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.