Define "Church"

Okay – here’s a question for all of you – what’s “church”?

Over the past year my definition of church has changed significantly. I think most people’s definition of church would include some or all of the following elements:

1) A building where people meet;
2) There must be a decent number of people;
3) Some music, a sermon and a passing of the plate.

Honestly, I don’t think any of these things are bad, but I also don’t think any of these are “church.” I believe all you need for church is two or three people and Jesus. Isn’t that what Jesus said in Matthew 18:20?

The church is believers (those who believe Jesus came to restore our relationship with God) gathered together. No mention of buildings, crowds, music, sermons or offerings. Again, none of these things are bad – UNLESS they get in the way of people helping people and people spending time with Jesus together.

In fact, Jesus told the church leaders they needed to figure out what God meant when He said, “I desire mercy not sacrifice.” (Hosea 6:6; Matthew 9:13 & 12:7). Mercy is what we show towards each other; Sacrifice is a ritual we perform. Another time Jesus taught that if we are bringing our offering to God and remember that someone has something against us we are to leave the offering and go work thing out with the other person. Then come back and worship God (Matthew 5:23-24).

It appears God values relationships over rituals.

Okay, that’s enough stirring of the pot for one day. Let me know what you think.

/D

Love to hear your thoughts

I love to get your responses and read your thoughts. You can post comments by clicking the word "Comment" in the bottom border of each post. You do not have to have a blogger account to post - you can just click the "Anonymous" choice. Of course, you can always put your name in your post or stay completely anonymous - your choice!

I do read all comments posted and they will not appear on the blog until I have read them.

/D

Too many stories?

I’m filtering through the seemingly endless e-mails I get from all of the spiritual leadership gurus. These are the people who have “succeeded” in church-world and are willing to share their “how I did it” stories so we can all attempt to copy them.

Of course, most of the podcasts, articles, blogs, etc. start with the typical “Don’t copy us” statement. So, why do we copy them? And why print or post their stories? I think we all like to hear the “good news” stories regarding churches and ministries and that’s great. But, really, why do we chase these “formulas”?

Here’s my take (and why I’ve done it so long myself) – our personal connection with God is weak (I was going to say “sucks” but my wife hates that word). Yet, it’s true. We’re living based on someone else’s connection with God (at least we assume they’re connected).

Here’s an idea – read the stories for a “pump me up” and then get into the Bible and find a quiet place to ask God, “Father, what do You want to do that You can only do through me?” If we believe God has uniquely created each of us, then we must believe He has a unique plan tailored specifically for us.

I gotta go – I’ve gotta ask God something! :-)

/D

Too long

Wow, almost two months since my last post - I'm such a slacker!

It's been a busy two months - holidays, a new seminar class started Jan. 2nd, and still working on starting a church (oh, yeah, and it's tax season). Some cool news on the church-front - we will begin having meetings in our home this coming Sunday.

We did have some meetings at the Park this past summer (and may do that again this coming summer), but it's been a while since we've had a "public" gathering. So, I'm looking forward to spending time with these guys again this coming weekend.

We've also started some new ideas - we're calling it Project Relevant and I'll be posting more on this in the near future. You can also check it out (though there's not much there yet) at ProjectRelevant.com.

/D

A New Paradigm

I'm finishing up another seminar class. I believe this one has, by far, been the best one I have taken. The material is practical and relevant. It is helping me "put legs on" beliefs and views I have held for a while about church and religion.

I'll be sharing many of my thoughts with you (via this blog) over the next few weeks (or longer).

Dave

Worry Poll

Well, the "worry" poll closed with all but one of you worrying most about your future (myself included).

The future is a funny thing when you think about it. We have very little control of what happens next year or even the next few minutes. Sure, we can make plans, but life has a way of throwing curve balls.

I guess the best advice I can think of is - plan for tomorrow, but don't miss today. Live in the moment.

I often catch myself thinking if I just get ___ or when ___ happens everything will be great or if ___ would just do ___ everything would be better. Yet, most of these things I really can't control and I miss today worrying about tomorrow.

A phrase I've become very fond of and remind myself often with is "enjoy the journey!" Don't miss out on all of the great things happening right now because you think something better is coming tomorrow. If better things come - great, but today can be pretty great, too.

Enjoy the journey!

There is a new poll question up now.

Loving People

How can I love people more?

This has been a constant question in my life for the past six months or so. I believe that my two main purposes in life are to love God and to love people. The God part is hard when things get messed up in my life, but it’s a whole lot easier than the “loving people” part.

I trust God, I don’t trust people (at least not the way I trust God).

But, do I have to trust people to love them? Not if I’m attempting to love them unconditionally.

I watch the movie Georgia Rule this week. My first thought after it was over was, “That didn’t do much for me.” But, then I started thinking about “Why?”. Without giving away the story line, the basis of the story is a family that’s dysfunctional and abusive. Thankfully, I did not have to deal with that growing up. But, it also means that I really don’t identify with people who have experienced this – because I’ve never taken the time to get to know them and to care about who they are.

All that has led me back to wondering how I can do a better job of loving the people around me. I think it really comes down to slowing down long enough to ask how they are doing and really wanting to hear the answer.

Who's Responsible

Okay, I want to know who’s responsible – someone has obviously mashed the fast forward button on life and it’s stuck there.

I truly have no idea where the days go. I have enjoyed my days recently – getting to catch up with some friends, doing some yard work and a little real work – but truthfully, time just seems to be moving much faster these days. I remember always hear “old people” talk like this – uh oh – this must mean…

Anyway, lots going on in my life, and here’s one thing I’ve spent a bunch of time thinking about lately. What’s love? Some say it’s an emotion, others say a feeling, still others say it’s choice. I think it's all of these things. I certainly feel love towards some and others I must choose to love.

The Bible’s main focus is love and 1 Corinthians 13 is the famous “love chapter.” I’ve done something I don’t often do and committed this entire chapter to memory (it’s not THAT long). And the reason I have is because I’m really trying to figure out how to fulfill what Jesus said was the most important thing in life – love God and love people. If I’m going to attempt this, I think it’s a good idea to know how God defines love. So, 1 Corinthians 13 is where I’ve been for a while now.

How about looking this up for yourself. Even if your not a religious person (which, by the way, I’m not either – put that’s a whole different blog), your life is impacted by this crazy little thing called love. So, check it out and let me know what you think!

Dave

1,000 Visitors

Wow! This blog site hits the 1,000 visitors mark today. Which means the six of you that actually read this have been here a lot :-).

Once again I find myself apologizing for not posting recently - time is flying by!!

I am reading a new book called unChristian. It's based on a three year study by the Barna Group and looks at how Christians and Christianity are viewed by our culture. The primary group studied are those ages 16 - 29, but it also provides information from older adults.

Whether you would consider yourself a Christian or not (BTW about 70% of you probably do), it's an honest look at the "Christian culture" which has a real image problem in the United States today.

I'll post more about this soon (and probably in video). Thanks for being patient during my "busy time" away from the blog!

Hello!

Hey All,

I have been on the road a lot for the past couple of weeks and finishing up another seminary class. Sorry I have not posted in a long time.

I'm still here and plan on getting back on schedule with at least weekly posts this week.

Dave

USA Women's Soccer Team at World Cup

The USA Women's soccer team had not played there best in the tournament, but we're on a roll. In a tournament like the World Cup, teams usually come in nervous and just focus on improving as the tournament progresses. The USA Women's team was doing just that. They began with a 2-2 tie to N. Korea, and then posted three straight shut out games, with their quarter final game being a 3-0 win over England. Watch my video to find out what happened next...

Upside Down

New Poll, New Look

Those of you who know me know I like change (at least most of the time). So, a new look for the blog is here (we'll see how long it lasts :-) ).

I'm in the middle of a seminary class and tax extensions are due (I'm a pastor and a CPA - wierd combo, huh?), so things have been busy for me recently. I am trying to at least get a post up each week, but I do hope to pick up the pace a little in the next few weeks.

I've also posted a new poll and I'd like to get your response (all responses are anonymous). I'll probably blog on worry in the coming weeks, so I'd like to know what area you worry about the most. And if you don't like any of the choices, shoot me a comment about what you worry about (this can also be anonymous).

Dave

9/11

Free Will (as apposed to Free Willy)

Labor Day

Hope you all enjoy a fun and safe Labor Day weekend!!

Dave

Dancing with Jesus

Wanted to share this video with all of you. It also sparked our new poll question (on the right side of the page).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA&eurl

Dave

You can trust God

Why do you give?

The Choice is Yours