Rob Prince's Blog, page 53

Not-So-Theologically-Deep Christmas Ponderings:

If one knows more details about Han Gruber’s fall from the Nakatomi Plaza than Adam and Eve’s fall in the Garden Eden is remedial Sunday School attendance required for that person? (This question is for those readers who are convinced that Die Hard  is a Christmas movie).
Do Pentecostal snowmen ever pray for fiery Holy Ghost revival
Is Home Alone  a sequel to the Left Behind book series?
Was the Apostle Paul thinking of mistletoe close encounters in the church vestibule, when he called people to greet one another with a ‘holy kiss”? (Central Church won’t have mistletoe in the foyer, but there will be a photo booth area for family portraits starting this Sunday).
If a certain pastor’s wife loves Christmas trees so much that she has placed twelve fake firs in the house; can that house be declared a National Forest by the Department of Natural Resources? (Asking for a “friend”?)
Was “wee little man” Zaccheaus ever mistaken for an elf?
Can Santa tell which stockings hung on the fireplace belong to Christians? Sure, they are the holy (holey) ones.
Can a five point Calvinist “re-gift” an unwanted Christmas present or is their motto: “Once your gift… always your gift”?
If shepherds can find a baby in a manger in crowded Bethlehem and Wisemen can travel from “afar” to find Jesus without the assistance of a GPS, why do so many folks have trouble locating a church on a day other than Christmas Eve?
If wax is spilled on the pew cushion during the Christmas Eve Candlelight service by a careless worshipper, is that person automatically placed on Santa’s “Naughty list”?(Answer: No, but missing the Christmas Eve service places one dangerously close to making the list)
Would old time Nazarenes have allowed Dancer and Prancer to become members?

On a much more serious note, in your theological musing moments this Christmas season I hope you reflect on the glorious words of John 1, when the apostle wrote: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.  (John 1:14)!

Best. News. Ever!  No joke!

How much does it cost the Church of the Nazarene to Baptize a Person?

The Jesus Film ministry would (maybe they still do) market their efforts by stating that for every dollar given, “X” amount of people would hear the gospel and “X” amount of people would accept Christ through the showing of the Jesus film. I think it was a highly effective fund raising method. Many folks heard those stats and said, “if I give $100, “X” amount of people would come to know Jesus? Where’s my checkbook?” In a moment of complete honesty, it always made me feel a little uneasy to place a dollar value on conversions.  But I understand what they were trying to communicate and I certainly appreciated the evangelistic efforts of the Jesus Film/Harvest Partners.

So, in spite my admission of uneasiness of putting a monetary value on the Lord’s work, I am about to do the same.  We can all agree that Jesus called us to make disciples and baptize folks.  Most Christians can quote some (if not all) of the Great Commission. It is job #1. We must baptize people.

According to the latest numbers put out by the General Secretary, the Church of the Nazarene in 2018 baptized 97,566 people.  Not bad you say. In one year, nearly 100,000 converts were baptized. We are accomplishing the Great Commission. But at what cost?

Those same General Secretary stats show that the Church of the Nazarene raised for all purposes $935,131,440. That’s a lot of money. The following is the statistical break down for the cost of our effectiveness in carrying out the great commission of baptizing people according to region:

 

Region                         Baptisms         Money Raised             Cost per baptism

Africa                           33,065               $8,556,239                      $258.77

Asia/Pacific                    3,477             $34,234,857                  $9,846.09

Eurasia                       17,220             $11,697,241                       $679.28

MesoAmerica             14,273             $19,936,915                    $1,396.83

South America            12,235            $43,452,457                    $3,551.48

USA/Canada                17,296           $737,997,223                 $42,668.66

I’m not a mathematician nor the son of a mathematician, but when we spend over $42,500 per baptism in USA/Canada can we admit we are doing something wrong?  Probably we don’t want our USA/Canada Regional director to stand before our District Assemblies like the Jesus film people and implore our folks “Please give only $42,668.66 and we will baptize one person next year!  Give $85,337.32 and we can baptize two people! Get out your check books!” I’m not sure that approach will be quite as effective as the Jesus film plea.

Listen, we need to emphasize baptisms!  All 4,602 churches in USA/Canada need to be baptizing people.  Every one. If our pastors aren’t baptizing folks, what are we doing?  Just two paragraphs up, we stated that the Great Commission is our #1 priority. If it is costing us in excess of $42,000 per baptism it doesn’t seem that we are taking a very cost efficient approach in the USA/Canada region.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s famous work is the Cost of Discipleship.  He wasn’t referring to the actual dollar amount but rather our commitment and denial of self to be and make disciples. Well, the dollar amount of our discipleship seems to show that in the USA/Canada region we have given up our commitment to making disciples or we are doing it very poorly. It’s my prayer that we renew our efforts and recognize the cost of not doing discipleship and the cost of not baptizing people will be the death of the church.

There are plenty of good things that our churches are doing in USA/Canada. Even some of our smallest churches are shining lights in their communities (I would never suggest otherwise), but if we aren’t baptizing people, we are doing it wrong. We must get back to first things first—and renew our zeal to prioritize baptisms and making disciples.

Edited to add:  For full disclosure… in my current assignment, if we baptized folks at the cost of those baptized in Africa, we would have needed to baptize about 10,000 people. In case you are wondering, we did not baptize 10,000 people in 2018. Not even close.  In other words, I need to be more serious about the Great Commission too.

 

 

Five Life Lessons from a Christmas Tree Farm

Karla’s dad for several years owned and operated a Christmas Tree farm. Arling (that was his name, not the noise a Salvation Army Bell ringer makes) would take the customers to get the trees on a wagon hooked up to his tractor.  Once a family found the “perfect” tree he would either let them cut it down or he would do the timbering himself. Then he’d cart the happy and festive tree hunters and their Tannenbaum back to their car. He had a shaker that would shake the dead needles out of the tree and a bailer that would tie the tree up for easy handling.  Mary (my mother-in-law) would make wreathes from the misshaped or broken trees. There was usually hot chocolate and treats while the customer waited for their tree. It was a sweet operation.

They didn’t make much money on the Christmas tree farm. After paying for the land, taxes, spraying for diseases and all of his equipment, there wasn’t much cash leftover.  If he ever added up the hours spent mowing, trimming and getting the area ready, he probably made about fourteen cents an hour. Besides my father-in-law was a softy. If someone told him a sad story of not being able to afford a Christmas tree or if he learned of someone who didn’t have a Christmas tree, usually they got a freebie. It’s not a great way to run a business, but it was a great way to run a life.

This is our first Christmas without Arling (he was promoted to heaven on January 4, 2018) and the tree farm has been sold. Arling’s life and farm provided me with good memories and important life lessons. Such as:

Like a Christmas tree farm, we should be mindful of Christmas all year long. There was always work to do on the farm, not just at Christmas time. Likewise, we should not think of the Christmas message, “Emmanuel, God with us” as only a Christmas truth. It is Good News of Great Joy for all seasons.
There is no such thing as a “perfect” tree (hence the quotation marks) and there is also no such thing as a “perfect” person (unless your name is Jesus of Nazareth).
Like the wreathes made from the broken and misshaped trees, everyone (no matter how broken) can be made into something beautiful if given the right opportunity.
Like Arling’s bottom line, money isn’t the most important thing. Be generous. Not everyone has been blessed with a good job, health or life skills. It’s always important to remember, “But for the grace of God, there go I.”

And finally,

A little hot chocolate on a bitterly cold day makes most things better. This world has its share of bitterness and sweetness. Enjoy the sweet things, but leave the bitterness behind.

 

I’m Going to the Nazarene Prom Tonight

Tonight is our district gathering that I have often referred to as the Nazarene Prom (aka the District Annual Ministers and Mates Christmas Dinner).  The over/under for Christmas ties worn is 14 (I’m taking the over) and Christmas socks is 24 (I’m taking the over on that too). The percentage of ladies wearing a red dress is approximately 94.3%.

Now that good Nazarene teens can go to the actual prom without causing a major breech in the manual, maybe future Ministers’ Christmas gatherings won’t seem prom-like.  But for those who grew up in the Nazarenes-don’t-go-to-movies-or-dances era like me, the Christmas gathering is as close to a prom as some of us have ever been. Of course, I have no idea what the real prom is like since in my day Nazarene churches offered a prom alternative called “A Night to remember.” Our fake prom was held on Mackinac Island. I don’t remember “A Night to Remember” because I never went to it either. Like a real prom, our fake prom’s attendance was expensive (not the reason I didn’t attend) and required the asking of a girl to attend too (that might have played a role in my lack of attendance). In any event, I stayed home from both the real prom and the Nazarene fake prom.

But tonight I’m going. I won’t buy my wife a corsage like for a prom. She won’t be wearing a formal gown (although I have seen some who have). I won’t break curfew in getting home (I don’t have a curfew anymore). But I will eat chicken. I will laugh at the DS’s corny jokes. I will sing Joy to the World slightly off key while forgetting a few of the words.  I will see my pastor colleagues that I haven’t seen since District Assembly in April. I will look around the room and wonder how everyone else is looking older. And I will be thankful for such a fine group of people who are serving Jesus just like me in places great and small.

One of the best things about the Church of the Nazarene (and I think why going to an every five year General Assembly is consistently voted down) is that we are family.  Some of us wear Christmas ties, some in the family tell corny jokes, some of us can’t sing a lick, but we are family nonetheless. When we get together it’s like a reunion. Tonight’s Christmas gathering will include the things we Nazarenes like best: Eating and talking. It won’t be a Silent Night at Zehnder’s restaurant in Frankenmuth, but some Good Christian Men (and women) will rejoice

If we don’t, they will!

In Jesus final week, he was riding into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey and the Bible says:  the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”  (Luke 19:37-38)

This outburst of joy caused the religious leaders to say to Jesus,“Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”(v.39). To which Jesus replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” (v.40)

You know the story, we call it Palm Sunday. Before you say, “wrong holiday, this is thanksgiving week.” Hear me out: What if the disciples had listened to the hushing Pharisees and quieted down, so that the stones were forced to vocally take their place? I never had a pet rock (back when that was a thing). I’ve skipped stones, but never talked to one. I’ve listen to the Rolling Stones from time to time, but I get no satisfaction (pun intended) from their songs. I don’t think that Jesus was referring to Mick Jagger and the boys anyway. So, in spite of those disclaimers, here is my best guess as to what the stones might have cried out:

Grateful Granite: Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. (Psalm 95:1)

Singing Sandstone: The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior! (Psalm 18:46)

Shouting Slate: “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.” (1 Samuel 2:2)

Faithful Flint: The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone!(Psalm 118:22)

Crying out Quartz:  Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal. (Isaiah 26:4)

Rocks quoting scripture? Why not? Jesus said it, “If we don’t, they will!”  This Thanksgiving week, don’t let sedimentary, metamorphic, or igneous rocks (that’s your geology lesson for the day) take our job. Instead, let’s continuously offer our rock rattling, stones quieting praise and thanks to the Lord, our Salvation and Solid Rock!

Have a great thanksgiving!

What Every Church Leader Must Know about Change

People don’t hate change. You read the sentence correctly. Before rattling off a hundred examples of why “everyone knows that people hate change.” Hear me out:

If I were to give you $10,000, would you hate that?  No, you would say, “Thanks, buddy.” I have changed your financial situation, but you didn’t hate it. You welcomed the change. But If you gave me your bank account information and I took $10,000, would you like that?  Duh! Again, I have changed your financial situation. One change you liked. One change you didn’t. What’s the difference? What you didn’t like was loss not change.

A woman in abusive relationship refuses to leave, why? Is it because she hates change? No. If her husband began to treat her with respect and love, she would be thrilled (assuming not too much damage has already been done). A positive change would be very welcomed. But she doesn’t leave the abusive spouse because of uncertainty in finances or living arrangements, or how the revealing of the abuser might split other relationships. She doesn’t want the loss. She would welcome change.

Churches have split over changes in worship styles, Sunday School emphasis and even carpet. But is it change that folks hate or might it be the loss of singing familiar hymns, the loss of relationships within the church, or the loss of their personal influence in making church decisions?  If a church was told, 200 new believers will be in church next Sunday, would they welcome that change? Most would. If they were told to keep the 200 believers coming, some folks might lose some responsibilities, some familiar songs might be lost, some sense of knowing everyone’s name and business will be lost.  Would they still welcome the 200 new folks? Not as gung-ho, if at all. It’s loss not change that’s the problem.

If change must happen (and clearly it does– every major faith group is in decline), then the gifted leader/board will discern how to make change without focusing on the losses but the gains.  It’s creating an environment where those who have invested their lives in a church will not feel like an outsider or that they have lost the church they love. It is challenging to make changes without suffering some loss, but the wise pastor/board will empathize with those who are struggling, focus on what is gained not on what is lost, and allow the Holy Spirit to fill any voids that may be expressed as changes occur. This last point about the Holy Spirit’s involvement is not simply tossing the “God card” into the discussion. Some folks are resistant to change not because of loss or change per se, but because of carnality.  Hence, the Holy Spirit must invade, drive and go before any change can occur in the church.

“Change” isn’t a four-letter word, but “loss” is. When making changes be mindful of what is being lost, then challenge and focus on what can be gained for the Kingdom sake!

When Facebook makes me Bitter not Better

I have been sick the last couple of days, so I have probably been on Facebook a little more than normal and I have a confession. I don’t like it when people who have hurt me put happy smiling pictures on social media. When they fill my timeline with happy times, it’s like I swallow a giant gulp of bitterness with each picture and post. I’m not proud to admit this, but I also don’t think I’m the only one.  When an ex-spouse or ex-boyfriend/girlfriend is posting Facebook pictures of their new love interest; or when the bully in school has pictures on Instagram surrounded by the cool kids; or when a lazy, coworker brags on Twitter of his/her job promotion; or (for pastor types) when former members who loudly, stormed off post pictures of their new church family—it hurts and we want to shout into our phones or computer screens, “It’s not fair! They shouldn’t be so happy!”

Those people who have hurt us in many ways have moved on with their lives and may never think of how they have hurt us. In some cases, the knife in our back was placed there years ago. These people have families and friends, so of course they will post smiling pictures of happy times. Still there seems to be a part of me that wants them to be perpetually unhappy. I know this is petty of me to feel rotten when a nemesis posts happy pictures, but I’m just being honest. I’m also in good company, David was brutally honest in the Psalms regarding his foes:

“Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.” (Psalm 3:7).  Yeah David! God should smack them upside their heads. Or…

In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.(Psalm 143:12). My thoughts exactly David! God should shut them up or at least make them stop posting happy pictures on Facebook.

 While I can relate with David’s emotions, I don’t want to stay in the cave with him. I’m not sure what good comes of me dreaming of a holy beat down that the Lord might dish out. Do I really want God to go all Sodom-and-Gomorrah on them?  No.

The Holy Spirit reminds me of Jesus words in my times of bitterness and jealousy: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. (Matthew 5:43). I want to shout at my Bible or to God, “Impossible! I can’t do it. Maybe I could pray, “Lord, send the fleas of a thousand camels to infest their armpits,” but I can’t pray nice prayers for them every time I see a smiling picture on Instagram. To which Jesus responds, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”(Matthew 19:26).  Deep down, I know the Holy Spirit is right.

 Social media has added to our society’s discontentment which, in turn, adds to our angst and ever-increasing gloom. In many ways, instead of connecting us, social media has further divided us. Here’s what I am trying to learn when I see the smiling pictures from people who have hurt me:

1) The person posting (just like me) has good and bad times. (Like me, they just don’t post to social media all of their bad news)

2) Jesus died for them (just like me).

3) Jesus loves them (just like me).

3) Even if they never acknowledge the pain they’ve caused, I need to look to Jesus who forgives all (even them and even me).

4) Bitterness, envy and jealousy are joy killers.I refuse to be controlled by them

5). I can’t let his/her attitude control my altitude.  Instead, with the Lord’s help, I can rise up and get over the pain! And finally, four sentences in eight words

6): Relax. Be faithful. Trust God. Let it go.  Easier said than done?  Most definitely. But life is too short to allow someone’s social media posting to determine your happiness and contentment.

Does the Church really Need to Change? Maybe or Maybe not

We have all heard phrases like “The church needs to change” and “Change or die.”  Nearly everyone agrees that change must happen or the American church will go the way of the horse and buggy, rotary phones and Sears.  A friend of mine recently posted on Twitter this quote: “It is easier for church members to close the doors of their beloved church than it is for them to change.” Is this true?  Is change the hardest yet most necessary thing for a church to do?

I don’t want to be the guy that says we don’t need to change. Clearly, the church in America has issues. As you probably know, every major faith branch in the US is in decline. Every. Single. One. The big question becomes: if the church is to “change” what are we to change into?

Change into a more progressive church?  Progressive churches are dying.

Change into a more conservative church?  They are dying too.

Change into a more liturgical church?  Dead and dying.

Change into a cooler, hipper church?  Who decides what’s cool? Today’s cool is tomorrow’s dead.

Of course, we want our churches growing again.  We want them to be relevant.  We want to reverse the downward trajectory in our attendance and influence numbers.  We want our losses to change into gains. What change needs to happen that will lead to a reversal of our current path?

The Bible tells us:  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8). In other words, Jesus doesn’t change.  We serve the same Jesus that Francis of Assisi, Martin Luther and John Wesley did. Maybe the changes the church needs are not upping the cool factor, but getting back to the never changing Jesus. Could it be that in an ever-changing culture, the church should not be concerned with changing equally fast, but instead reclaim its original message. Maybe the answer to staving off our imminent demise is less about music style and coffee options in our cool cafes and more about Jesus.

What I’m suggesting is that the primary reason for our rapid decline is that the culture has rejected the church because we don’t look enough like Jesus.  The remedy for the dying church in America is a healthy dose of “that old time religion,” where Jesus is preached and Jesus’ values are deeply imbedded in our church’s DNA once again. A church, like Jesus, loves all people including the “least of these;” shares with the hungry, thirsty, blind, and imprisoned; preaches the good news to the poor; and makes disciples and teaches them in the ways of Jesus. It’s less politics. More Jesus.  Less Judgment. More Jesus. Less hypocrisy. More Jesus. Less pumpkin spice lattes in the lobby and more Jesus in every corner in the church. Our world doesn’t need another church named “the Rock” or some other woodsy sounding name, where outsiders don’t know if they are attending a concert, a geological appreciation meeting or a church.  Our world needs the church of Jesus Christ to reflect Jesus Christ more and more.

If your church has gotten away from the Jesus message, then yes, you need to change.  But not change for change sake.  Change for Jesus sake.

 

The Perfect Life Verses for Church Workers!

Usher: He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat. 2 Kings 25:28

Church Attendance Secretary: “What is lacking cannot be counted.” Ecclesiastes 1:15

Church Bus Driver: The driving is like that of Jehu son of Nimshi—he drives like a maniac.” 2 Kings 9:20

Upwards Concession Stand Cashier: “You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.”  Deuteronomy 2:6

Funeral Dinner Committee: Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat Genesis 27:4

Church Janitor:  You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean Leviticus 11:47

Babies in the Nursery: “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed” 1 Corinthians 15:51

Overwhelmed Children’s Worker: “But the children rebelled against me.”  Ezekiel 20:21

Jr. High Boys Party Planner: “They will eat but not have enough;” Hosea 4:10

Overly friendly Greeter: Greet one another with a holy kiss. 1 Corinthians 16:20

Carnal Board Member (or Pastor): May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership. Psalm 109:8

Church Coffee Shop Barista: “and drink; drink your fill of love” Song of Songs 5:1

Youth Pastor following a Lock-in: “He lay fast asleep, exhausted.”  Judges 4:21

Sr. Adult Pastor: The gray-haired and the aged are on our side. Job 15:10

Church Security team member: For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe Psalm 27:5

Contemporary Worship Leader: Praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.  Psalm 150:5

All silliness aside as a pastor one of my life verses is this:

Lead Pastor: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing.  1 Peter 5:2

 

Bonus:  Non-Churched Life Verses

Dentist:  Take the silver and gold and make a crown  Zechariah 6:11

Aaron Rogers (Green Bay Packers’ Quarterback): Rescue me from their ravages, my precious life from these lions. Psalm 35:17 (Can you tell I am a Detroit Lions football fan?)

Ohio State Football or New Yankees:  Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. 1 John 3:13 (Can you tell I am not a Buckeye or Yankee fan?)

Hotel Receptionist and Wake Up Caller:  The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber Romans 13:11

McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets Cook:  They cooked it in a pot or made it into loaves. And it tasted like something made with olive oil. Number 11:8

Cabela’s Patrons: Now then, get your equipment—your quiver and bow—and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game. Genesis 27:3

Do you have a life verse or favorite Bible verse?  Share it with a friend today!

**All verses from the New International Version

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disagreeing with Stephen Hawking

“There is no God” — that’s the conclusion of the physicist Stephen Hawking, whose final book was published Tuesday. The book, which was completed by his family after his death, offers answers to various questions that Hawking had received in his lifetime. Also “answered” in his book, the British genius believes that alien life is out there. So, if you are keeping score at home, according to Hawking there is no God, but E.T. is somewhere out there in a galaxy far, far away.

With all due respect to Dr. Hawking, I respectfully disagree.

Hawking was a smart guy. Smarter than I ever will be. But he was wrong about God. Now I don’t know if he was wrong about spacemen or not, but I know God is real. I’ve staked my life on it. I believe there is a Creator who made all that there is including Steven Hawking, Pluto, the Milky Way (not the candy bar) and me.

I can’t offer a formula or proof that will convince a hardened atheist. I’m not the mathematician that Steven Hawking was. But here is how my math works:

Jesus > my alcoholic dad

Jesus > than my father-in-law’s Alzheimer’s Disease

Jesus > than a subarachnoid hemorrhage

Jesus > than all my sin (Praise the Lord)

Jesus + the cross = my salvation

Jesus + the empty tomb = my eternal hope

Life – Jesus = meaningless and hopeless

Life + Jesus = Joy Unspeakable

Jesus + us = a match made in heaven (literally)

Knowing Jesus = Peace

Maybe that is all too simplistic for a smart guy like Steven Hawking. The Apostle Paul (an equally brilliant guy) would have answered Steven Hawking this way:

 Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. (1 Corinthians 1:20-25)

If I am reading Paul’s words correctly (and I’d like to think that I am), Paul’s math formula is this:

God > the smartest minds on earth (including Steven Hawking)