Outreaches: What Works, What Doesn't Work.

 We had an outreach in a local park last night. I wanted to share a couple of thoughts as one who has been involved in hundreds of park outreaches.

1. We set up chairs for people to sit in. No one sits there while the music is playing. It's too loud.

2. We keep the volume up; I guess so that people blocks away can hear. It's too loud for the people right there.

3. We have music for an audience that isn't there. No rap/hip-hop kids are hanging out in a local park at 8pm.

4. Testimonies have more about my life story and less about what Jesus did for me.

5. The preaching at the end. There is no need to retell the story that we just watched in the film.

6. God anoints the Gospel. He does not anoint your illustrations or your clever stories. Preach the Gospel and God will work!

I am not an expert in outreaches. But I have been in so many outreaches that I can't help but notice what works and what doesn't work.

Living Facing Forward

 Pastor preached on mirages last night. A mirage is something you never reach or get to. It always stays just out of reach. The past is kind of like a mirage, but not quite. The past can be a fantasy, but it recedes out of sight as we grow older. Social media is filled with people asking us to remember. 

I choose not to live in the past. What happened happened. I got where I am by way of things that happened in the past. For me, memories are rarely sweet. Memories remind me of a world that is gone, or of people no longer there. For me, life is about moving forward. Life is focused on what is ahead, not what is behind.

The promise of God is to make all things new, not to take us back where we used to be. He promises to take us where we have never been before. To give us a future that is better than the past.

Of course, we do not have to re-invent the wheel every day. And we do not throw the baby out with the bath water. We value things we have learned and we cherish truth we have gained. We contend for the faith once and for all delivered to the saints.

One final thought. Preaching that expounds on Bible stories or Bible characters gets boring. Preaching must take ancient truths and well-worn tales and make them relevant to the world we now live in.

Living in the Past?

"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended;  but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead," Phil. 3:13

As an observer of human nature I have noticed something worth investigating. Why is it that many older or aging people tend to reminisce about the past? This can not be dismissed as a stage of dementia. This is very common and I hear it often; both from preachers, and from people.

I often hear preachers talk about things that they experienced as young people. As though a teenager new to the faith would understand anything important. I hear Fellowship folks regularly talk about their early days or things that would have impressed a new convert. Parents talk about their grown children as if they were still babies. The big question is, why do we tend to live in the past?

There are several ideas about this, none of which is linked to a mental breakdown. One reason is that for some people, their best years are behind them. That the prime of life was the best life had to offer. And so they focus on when they felt they were on the top of their game. The older I get, the better I was.

Another idea is that as we age we develop a reluctance to learn anything new. The old wine is better to us. We tried that and it didn't work. We begin to value tradition over truth. Sound familiar? So in a nostalgic frame of mind we resist new ideas or new methods or new revelation. As though God is stuck in the first century with nothing relevant to say today.

One final idea is that, compared to our mythical early years, our present lives are pretty uneventful. We reminisce about how exciting it used to be. Preachers say that those early, exciting days ought to be our norm. We expect marriage to always be like the first date or the first kiss. This coincides with the idea that anything alive ought to keep growing. 

One outgrowth of this is boredom. Because it's not like it used to be, it's boring. Because it's not seat of your pants exciting, it's boring. If I can't do what I used to do, everything else is boring. 

Life must be lived to the end my friends. If you can't do what you used to do, find something less strenuous to do today. Your latter years will never be the prime of life. But they don't have to be wasted years either. And if you find that you always end up in the past, ask the Lord to help you stay focused on the future.

"But he who endures to the end shall be saved." Mat.24:13

Try this test. Listen and notice; when your pastor talks about the past, or when he says that how you used to be is how you ought to be. Is he smiling as he says this?

Processing Health News

My experiences in life have tempered the way that I process health news. I understand that chronic or persistent or life threatening illness is a roller coaster ride for everyone. Cancer patients have good days and bad days. Kathy's death was a surprise only because she had no life-threatening illnesses. But so far, no one that I know did not end up dead and gone. So when I heard the first "good" new about Tom Payne I did not get too excited.

Pastor Payne had a stroke. He almost died. And yet, we heard reports that he was doing well with almost no ill effects. If that were true then he didn't have a stroke. Now we get a report from the family and it tells a far different story and no one is jumping up and down shouting the victory. 

"But God" is still an option. God could if He would. But until that time pastor Payne and his family need our prayers and emotional support. 

Pentecostals have a hard time dealing with unanswered prayer. 

Tom Payne Update 7/25

I received this update on Tom Payne today. Tests came back with "sobering results". Pastor Payne suffered a massive Ischemic stroke which was, at the time, life threatening. His left side faculties were severely injured. There have been some positive results regarding further risks, such as brain bleeding and recurring strokes, from these latest tests. And it has become clear that his recovery is going to be extensive, with serious rehabilitation.

Specifically, his problems are left eye vision, left leg strength, and left arm mobility.

While pastor Payne is at low risk for another stroke, recovering from this one will be a long road with no guarantees. 

Please continue to pray for Tom Payne.

Prayer Request.

Please remember pastor Tom Payne in your prayers. He had a stroke and was rushed to the ER where they did surgery to deal with the blood clot. However, the doctors found a clot deep in his brain in an area that they cannot reach. 

Pray first for Divine healing. Pray also that God will give the doctors wisdom. And pray for the church, that they will rally around their pastor, and that they will be strong in the Lord.

We want to grow in our walk with the Lord. We forget that growth often comes through crisis. A mature saint, and a mature church, is someone who has gone through some things and has survived with their faith intact.

An evangelist was once asked, what do you do when you pray for someone and they don't get healed. He replied, bring me the next person to pray for! 

The only way to lose with God is to quit.

Follow UP

 I didn't go to the men's discipleship last night. And tonight one of my friends called saying he missed me and asking if I was alright. What a nice feeling to be thought of. 

Pastor Greg Friday Night

 I just watched pastor Greg's Friday night message. It is worth the time for you who did not hear it to watch pastor Greg. https://vimeo.com/showcase/10231643?video=983304910.

Are We Changing The World?

 It is common to hear that, by preaching the Gospel, we are changing the world. Is that true? I hear pastors preach that the world is in rough shape and that this is proof that Jesus will return at any moment. Those are two very different things. Yes Jesus could return at any moment. No, the world is not as bad as they say. Or, if the world is terrible, then we have done a lousy job changing it.

There have been times in my lifetime when the world was much worse. The Jesus people revival, of which we were a part, came at a time when the social fabric of our society was being torn apart. Revolution, unrest, riots, assassinations; the beginning of the sexual revolution, the feminist revolution, etc. Revival interrupted the direction of our country for a while. But it did not change the world.

Our mission is not to change the world, but to be salt and light to the world. We are to have an influence wherever we go. Revival will change the church, and often the world will not even know it happened.

I know that changing the world sounds good. I understand the "revival or revolution" that preachers preach. But lets be honest. If we are changing the world, we are not doing a very good job of it.

We have a limited time to do what we do. Not because of the end of time, but it will be the end of us. And because we don't feel the need to record our theology, not many people after us will ever know that we existed.

It might do us well to study what we can of past revivals and religious movement to see what happened to them. It will not prevent us from our own demise, but at least it will give us hope that we can contend for the faith of our fathers a little while longer than otherwise might happen.

Final Words On Prescott Conference.

 I was telling my friend in Prescott how nice it was for them not to have to deal with the tents anymore. Weather was only a minor issue without worrying about those big tents. But last night, during the final night of the summer conference, a big storm hit the Prescott area, knocking out power to the church building. Everyone had to leave the auditorium until the power was restored. And thankfully, unlike the poor folks in Houston, power was restored quickly and they were only about 45 minutes behind schedule.

If you are interested, the announcement from conference are on the Prescott Potter's House webpage. Click on the conference flyer, and then on the announcements tab.

I am amazed that after all of these years, the Prescott Conference is still powering on. Are we changing the world? Maybe a little. But we are seeing Christ change lives all over the world. And we will one day see leaders who are learning today, and who will be leading tomorrow.

God always saves the best for now!

JS Bach A Man of God?

 Tom Payne talked about J.S. Bach in his sermon Thursday night. Bach, the great classical composer and musician. He used Bach as an illustration of how God can inspire a man with more than enough to change, or at lest influence, his world.

Two things I think about. First, God is greater than our small theology and experience. And God uses various kinds of people to accomplish His will at strategic times in human history.

The second thing that I think about is that if Bach was alive today, someone from one of our churches, would witness to him out in public and come away thinking that JS Bach wasn't saved, just religious.

We must be careful not to limit God by our small understanding of theology. God is God, and we are not.

A Conference Message Worth Watching.

I was stirred by pastor Tom Payne's message Thursday night in Prescott. If you can only watch one message, that would be a good one. It was not just the inner working of being a pastor. It had to do with the over-arching theme and vision of our Fellowship. 

When it comes to the indigenous church, we know what to do and how to do it. When it comes to church planting, we know how to do what works. We understand and practice a modern application of Biblical discipleship. We know how to get the Gospel to the world. If you want what we have, we can teach you how to do what we do. 

God wants us to succeed more than we want to succeed. The half has not been told!

Prescott Conference Thoughts

 Conference in Prescott used to be, as pastor Mitchell once said, a people's conference. It was to minister to people who made up our churches and who needed to be reminded of the vision that drives our Fellowship. But as time went on it seemed to me that Prescott conference was less about how to be a better Christian, and more about how to be a better pastor or missionary.

When I was in Prescott I was busy helping and serving, so the context of the messages preached at conference were lost on me. After conference was over I would take time to listen to some of the sermons. Some were better than others, and some ministered to me more than others. But I had work to do so it didn't really matter.

Now when I try to watch a conference service it seems like it is leaders and pastors preaching to their peers to encourage them to stay in the ministry or to help them be more effective in their ministering. They deal with issues that are of no interest to me. Once in a while someone will preach a message that everyone can benefit from. But those are few and far between.

My connection to Prescott conference is through prayer now. I pray for the conference and for the men who minister in it. I pray for wisdom for pastor Greg. I pray for strength for the Prescott saints.

I hope they have a good week in conference. It's not about me anymore, it's about those who are there.

An Old Man Still Dreams.

 For many years I served during conferences in Prescott. I did things from parking cars to seating people to taking the offerings. It was a great privilege to serve the Prescott conference body.

Now that I am not there conference is more a memory than a current event. I remember all of the great times in conference. I remember the people I looked forward to seeing every six months. And of course, to see our Fellowship still powering on in church planting. 

Conference is much different living here. It is an activity that is ongoing that does not require any effort on my part. All I can do now is pray that God will help pastor Greg and the Prescott church to serve and to be strong and to have wisdom.

It seems that growing old in God you reach a time when your experience is more about memories than activities. Maybe that is what the verse about old men dreaming dreams is about.

It's The Little Things That Make a big difference.

 It was my birthday this past Friday. I didn't want or need much to make my day memorable. But I did expect a couple of things on my birthday. I expected my family and friends to wish me a happy birthday. Some did, some did not. I expected a party with cake and people singing Happy Birthday to me. That did not happen. I was busy all day, but I missed doing the simple things that would have made this day complete.

It doesn't take much to make me happy. but it does take something.

I am thinking that next year I will plan my own birthday. I will invite the guests. I will have a cake made. I will provide food to eat and all of the sweet tea that you can drink! I will do it at my house so that I can control what happens and not just be a spectator. 

Next year I turn 70 on my birthday. This will be an important one to get right.

What is true of birthdays is true of church. I don't need a conference sermon every service. I do need apples of gold in settings of silver. I need meat, not cotton candy excitement fluff. It doesn't take much to minister to me, but it does take something.

Singing In Heaven

 Pastor Rubi made an interesting comment tonight. He said that there will be no soloists in Heaven. That all of the singing there will be done by choirs. That seems to be very true. It makes me wonder if we ought to get into the practice of group singing now, and not focus on one voice singing a solo. Is that too extreme?

A Plan For Retirement For Our Fellowship.

 If you aim at nothing, it is sure that you will hit nothing. A failure to plan is a plan to fail. This seems to summarize our Fellowship's plan for the retirement of pastors. We never thought we would live this long. Surely, the rapture will happen in our short lifetimes. And since we are about souls and not future planning, we are where we are today. In the unlikely case that someone will read this, I want to share a plan for retirement that could easily be adopted by our Fellowship, or at least by those who ought to step down.

These are the Five Stages of Retirement by Devin Carroll

1. The Plan. To have a plan you need to have a plan. You need to think about this. You need to assess your circumstances. You need to look at your budget. You need to begin now.

2. The Honeymoon. This is the first stage once you have made the decision to pull the plug and actually retire. You begin to enjoy the freedom. All of that deferred gratification is being experienced. It is like a permanent vacation. Enjoy it while it lasts.

3. The Reality Check. Permanent vacation is not all that it is cracked up to be. It requires some introspection, to be honest with yourself. Are you bored? And you must deal with the changed relationships with those around you. Things have changed.

4. The Refocus Phase. When we begin to wonder, what can I or should I do now? What brings joy, satisfaction, fulfillment? Finding a balance in your time and energy. What is next for me to do?

5. The New Normal. This is the real goal of retirement. All of the roller-coaster rides up to now prepare us for where we will spend the rest of our lives. Now you begin to live again, not just exist. It will be different, but it will be satisfying.

All of life, from beginning to end, is full of adjustments. Life always goes through changes. No one ever prospered by fighting change and being rigid.