Salute to the Vets

I came close to joining the military. I don't know how many people know that, but thanks to my brother-in-law, I really considered becoming a Navy Chaplain (to work with Marines).

I was in seminary at the time and Bryan was giving me his best recruiting speeches. I think I would have considered it, except for two things. First, I'm not really crazy about walking into a combat zone unarmed (Geneva Convention rules - I'd be a non-combatant). Second, my father-in-law took me aside and told me that his son and other son-in-law were military and I would not be doing the same. Pop's a retired Marine and a Vietnam vet, so I thought I'd heed his "advice."

Next Wednesday is Veteran's Day. We're recognizing those men and women at church this Sunday. I think about the vets that I know and I'm ashamed that this holiday seems to be nothing more than a sale day at their favorite department store.

When we graduated from high school, one of my best friends and I went separate directions for the first time. I went to college, he joined the Army. Todd became a paratrooper and saw action in eastern Europe, Africa, and Iraq before getting out a couple of years ago. Now he's a drastically different person. Like so many other vets, he has to deal with physical side effects of jumping out of planes and enduring combat and, even tougher than that, he has to deal with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

My heart breaks for the men and women who put themselves in harm's way, only to return to families and friends as a shell of their former selves. In many regards, these warriors never get to leave the battlefield and while they wage that war in their minds, the people back home don't understand or appreciate their dedication and sacrifice. Their sacrifice is just as great as those who never come home. "Greater love has no man than this," says Jesus. I believe it.

Because of the people like the many in my family and countless others who have served in the military, I haven't had to. Thank you.

If you're reading this, pray for my brother-in-law. He was deployed on an 7-month tour this past Monday. OOHRAH!

Vets in my family:
Rex Davis - Army & USAF
Rosemarie Davis - USAF
Reece Stroud - Army
Otis Ward - Navy
Clarence Frietag - Army (1st person to be drafted into WWII from the state of Missouri)
Miguel Nolla - USAF
Joseph Nolla - USAF, active duty
Chris Sexstone - USMC
Bryan Sexstone - USMC, active duty
Josh Nicoson - Army
Todd Hurley - Army

Want to recognize a veteran? Leave a comment.

Sexy Ministry

Matthew Paul Turner over at "Jesus Needs New PR" had a very interesting post last week.  Read it HERE.  He asks the question, "Is your ministry sexy?"

I think this might be the dream of most pastors as they leave seminary and set out in ministry.  I know it was for me.  I wanted, and to some degree I still want, a sexy ministry - the kind you read books about - the kind that boosts you to regional or even national prominence and creates a demand for the pastor at conferences.

MPT writes about a young Baptist minister in Mississippi whose ministry is far from sexy.  He's in a poor area, preaching about difficult subjects and not the trendy topics you hear about from sexy churches.  He spends hours each week preparing those sermons, visiting an aging congregation, and doing his best to connect with a younger generation that is battling with drugs and dropping out.  It's the kind of ministry that makes you old before your time.

I would venture to say that 95% or better of ministries are far from sexy.  Mine's not and I only know a few that are - most of those are recent church plants, built to be sexy.  So why is every bestselling church leadership book and highly rated conference based around this notion of sexy ministry?

Because its a dream that sells, just like all the "get rich now" books.

I had lunch yesterday with two friends - one an associate pastor and the other a youth pastor.  Both are in unsexy ministry in older congregations, have multitudes of established traditions to manuever around, and play the part of the rope in a constant tug-o-war between groups of church members.  They do ministry with small budgets, or in some cases (especially this year) NO budgets.  In many cases, their authority as ministers isn't recognized and their influence is minimized because they're ministering to people who have been a part of these churches much longer than they have and they've seen dozens of ministers come and go.

As another friend of mine put it, "It's more like selling Buicks than Ferraris." 

For everyone out there who's in the trenches, working insane hours for little pay and very little recognition, my hat is off to you.  Be assured that your ministry is making a difference.  Every one of those kids who grows up to be an active Christian owes that in part to you.  Every senior adult that finds companionship in your visits and whose family finds comfort in your presence during their last moments is different because of you.  Every church you serve and community you touch on that shoestring budget is better because of your leadership.  Keep working.  Keep serving.  Don't let anyone convince you that your work is less than godly.

Remember that your "unsexy" ministry is making a difference for the "unsexy" of God's children.

Lost in the Corn

For the last few weeks, our Youth Ministry Coordinator and I have been taking turns filling in the vacant Youth Minister position at Mt. Bethel until we can hire someone new.  I have to say that the weeks I've been there, even though I'm already tired from Sunday morning, have been fun.

I've learned that I'm still fairly nimble and I can take on most of our youth in backyard football.  I still throw a pretty mean spiral that some of the boys are a little timid in catching. 

I've also realized that there is still a part of me that misses doing youth ministry.  The 2 1/2 years I spent as a youth minister while in seminary were fun.  Who else can claim that they get paid to play and go on trips?  Would anyone dare say that senior adult ministry is more fun?  I think not.

This last Sunday, we took 8 youth up to Southern Belle Farms in McDonough.  The farm, owned by the Clark family, has pig races, hay rides, corn cannons, funnel cakes, and of course, the corn maze.  This is the fourth year of the maze and there seems to always be a crowd running around the farm. 

Last year's design in the field was Larry Munson.  This year it was the Atlanta Motor Speedway logo. 

I logged a few thousand steps on my pedometer and tried to out maneuver several teenagers for bragging rights.  Later, looking at an overhead picture of the maze, I noticed some life lessons:

Look at the pictures above.  You can clearly tell what they are.  You can even trace the three routes in and out of the maze (which I recommend doing before you go).  Do you know what this maze looks like from the ground?

Corn.  Lots of it. And it all looks the same.

Once you get into the maze, you have a lot of decisions to make.  Left, right, or straight ahead?  Sometimes you might get help - some of the crossroads have trivia questions and a correct answer will point you in the right direction (who knew that corn was used in making batteries?).  A wrong turn will send you way off course, loop you back around to where you were, or simply dead-end.

Life often looks like this from our perspective.  We stand at different crossroads throughout life, never knowing quite what might be around the next bend.  Should I go to college?  Should I get married?  Should I have kids?  Should I quit my job?  Should I take that job offer?  Should I retire now, or wait?  Truth is, we never know whether disaster or success is waiting for us. 

From above, there is a greater perspective - for the sake of the metaphor, God's perspective.  It's a beautiful design that ends where it began, with God.  It has twists and turns and sometimes when it feels like we're going the wrong direction, we're actually going the right way to our destination.  We can get direction from the signs in our lives, or we can ignore them, which will often teach us a lesson.

Just an observation.  Have fun with it and feel free to get lost in the corn.

The Safety of the Boat

The world is a hard place - and it usually gets harder when you're following God.  That's unfortunate, but it's the truth.  God calls us to some extraordinary things and other forces work hard to slow us down.  Call it Satan, the world, or as Paul does, principalities.

I grew up in church.  Most Sundays we'd get dressed and head to the First United Methodist Church of Valdosta.  The church had three sections of pews (not a wedding or funeral friendly sanctuary) and our "reserved" seats were on the right side, five rows up from the back.  From there, you could see everything that was going on and you didn't interfere with the old ladies' space or singing.

I remember a lot about that sanctuary.  I remember the embroidered kneeling pads at the altar, the ceiling that looked like they had turned an old ship upside down and made it a building, and the stained glass windows.  Most Sundays my eyes would catch one window in particular - the one facing Patterson Street that, at 11am on a Sunday, the sun would light up, showing a picture of Jesus rescuing Peter from the waves.

I wish I had a picture of that actual window.  It's been a reminder to me of who Christ is to me as a minister.

I think if I were in a similar boat today with several other people, I might be the one to give walking on water a try (chalk that up to naivete).  I've talked about it before - God has created a magnificent world that still needs to be reconciled to him.  He emplores us to step out in faith and do his work in that world and sometimes, that's as extreme as walking on water. 

The beautiful part of faith is that walking on water is possible because we are empowered by Christ - Peter proved it!  Paul wrote, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil 4:13).  Men and women throughout history have proven that the impossible is in fact possible, with the help of God.

Right now, with the church having adopted a new vision and set out in a new direction for ministry, I'm feeling a lot more like Peter.  I've been walking on water for about 28 months now, one miracle and leap of faith after another.  I certainly don't get credit for any of that.

I find myself, like Peter, wanting so bad to look back to the safety of the boat.  Remember?  That was Peter's "downfall."  He was unsure of his own ability to follow Christ and began to sink.

The further out I get, the more my spirit cries out for the boat.  The more a shrug off reasonable warnings, the more I hear the voices calling from the boat.  In just these last few weeks, the distractions have been incredible - from staff issues, to low worship attendance, to a flooded church building, to personal identity theft, to church budget strain, to antagonism from certain long-time church members, and back again. 

I've decided that in this denomination I love, there is one weakness to the United Methodist Connection that sometimes hinders ministry.  I could write for days on the benefits to being itenerant - both for the ministers and for the churches - but too often it becomes a safety net, or rather a safety raft.

The ability to cut-and-run is a temptation.  As a church member and staff member of other churches, I've seen it first hand.  When the heat gets too high or the challenges too great, everybody's got a way out.  The minister who feels overwhelmed can move to another church and start over with new circumstances.  The church that feels too challenged by the pastor can ask for him (or her) to move and start over with a new voice in the pulpit and the board meetings.

Does this stunt the growth of the church?  How many have been close to making a difference for God in the church or the community and have turned back to the boat?  How different would the world be if every minister was given a minimum appointment period of, say, 10 years?  Revolving door churches would be forced to consider working toward a vision.  Frequently moving pastors would be required to actually do something with their lives.

Don't share any of this with my bishop though.  While this has its merits, there are some places I wouldn't want to be "stuck" for 10 years.

In the meantime, I'm trying hard, against all odds, to keep my eyes locked on Christ and his purpose for my ministry and my life.  I'm putting one foot in front of the other and resisting the temptation to look back to the boat.  I know that I wouldn't be satisfied with the boat - so I keep moving forward, toward true satisfaction and fulfillment.

Thank God that when Peter sank, Jesus didn't let him drown.  That stained glass window I told you about, it showed Jesus pulling Peter back out again.  Thank God for the gift of grace and the opportunity to live perfect lives without the expectation that we will.

Vaccination

Has anyone close to you gotten the H1N1 yet?  A friend of mine in Colorado has had it and another one locally has as well.  One was miserable and recovered pretty well, the other tried to be a tough guy and ended up in the hospital on a ventilator (he's fine now by the way).

Turn on the news.  Every media outlet is talking about the vaccines that are slowly becoming available to prevent us from contracting swine flu.  Will you go get vaccinated?

There are upsides and downsides to every vaccination.  Because of vaccines, we've eradicated things like polio.  Now there are concerns over whether these drugs cause things like autism, but it's still a risk that many are willing to take.  Why?  Because the virus or disease you could get otherwise is awful enough that you want nothing to do with it.

Sadly though, many people look at their faith as a vaccine by itself.  There's a belief that many hold that if you believe in God and trust your life to him, that everything will be just fine.  You'll develop an immunity to hardship, poverty, disappointment, and tragedy.  Unfortunately, when people believe these things, and bad things happen to them, usually the first response is anger at God for not having prevented tragedy from striking.

I've seen it too many times.  One husband and wife that are members of this church and still live in the community will never be seen coming to church.  Why?  Because they're angry with God for a tragedy that struck them six years ago.  Another friend has completely turned away from God because he's dealing with terminal cancer and feels betrayed.

Why do we do this to ourselves? 

I got to thinking about this over the course of the last ten days because, frankly, I've been having a pity party for myself.  I returned from vacation to a pile of work that seems to be increasing:

• Major staff problems that have now resulted in beginning to search for a new staff member.
• A death in the congregation.
• A near-death in the congregation.
• A two-story flood in the church building from a busted water fountain.
• Insurance companies.
• Frustrated trustees.
• Communication breakdown with a leader that I trust and respect greatly.
• and as of Sunday night at 10:30, I'm dealing with personal ID theft.

Forget it.  I'm going back on vacation.

I've come to realize that often times when we choose to follow Christ and serve Christ in life, we don't become immune to hardship.  We actually become magnets for it.

Think about it.  If you're doing good things for the Kingdom of God, who isn't going to be happy?  So what do you think Satan is going to do about it?  He's going to try to slow us down or stop us altogether.  Two days after the leadership of this church had a serious discussion about making better use of our facilities for community ministry, the building flooded (it was literally raining in the youth hallway).  It was a setback.  Good came out of it though.  We're getting a new paint job in our youth and children's ministry areas which we desperately needed. 

Paul says to the Corinthians, "I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong."  Christ's grace is sufficient, his power is made perfect in our weaknesses.

Here's the Good News:  God doesn't cause the bad stuff to happen - that's a part of the broken world we live in.  BUT, because God is who he says he is, we never have to go through the hard times alone.  In fact, when we do, we endure only by our reliance on Christ to get us through.

I'm leaning on God a lot right now.  That means I'm leaning also on other Christian brothers and sisters.  I've got a lot of ground to cover, but I know that by the grace of God, it will all be done.

Heardened Hearts and Ringing Cellphones

I broke from my traditional routine of watching Sportscenter as I got ready for my day today - I watched Headline News instead.  In the midst of the short segments about Iran, healthcare debates, and floods, there was news about Hugh Jackman (I'm not sure how that's as newsworthy as other things, but it is...to somebody).

What happened with Hugh struck me.  It turns out that he and Daniel Craig (the most recent James Bond) were doing a stage performance when someone's phone rang on the front rows.  Hugh stopped mid-dialogue to address the situation.  They didn't show the culprit, but by the time he finished, I'm sure the violator felt two inches tall and at least a little slimy.  I say bravo, Hugh Jackman, bravo. 

More than once, cell phones have gone off in church, usually mid-prayer or mid-sermon.  I look out over the crowd some Sundays and a few of our teenagers are using worship time to text their friends.  Among all the noise of life, cell phones have quite possibly become the most disruptive and disrespectful of all the noises.

Now, understand this, I'm very addicted to my "crackberry."  It goes with me everywhere and I've had to train myself to ignore it at certain times.  The only time the ringer is set to an audible level is at night in case there is a church emergency or during the weekend, when I leave it on the kitchen counter and don't carry it with me.  Throughout the week, it's on my hip and vibrates with every phone call, voicemail, text message, email, and tweet.  I've had to learn when that's even not appropriate though.  Some meetings I can get away with it going off and even have the ability to respond.  Other meetings, I've learned that I have to turn it completely off and give my full attention to whatever I'm doing.

Not everyone has bothered to learn good cell phone etiquette though.  I'm amazed at the number of phones that go off at a spleen-bursting level in very inappropriate places.  I'm even more amazed at the number of people who don't know that the red, end-call button will shut the damned thing up - these are the people that try to smother the phone, thinking you can't hear it, as the kids on the back row start singing along to the Snoop Dog song you've set as your ringtone.

Churches, in recent years, have countered these issues with expensive equipment.  Other companies, such as play houses and movie theaters have also bought cell jamming equipment.  With this equipment running, there are "fewer bars in fewer places."  I find it sad though that these places can't rely on people to at the very least, silence their phones.  How many times do I have to hear "A Country Boy Can Survive" in a funeral service before something changes?

Meanwhile, we gripe when we start to lose our freedoms with the addition of new security equipment or new rules and laws.

In Mark's gospel, the Pharisees approached Jesus, asking if it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife.  Jesus' answer gets to the heart - "Because of your hardness of heart [Moses] wrote this commandment for you."  In other words, because you couldn't be counted on to do the right thing on your own, you've got a new rule to live by.

Think about it, the Ten Commandments (that some people have worshipped more than Christ) were given to the Israelites because they couldn't be counted on to live responsibly and in faithful relationship to the one true God.  Why are we having to regulate our banks' activities more closely now?  Because human beings can't be counted on to act appropriately.  Why do churches have extensive policies about how to serve meals to bereaved families?  Same reason.  Most of our rules, policies, and laws are ridiculous when you really think about it, but so we can live together, we have to limit each other and assume responsibility for each other.

Jesus said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them" (Matthew 5:17).  Paul said, "Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law" (Galatians 3:25).  So what do we make of regulation? 

Remember what Jesus said to the Pharisees?  Because their hearts were hardened, they were given regulation.  What's the alternative?  If we will live our lives pursuing God and honoring God by loving God and loving others, we will have no need for regulations.  God's Holy Spirit becomes our regulation with everything from not killing other people to learning when to turn off our cell phones.

I'm pretty sure this is why the greatest commandments, according to Christ, were to love God and love others.  If we can do those things, in everything that we do, we will have all that we need, God will be honored by our lives, and everything else will fall into place just as it needs to be.

Getting Noticed

I met with Phil Schroeder this week.  Phil is one of the most creative pastors I know, especially when it comes to bringing existing, "traditional" churches up to date and making them friendly and relevant.  Last year, he was appointed to our conference office as Associate Director of Connectional Ministries, which is good news for a church like mine - not only does he have the time to work with us, but he's being paid to.

Phil met with me for about an hour before heading to the district office for a training event and as we walked around the facility, he gave me his impressions and some suggestions for the church.  One of the things he mentioned that has stood out to me in the last few months is the traffic patterns of the area.

This hasn't been much of a concern for Mt. Bethel before now because I believe that we have had some more pressing things to deal with before we could become intentional about inviting in the masses.  I know that sounds bad for a church, but as a church leader, I feel strongly that you have to be able to put your best foot forward for guests and for Mt. Bethel, that meant sweeping leadership changes, building better communications, and improving our worship and spiritual formation.

Now that things are ramping up, the next step is to put the church out there as a place that people want to be.  A large part of that for Mt. Bethel is simply getting noticed. 

We have a tremendous facility which I have mentioned before - thousands of square feet that is getting minimal use.  All the visioning that we've done over the last few months is leading us to becoming a hub for our community.  We need to become a place that offers the things that no other church is offering and opening our doors 7-days to anyone in the community.

Here's our problem:  We are located just east of the easternmost major subdivision of Henry County.  Each day, people head west out of their neighborhoods whether to go to work, play, or shopping.  Very few people from our community pass by the church, which means many of those people don't even know we're here. 

So here's my question:  How do you get noticed?  Particularly, how do you get noticed by people that aren't involved in any church who are close, but might never drive by? 

Other churches have been successful by putting banners out at the edge of their property.  Obviously, this isn't a great option for us.  Direct mailings continue to be something that groups like Outreach.com push, but everyone in our area gets at least a dozen of these each week, so there is a legitimate fear that our message will be lost in the fray.  Additionally, there aren't many things in our area that draw people together - you have to drive 7 miles to get to anything that's not a house, school, church, or fire station (but there are 22,000 people living within 5 miles of Mt. Bethel) so partnering with existing organizations isn't an available option.  We want to BECOME that place that draws people together and a place that they can find purpose in worship and service.

Experts say that word of mouth is the greatest source of influence for newcomers.  I believe that and I know that if we can attract a few and get the wheel rolling, word of mouth will take over.  The challenge is getting to that point.

Here's where you come in.  Think of your route to work or shopping - the direction you turn out of your driveway every day.  Imagine there was a church (or even a business) in the opposite direction that has a lot to offer.  What would it take for that church/business to get your attention?  I really want to hear your ideas.  Email me at alexander.stroud (at) gmail.com.