and we made the right decision.  I needed my wife’s support, and she couldn’t give it, so I couldn’t do it.  If you’re spouse is not into the plan, get a new plan.

Robin or even Cisco Ramon

You can’t do kingdom work by yourself.  You need people around you that will come alongside you and partner with you in the journey in which you are embarking.  Going solo might be interesting if you’re climbing a mountain or even starting a business, but in the world of kingdom work, you either better be a partner or have one.  Batman had Robin, and good thing too, because the intense struggle of ministering to and discipline people can be overbearing at times. Don’t go into a church revitalization or a group setting by yourself, unless you are absolutely sure God wants you to.  You need people with you.  And if possible, you need more than Robin.  If you’re a fan of DC Comics, you’ll also be familiar with the Flash.  My kids love him because he is super fast. His team is 3-4 people deep.  Cisco Ramon is one of 3-4 people at any time who are on the Flash’s team.  As the author of Ecclesiastes says, “A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back to back and conquer.  Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”

A Mind’s Eye Plan

If you don’t have an idea in your mind’s eye what you might do if you entered into this church revitalization process or small group building process, then don’t do it.  If you’re someone who God has gifted to pastor or build these things, then He has already gifted you with ideas and plans, all of which you may use or not use when you get started.  But if you have no clue HOW to do it in the first place, it’s probably not something you should be doing.  You may not know everything about what is going to happen or how to make it happen, but a basic idea of what you will do if God gives you the green light is important to whether or not He is leading you that direction.  Why would he send you somewhere you are not gifted or qualified to handle?  I understand there are times he challenges us in things we don’t think we can handle, but that’s different than being able to see what you will do with God’s help.  It’s called vision, and the leader/group of leaders can see some if it play out before it plays out.

There are four ways to know that God is giving you the go ahead on a church revitalization or a small group building.  Did I miss anything?

This article was written by Martin Holman.  It is the 2nd post in a series on church revitalization.  Martin is also the author of “Back to Acts:  How to start a home church”, available here.

Revitalize your church!

Consider this:  What does it take to turn a church or a church group around from dead to alive?  Churches all around America are dying, but with the pandemic, not only churches but also small groups and church groups of various types.  Of course the church can continue to still be the church, but revitalization will happen in different ways.  The question is, how can you be involved?  No one wants to be a part of something dead, and more than ever, churches are dying.

The good news is however, that dying is different than getting smaller.  The truth is when it comes to plants, they can get too big, and the same is true with churches.  A church that is too big will never tell itself it is actually too big.  What I’m saying is that a church that is getting smaller can be turning from death to life, and can be in fact…revitalized.  A group that has lost some if its members can be growing in ways that can make it more healthy.

The difference between a dying church and a church that is alive is in both the perspective of its members and the competency and genuine spiritual care of its leadership.

Perspective of its members

Honestly members of any church that is alive or being revitalized need to be positive about the direction of the church or group.  Dying attitudes can kill a church faster than any lack of resource or talent.  I have been a part of two church revitalization’s, and each one has been threatened early on by poor attitudes.  This is not theory, but it is probably the most factual thing this post will say.  If you are small and a few people of influence have bad attitudes, it is only a matter of time before things turn and death will be upon you.  The attitudes must be dealt with, and you can be a part of that with a straightforward, truth filled, and loving conversation.  Every member doesn’t have to agree with everything, but every member must have the perspective that good things can happen when change happens, even if it is change that they don’t understand.

Competency and Spiritual Care of the church or group’s leadership

When I first came to the church I’m currently at, I spoke frankly to an outgoing secretary who was leaving as I was coming in as the lead pastor.  I asked her what was the church’s problem and she told me in no uncertain terms that there was no leadership.  I asked her about the board of the church and she said again, “there is no leadership”.  She didn’t explain or gossip, but she only said that.  Dying churches have lost all of their leadership, even if the current leadership won’t admit it.  Leadership competency is a must and can easily be lost if the leadership isn’t invested in learning and growing as individuals as much as they want to grow as a church.  Insecure and defensive leadership leaves little room for growth and people can see the way the tide is turning if that type of leadership rules the day.  Some might stay because it’s the only church they’ve ever been to or because they are friends with the leaders, but where there is a lid, people will fight to get out of the pot.

Not only does your leadership need competency however, but they also need a genuine spiritual care for their community.  There are plenty of used car salesmen posing as pastors or church leaders out there, but what an alive church needs is leadership that unites God’s people to do the work of the ministry and to mature into spiritual leaders themselves.  A godly pastor or leader understands that people have lives outside of the organization of the church, but also keeps in mind that the church is important for godly discipleship.  It’s difficult sometimes to manage this tension, but possible.  Fighting through that tension is something that the godly shepherd will navigate.

So if you are a part of a church or a group where the members have a positive perspective on what can happen in the future, and the leadership is both competent and has genuine spiritual care for the community, then you’re ready to begin bringing life to your church, no matter how small and no matter what shape your situation is in.

I’ll write more later on what to do next, but if you’re in a place where your church or group is ripe to be revitalized, you’re in a good place.  A hard place certainly, but a good place indeed.  Keep going, talk to other people and pastors and get godly advice, and know that the church or group has possibility, and that is good news.

This article was written by Martin Holman.  Martin is the author of two books, including the book, “Back to Acts:  How to start a home church” which you can buy here.

 

The Nicene Creed, part 3

I have a question for you.  What part of Jesus’ story is the good news?  Is it the way he was born?  Is it the way he lived his life, perfect and loving?  Is it the super cool miracles he performed for those who stood around him, sometimes asking him for healing and change?  Is the good news the things that he taught, making him not only the very nature of God, like we talked about last week, but a prophet speaking into the lives of Israel and those who listened?  Is it the fact that he has created some of the greatest holidays we have today, and we get amazing food as a result?

I guess what I’m asking is, was Jesus just a good guy?  An excellent magician?  A brilliant teacher?  An incomparable storyteller?  Or is there something more to his life to where the apostles boldly claimed, “This is good news.”

In Luke 23, the entire Jewish Sanhedrin brought Jesus to Pilate, who was the Roman Governor at the time.  They made their case:

“This man has been leading people astray by telling them not to pay their taxes to the Roman government (a lie) and by claiming he is the Messiah, a King.”  They led with a lie.  Jesus never said not to pay taxes to the Roman government, but they knew Pilate wouldn’t care much about Jesus claiming he was the Messiah.  The Romans didn’t care about Israel’s spiritual life.

Pilate came out though and asked Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?”  Jesus response?  “You have said it.”  There was always something simple and direct when Jesus answered an accuser, and he had many of them.  In my 20 plus years of pastoral ministry, I find that whenever someone tries to talk me into their own rightness or goodness, they are probably in the wrong.  Jesus never had that problem.  All he said was “You have said it.”

Pilate came back and told the accusers, “I find nothing wrong with this man.”

But they became insistent that he was causing riots and leading revolts and stirring up problems in Jerusalem and Galilee.

When they said Galilee, Pilate’s ears lit up.  Galilee was not in his jurisdiction.  That was in Herod’s area, another local governor.  So he sent Jesus to Herod with roughly the same outcome.  So Herod sent Jesus back to Pilate.  Pilate talked to Jesus again, and then went before the council again.  he said, “You brought this man to me, accusing him of leading a revolt.  I have examined him thoroughly on this point in your presence and I don’t see it.  I find him innocent.  So I’ll have him beaten and then I’ll release him.

Then they created a uproar themselves, screaming to kill Jesus.  And release Barabbas.  According to the gospels, there was a prevailing Passover custom in Jerusalem that allowed or required the governer of Judea to commute one prisoner’s death sentence by popular acclaim.

Barabbas was named as one the Jewish council wanted released.  there could be many reasons for this.  One of those reasons was that Barabbas was a zealot who hated the Roman Government and started riots on his own against them.   In fact, Mark and Luke refer to Barabbas as one who was involved in a statis, or riot.  And in John, the disciple uses the term lestes, which is the term Josephus the Jewish Historian used when referring to revolutionaries.

At any rate, Pilate argued with them because he wanted to release Jesus.  They screamed “Crucify Him!  Crucify Him!”

He fought back and said, “this guy is innocent” and they screamed louder and demanded his crucifixion.

And Pilate gave in to their demands.  he sentenced Jesus to die.

Most heroes are remembered.  They are celebrated.  They are looked at fondly and most of the time, change happens as a result of their heroic actions.  Jesus was set to be one of those people.  he was beaten.  He was crucified.  he was killed on a cruel cross.  He was going to be a martyr at the hands of the Roman Empire.  The same empire that tried to kill him when he was a baby, now had apparently won.

Until Sunday morning rolls around.  Women, a few of  his Jesus followers came to visit his tomb, and when they arrived, they were greeted by two men in shining clothes.  The women were afraid, but the men said, “Why do you seek someone who lives here where their are dead people?  Jesus isn’t here.  He is risen.  That started a collection of meetings Jesus had with his followers, telling them and showing them he was alive.  He is alive.

Over the years, this story has been told and retold and there seems to be some sort of power, not within the story, but within the person who embodies the story.  The idea of resurrection and redemption, of grace and forgiveness.  Of beauty and victory over sin and darkness.

This ideal of Death, burial, and resurrection is not metaphorical, but it is real.  This story is the good news the apostles  talked about and gave their lives for, and it what we are called to believe in, repent from our sins, and share with the rest of the world.  If we cannot do that, you are not a CHrist follower.  I don’t say that in a judgmental way, but to let you know what the bottom line for a Christian is.

You accept, repent, and share this good news.

It is important for you to know what the good news is that we represent as a church and that you represent as a believer.  This good news is not just any good news in general.  I’m a fairly positive person. I like to think positive thoughts and make sure people are feeling good about life  as they live it.  I like to smile and I like when there’s a positive vibe in church.  I like Strawberry frosted donuts with sprinkles on them.

However, when we say that as a church it is our role to spread the good news with the love of Christ, we don’t mean, “Let’s all be happy and get along.”  Of course I like when people get a long, but there are going to be differences in the world.  Jesus himself said he did not come to bring peace, but the sword.  Now I’m not going to dissect that part of Scripture today, but I do want to focus on one part of the creed that we mentioned earlier, because I believe it can help mature you in your own faith.  That to me is important.  Here it is:  “he was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.  Paul says a similar thing in 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4.  Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried  and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.

Now hear me out.  Paul when he wrote this, was not saying that the reason we know that Christ died for our sins was because the gospels tell that story.  And he wasn’t saying that the reason we know Jesus was buried and rose again was because Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John shared that information with the church.  In fact, those authors probably hadn’t written out their stories yet, and if they had, they certainly had not been collectively referred to as the Scriptures.  

No.  Paul was telling the church in Corinth that he and others had dove into the Old Testament Scriptures and what they found was that Jesus death, his burial, and his resurrection, was always going to happen.  It’s not only foreshadowed in the Old Testament, but it’s the purpose the collective writings of the Old Testament were written.  That somehow the good news is interwoven in all of history.  In Paul’s present, his past, and we can only assume and believe in his and our, future.

Here’s what I mean:  When you and I dig into and study and read the Bible, we don’t just read a collection of stories that might teach us how to live, but we immerse ourselves into a world where the Holy Spirit of God can connect with our hearts and minds, and can then move in us to see and understand what God wants for our own present and future. Then we can act appropriately

Think about how you live right now, especially if you’re not in the Bible much.  You probably say that you believe in Jesus and that he did a great thing for you, and that is good news.  But perhaps you never or rarely read through Scripture.  Then you never or rarely have access to better understand what God wants, so then sometimes or most of the time, the things you say God wants, might not be the things that God wants at all, but what you want.

Paul was familiar with what was happening with Jesus because Paul was familiar with the Old Testament Scripture.  Now here we are, and we are blindly following after God, trying to be good instead of trying to be with God.

Let’s be with God in His journey instead of just focusing on ours all the time.  How can we make sure we’re with God?  First of all, check yourself.  When most of your communication is defensive or complaining, you are not on team God, you are on team YOU.  Remember, Jesus answer to Pilate was simple and direct, not obnoxious and defensive.  If you want to walk with God, and share the good news of Jesus, check yourself.  And when you find the junk in your spiritual trunk, repent and get rid of that stuff.  We have to start talking about the word repent more.  Because Christians are not perfect, and they are called to repent of their sins.  You can’t tell others to repent if you’re not willing to do it.  One of the reasons Christians aren’t calling people to repent is because they are too prideful to do it themselves.  My mother in law has a shirt that says Check yourself before you wreck yourself.  Trust me friends, that can happen spiritually too.

Also, if you want to make sure youre with God, start reading Scripture instead of reading the room.  Here’s what I mean by that.  When you check yourself, and you repent of your junk, then you begin to get into Scripture and allow God to move you the right way and the right direction.  When we ignore repentance and when we stay away from reading scripture, we choose to ignore God and to just follow what everyone thinks.  Now hear me out, it is possible to make the same mistake blindly following a pastors interpretation of the Bible.  But what I’m trying to help you understand is that God does have a desire for you to be holy and act justly and to walk humbly.  If you just follow the crowds in church or in culture, you’re following the popular opinion of whoever else is influencing you. A Christ follower follows Christ.  Anything else is following peer pressure.  Get into the Bible.  The term pro life has been thrown around every political season since the 80’s.  And each political party now says they are pro life, and each one has a platform that, isn’t honestly, pro life.  When we read scripture though and allow the Spirit in to help us speak truth to injustice, we become prophets instead of mouthpieces for candidates.

Finally, if you want to make sure you’re with God, you have got to work on obeying Him.  This is the part that gets pastors in trouble all of the time, because they start bullet pointing at all the ways other people have to obey God.  Thats not what I’m going to do.  I believe the Spirit of God works through the believer and the believer’s readings Scripture to speak to the believer and call them to obedience.  Once again, if you’re living a Christian life thats more about how you want to live it out, you’ll just justify doing everything you want to do and act out how you want to act everything out.  You can justify anything.  And you will.

Here’s some steps of obedience for the believer.  Surrendering your heart to Jesus.  Being Baptized.  Loving your neighbor.  Repenting of your sins.  Taking care of one another.

A Christ follower is obedient.  Not to a pastor.  Not to a ministry.  To Jesus.

This week, my family buried my grandmother.  She was 87 years old.  When I heard people talk about her at the viewing line, I was astounded at how she was 87 years old and how she continued to doing the things she was doing in her church far after her and my grandfather had retired.  She made scores of calls a day, starting with her kids, and told people she was praying for them and that she loved them.  She was obedient.

Live your Christian walk WITH GOD, according to the Scriptures.  Check yourself.  Read Scripture.  Obey the one you claim to follow.  Jesus Christ.  he was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven.  thats good news!

Let’s give Tom Brady something to talk about…

Another Super Bowl.  Another halftime show.  Another Tom Brady blitz.  Life goes on during the pandemic, and over the last few days, countless peoples have chatted about whether or not they liked the commercials, the weeknd, and the infinite quarterback.

We humans have to have something to talk about, and what’s worse, more times than not we have to have something to complain about.  The weather, local government, or our 45th president.

What if, instead of talking about something else, we did something others talked about?  I know, I know, easier said than done, but its possible.  There will never be a small amount of people talking about or complaining about things happening in life, but what if you decided today that instead of being one of those people, you acted in a certain way that made people talk about you and your actions.

Please know I mean this in a good way.

I don’t mean you get in a drunken stupor and drive around like Tiger Woods or Justin Beiber, or you call your family members like Mel Gibson or Alec Baldwin.

I mean you took a step of goodness that helped or loved on your community in such a way that even the densest of people took notice.  A few years back, I read Bob Goff’s book, “Love Does”, and he talked about how instead of going to a parade one particular holiday, they decided to host a neighborhood parade, where there were very few spectators, but mostly only people involved in the parade.  People took notice.

What if you hosted a drive for someone or people in need?  Or shoveled a random neighbors driveway after snow?  Or wrote letters to people who may be lonely?  True, not everything needs to be noticed.  Getting noticed is actually not the point.  The point is what if you acted in a way where, if people did see you, they would talk about it, and perhaps it would influence to act in such a way too?

My church has a food and coat drive every month.  The building is on a Main Street so a lot of people notice.  Last year we received 200 pounds of food and 50 coats or so.  I set a goal to bring in 1000 pounds of food  in the first quarter or the year, and as of last Saturday, we already hit that 1000 pounds goal.  I love that we hit that goal!

There will never be a shortage of things to complain or talk about.  The Super Bowl, holidays, Oscars, celebratory months, all come around every year. Now, however, is our time to bring good news to the world.  So get out there and decide to do something good that the world can only notice and want to talk about.

Let’s brainstorm:  What is one thing you’ve done that has been noticed?

My Grandfather, the Pastor

I am different than my grandpa “Chuck”.  I am talkative and energetic and love to have a good conversation.  My grandpa has always been quiet and  reserved, preferring to read and study over talking.  Yet he’s always been a man to be admired.  With my grandma Judy He started the Grace Baptist Church in Birmingham Michigan in 1957, when my mom was 5.  He pastored that church for 57 years, until he retired in 2014.  Carie and I and our twins were able to attend the festivities that weekend, and I remember being so proud of my grandparents and their commitment to love on that community for so long.  My grandpa has always been much more conservative in his methods than I have been.  He attended and sat in my ordination council in the summer of 2003, and stayed for church the next day.  We had a band and a much more laid back approach to church than his home turf, so I was interested in his thoughts about the worship service.  I literally asked him what he thought in front of a table of family and instead of criticizing or falsely praising the service, he looked at me, smiled, and remained silent.  A few things I know about my grandpa Chuck, now 89.  First, he is a man of integrity.  And second, he never wastes a word.  He speaks infrequently, but when he does, it is usually the wisest thing anyone has said in the room.

A few days ago on a Facebook group, I came across an open letter to my grandpa, and would like to share it with you.  In an age where pastors are trying to be as cool as possible, may these types of letters become a normal compliment to those who may don a pulpit each week.  I don’t know the author or her story, but I appreciate her sentiments.

Dear Pastor Whitfield,I grew up in an exceptionally abusive home. My parents were responsible for most if not all of it, not because they were the perpetrators but because they did nothing to protect or to care for me and my siblings. God had no hand in the horrific things that happened to me and my siblings.Hunger was a HUGE issue for my family. As a young child, I learned if I wanted to eat, I had to figure out where my next meal was coming from.So, as a young kid, I learned a few tricks:Sad to say, theft was one of them. I stole to eat.Deception was another means to get food. I would find a church and walk down the street knocking on doors. When the homeowner would answer, I would tell them that I was on a scavenger hunt from the church down the street and ask them if they had a piece of fruit, or a sandwich, or a can of pop. Anything that was in their kitchen, because whatever I collected would go to feed the hungry (this was not a lie-I usually was starving when I went to this extreme).I would also go to the grocery store and fill my cart and eat some of the items in my cart. Then I would abandon the cart if I thought I could get away unseen or if I were feeling trapped, abandon it in the checkout line (claiming my dad was in the car outside with the cash to pay and would be right back).But things changed for me. I found a church. I found a church where I found refuge. I found a church where I finally felt like a had a home.That church was Grace Baptist Church. The Pastor was Charles Whitfield and his beautiful wife Judy Whitfield.I came to them broken. I came to them flawed, hungry, afraid, lost, and Godless.What I found was a place, a place where I finally felt safe.A place where there were leaders and teachers who saw me not as a dirty, unkempt, unruly, irresponsible, and worthless piece of chattel I believed myself to be, but a child of God.I was so damaged, misunderstood, and almost beyond repair.The church, compassionate members and my youth group leaders were my salvation.However, salvation can mean a few things.First, I was saved from my inevitable earthly path of self-destruction.Secondly, I learned of salvation and forgiveness for my sins from my Holy Savior. Although my deeply seeded damage would not let me really recognize this for decades.I still struggle with the belief of God’s love. After all, if your own momma doesn’t love you, who can?It takes an extraordinary person to love an unlovable child. Healing that child is almost impossible.After years of therapy and reflection, I have discovered that nothing replaces the simple belief of belonging and being loved.My lasting rock is the foundation built at my childhood church. Pastor Whitfield, Grace Baptist Church has been the reason I have been able to survive for as long as I have. Every day I marvel that God loves me, and it is a daily struggle for me to believe it.Pastor Whitfield, I’m so sorry I broke the window in your office. I’m sorry I broke those two chairs and didn’t consider for a moment that I should pay for them. I am sorry that I gave nothing to the church but took everything.But most of all, I’m so sorry for the loss of your wife. She is and will forever be an inspiration to me.But know this, a lost and devastated child came into your fold. You welcomed her, you feed her, you nurtured her, you forgave her, and yet got nothing in return (I was an empty vessel with nothing to give but you never made me feel like garbage-I did enough of that on my own).Please just know this. I will never forget how you tried to help my sister Diana by taking her to Corpus Christi.I will never forget that the doors of Grace Baptist were open to me regardless of my misbehavior.I will never forget you and your amazing wife for the rest of my days.Thank you for your kindness. Thank you for your tolerance. I learned about God’s grace by observing you.If I could lasso the moon and give it to you, I would.Your reach is stronger than you could ever imagine.With the utmost respect and love,Laurie HarlanWouldn’t it be cool if the stories of our churches were littered with letters like this?