Redacted from WorkingPreacher.org

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“Resolution” is a word of many meanings that range from descriptions of certain chemical processes to the satisfying sense of closure one feels at the end of a chordal progression in Bach.
January has always been a time for looking back to the past, and more importantly, forward to what lies ahead. It’s a time to reflect on the changes we want (or need) to make and, more importantly though less frequently, to resolve to follow through on those changes.

As I thought about my own preaching I came up with the following reflections, couched in the form of those “other” resolutions. They are intentionally cynical, curmudgeonly, and self-serving, and, in the words of that inimitable portrayer of truth and reality, Rod Serling, “submitted for your approval …”

Resolution 1: “It’s Greek to Them”

WHEREAS, congregations tend to be less proficient in the biblical languages than their pastors, negligible though the pastor’s knowledge may be; and
WHEREAS, exegetical exploitation of such secret knowledge is morally reprehensible; therefore be it

RESOLVED, that we will no longer suggest that “tithe” really means “25 percent”

Resolution 2: “Size Does Matter”

WHEREAS, good preaching is enhanced by the careful crafting of engaging introductions; and
WHEREAS, absolution, encouragement, or admonition, as appropriate, is the primary goal of the homiletical task; therefore be it

RESOLVED, that we will endeavor to keep said introductions and conclusions as close together as possible.

Resolution 3: “Ab-solution”

WHEREAS, the time and energy demands of so-called kingdom work make exercise and healthy eating difficult, if not impossible for preachers; and
WHEREAS, the latest medical findings have established a direct relationship between abdominal girth and several insalubrious conditions; therefore be it

RESOLVED, that we will endeavor to keep the size of our respective “pulpit bumpers” within healthy limits. Those who subscribe to an ethic of WWJD need only check out the abs on any crucifix.

Resolution 4: “WP3″

WHEREAS, contemporary investigations of the New Testament increasingly point out the essentially rhetorical nature of the biblical witness; therefore be it

RESOLVED, that we will strive to grow in our rhetorical skills and seek to persuade our congregations through carefully considered argumentation, both inductive and deductive, winsomely illustrated with anecdotal panache beyond the tried and true (though somewhat ham-fisted) homiletical tactic of WP3 which, being translated means “weak point: pound pulpit.”

Resolution 5: “Antiperspirant”

WHEREAS, God told Adam that the fruit of one’s labors should arise out of the sweat of one’s face (Gen 3:19); and
WHEREAS, we, as Adam’s children continue to toil under the same injunction; therefore be it

RESOLVED, that we will share the fruit, not the sweat; and no longer belabor our congregations with the trials and vicissitudes of the exegetical process including, but not restricted to: imaginative historical reconstructions of the acne that plagued Jacob’s uncle and father- in-law (or whatever Sitz im Leben refers to), chiastic or any other patterns, structures, or literary architectures, apparently done with mirrors, word studies deriving Paul’s understanding of “faith” from whatever the first Greek Cro-Magnon to utter “pistis” meant, and anything found in Matthew Henry’s commentaries on the internet.

Resolution 6: “Less is More”

WHEREAS, the form, genre, and rhetorical shaping of the sermon is crucial for providing, developing, and maintaining the sharp focus needed for compelling proclamation; and
WHEREAS, we apparently take in with our mother’s milk the mistaken idea that sermons must have three points, preferably presented seriatim, identified with catchwords that begin with the same letter of the alphabet, and illustrated with elaborate (and often functioning) PowerPoint presentations replete with quotes out of context, multi-media staging, and fine art filched from Google Images; therefore be it

RESOLVED, that in the midst of such relevance, our sermons will have, and strive to make, at least one point.

Resolution 7: “Crucial-fiction”

WHEREAS, St. Paul was determined to know nothing among us except Jesus Christ, and him crucified (1 Cor 2:2); and
WHEREAS, we feel strangely compelled to provide homiletical comment upon Harry Potter, Desperate Housewives, whoever was just voted off American Idol, the adorable antics of our children and grandchildren, or lacking these, neighbors, spouses, or pets; therefore be it

RESOLVED, that, in the wise words of homiletician and rhetor Gracia Grindal, we will constantly ask ourselves “Why did Jesus have to die for me to say this?”

• If your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May, you may live in Indiana.
• You see people wearing camouflage at social events, including weddings.
• If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don’t even work there, you may live in Indiana.
• If you’ve worn shorts and a jacket at the same time, you may live in Indiana.
• If you’ve had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you may live in Indiana.
• If “vacation” means going anywhere south of Fort Wayne for the weekend, you may live in Indiana.
• If you measure distance in hours, you may live in Indiana.
• If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you may live in Indiana.
• If you have switched from ‘heat’ to ‘A/C’ in the same day and back again, you may live in Indiana.
• If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you may live in Indiana.
• If you install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both doors unlocked, you may live in Indiana.
• If you carry jumpers in your car and your wife knows how to use them, you may live in Indiana.
• If you design your kid’s Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit, you may live in Indiana.
• If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph -you’re going 80 and everybody is passing you, you may live in Indiana.
• If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow, you may live in Indiana.
• If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction, you may live in Indiana.
• If you have more miles on your snow blower than your car, you may live in Indiana.
• If you find 10 degrees “a little chilly”, you may live in Indiana.
• Your idea of creative landscaping is a statue of a deer next to your blue spruce.
• Down south means Kentucky to you.

Whatever the reason, this lovable curmudgeon was always honest and frank, qualities hard to come by—and greatly unappreciated—today. Not to mention his enormous platform. Andy had the honor and good fortune of summing up the greatest news program of all time, “60 Minutes,” every week. Though I have always loved 60 Minutes for its methodical and in-depth coverage of stories, I’d often find myself fast-forwarding through world leaders and stories of heroism just to get to the real brilliance, Andy.

Amazingly, Andy had been writing for television since its birth. There really aren’t any long-timers like him left around. And though time and television passed him by, he remained largely unchanged. There was no shortage of things that annoyed or baffled him and he covered as many as he could.

Rooney retired just a few weeks ago. And then he died. Columnist Froma Harrop penned it well in writing: “It was basically like he said he was through and ‘now I’m leaving.’” Said another reporter: “R.I.P. Andy… I bet God’s getting an earful right now.”

During his last segment, Andy reflected, “This is a moment I have dreaded. I wish I could do this forever…”

So do we Andy. So do we.

This picture was, and still is, the most meaningful image I came across on the afternoon of 9.11.01

I was shaving.  Dallas, Texas.  Tuesday.  the 11th of September.  2001.

Running a bit late for work I turned on the news as I was getting ready.  Both towers were in flames.  There was speculation about other targets, buildings, fires, and planes.

They kept replaying the footage of the ‘explosions’ at the Towers.  At moments not even sure they had been planes that hit the building.  Everything was happening too fast.  Live.

I picked up the pace.  Then, as I watched, the South Tower fell.

At that moment the entire country experienced a collective moment of dissonance. disbelief. separation from self, reality.

for a moment, an entire nation failed to breathe.  hearts skipped a beat.  shock.  adrenaline.

the world seemed to slow on it’s axis.  coming to a halt.

for a moment.

then slowly speeding up again, we all tried to digest a lifetime’s worth of emotions in the space of single moment.

warp speed.

from that moment forward my memories of September 11th are less like a fluid sequence of actions and thoughts more like a staccato recollection of emotions.  a machine gun like barrage of pictures loosely strung together with sounds and feelings.

the phone call to mom on the way to work to say i was ok.  she was worried because i worked at a huge church in a large city.  she wasn’t sure we wouldn’t be targeted.

a hastily formed meeting with pastors and media staff to plan for the crowds.  we didn’t invite anyone but we instinctively knew they’d come.  they did.

standing outside the building, earbud in place, watching all that entered.  half security, half abandonment.

opening the sanctuary for prayer.  choosing music. selections from michael w. smith’s freedom project.  the title only now seems appropriate and sarcastic.

a mighty fortress is our god.  a hymn.  it seemed to fit the need of our soul.

a hastily edited video of stills from the war zone once known as new york city.

a stirring message from the only person, other than the president and the anchor, we wanted to hear from that day.  our pastor.

crowds.  crowds in church like no time before or since.

an openness.  an openness to light.  to darkness.  to god.  to hate.

an comfortable awareness that our souls were showing.  an awareness that would only later become uncomfortable

patriotism.  of the sort that had not been, and soon would not be, acceptable.

unity.

In 2003, I wrote this about that day:

“Two years ago today, everything changed. Early that morning the entire media department huddled in my boss’s office for prayer. At that time we didn’t know why the planes had hit the buildings… we weren’t even sure that more buildings weren’t soon to follow. Could Dallas be next? There were SO many unanswered questions, yet there was one thing we knew for certain: God was in control. The ensuing hours and days were long and arduous. We experienced great highs as thousands of unchurched seekers came through our doors. There were also tremendous lows as we cried alongside the hundreds of hurting people who stopped by the church hoping to find healing for emotional wounds.In crisis we cry out for a connection with our Creator. This September 11th, I hope that you will take a moment to remember that dark day. Many of those who filled our pews two years ago are still unchurched and destined for an eternity in hell. For Christians, 9/11 should not be an occasion for political maneuvering or “God and Country rallies”, it should instead push us toward inner spiritual revival and action.”

Where were you?

but more importantly… where are you now.

Since that first run two years ago, I’ve logged:

1590 total miles
272,376 calories burnt

or, about 15 miles per week… for two years.

• Longest run:  20.6 miles, last long run before the marathon I never raced
• Most miles in a week:  42 miles
• Most miles in a month:  107.4

Someday, I’ll run a marathon.  Until then, you can catch up with me down the road.  Thank you Lord for the ability and opportunity to pound the pavement.

Okay, let’s get this out of the way up front. I’m not writing this post to say that all megachurches are great or perfect because we all know that megachurches can have their flaws and weaknesses just like any size church can.

However, I’ve heard three common myths about megachurches over and over and over and almost every megachurch is thrown under the bus for these three things. Saddleback Church, in California has taken a lot of criticism over the years, but I want to tell you about my experience there earlier this weekend and how they debunk these myths.

They were kind enough to invite me to come speak at Radicalis, a new conference they launched this weekend for college students and young adults. I spoke with both Rick and Kay Warren as we challenged them to make an impact with their lives around the world.

MYTH #1: MEGACHURCHES DON’T REALLY CARE ABOUT PEOPLE.

There is often this belief that at a megachurch you’re just a number. People don’t really care about individuals because they’re so focused on numbers and pastors of megachurches do everything they can to avoid contact with their attenders and are simply out of touch with them. However, often, nothing could be further from the truth. When you listen to Pastor Rick teach these college students you can tell he has a real heart for them. In fact, I watched him walk around and literally hug the neck of EVERY one of these kids (whether they wanted him to or not ). I’ve learned a lot about pastoring just from watching Rick walk through a crowd.

MYTH #2) THEY’RE ALL FLUFF. 

For years I’ve heard people accuse Pastor Rick of cotton candy theology. They’re always quick to point out that he’s fond of preaching about “felt needs.” However, I listened as he challenged these students to make a radical decision to follow and root their lives in Christ. He never stopped short of calling them to fully surrender to how God wants to use them in life. Powerful, effective and very challenging.

MYTH #3) THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT THEMSELVES

Megachurches are often criticized for not caring about the larger church. They’re often pictured as churches that are only out for themselves and don’t care who they crush in their pursuit of numerical growth. Nothing could be further from the truth at Saddleback. They could have easily pulled this event off by themselves, but they intentionally partnered with other churches in the Southern California area. While they certainly had enough staff and volunteers to lead worship they allowed the worship guys from other churches to come share the stage. They invited and introduced the other pastors and made it clear that it wasn’t about Saddleback, but about the Kingdom.

Anyway, in a world where we tend to hear the worst about the church, especially the megachurch, I wanted to pass along my personal experience. There are a lot of myths in general floating around out there about the church these days. Don’t jump to conclusions and buy into everything you hear. God uses all kinds and types of churches to reach His people.

Frankly, I think that this is pretty much right on.

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taken from withoutwax.tv 

Christmas Eve 2009 changed our lives forever.  Bill’s massive stroke made clear to us why doors had previously closed.  We instinctively knew that our best efforts were to be spent being ‘all in’ for our immediate family and church family.  We did not know how long our tour of duty would be but we knew that for the moment our place was at Mountaintop.  We jumped into the trenches with joy and a hearts that were listening for God’s guidance.

Hours turned in to days, days to weeks, and weeks to months.   Time marched on.

Behind the scenes, our family life was a mixture of pleasure and pain.  We fervently prayed for Bill’s life and fought for his recovery as we walked moment-by-moment up an imposing mountain.  Sometimes pushing him, sometimes pulling him, always giving our best.

Even at the low points we saw miracles from the hand of God in the midst of great unknown.

And then, again at the most seemingly unlikely of times, God’s gentle voice was reminding us that we had other work to do on his behalf.  There were other mountains to climb and valleys to endure.  “But God, surely our work here cannot be done… there is much left to do!” Some plant, others water, but it is God who must give the increase.

Have thine own way, Lord.

Through a series of twists and turns God led us to a ministry that, simply put, clicked.  Our gifts fit their needs and their passion fit our hopes.  But more importantly, we felt God smiling as if to say, “This is it.  This is what I have prepared you for, and prepared for you.”

Yes, Lord.

Sunday evening, Willoughby Hills Friends Church of Cleveland, Ohio voted to call me as their Senior Pastor.  It is with great honor and joy that Sally and I accept the call.  The journey to this moment took us down roads that we would perhaps otherwise not have immediately taken.  But God gently guided us to this point in our ministry and we have seen his blessings every step of the way.

Sally and I are excited about the new adventure and the opportunity to take new ground for the kingdom.  We will greatly miss our family, friends, and church community in Birmingham, but we know that He who began a good work at Mountaintop will carry it through!

“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry.” – 1 TIMOTHY 1:12

• COMPASSION – literally, a feeling with and for others
• CONTENTMENT - To be free from care because of satisfaction with what is already one’s own
• SELF-DISCIPLINE - the ability to pursue what one thinks is right despite temptations to abandon it
• PATIENCE - implies suffering, enduring or waiting, as a determination of the will and not simply under necessity
• DRAMA - the quality of being highly effective; striking
• IMPARTIALITY - treating or affecting all equally
• FLEXIBILITY - adaptable or variable
• DISCERNMENT – keen perception or judgment
• EFFICIENCY - effective: able to accomplish a purpose
• ADAPTABILITY - Maintains effectiveness in a changing environment
• SCARS - deeply affected or marked; A mark left on something following damage of some kind
• SUCCINCTNESS - terseness and economy in writing and speaking achieved by expressing a great deal in just a few words
• TRUTHFULNESS - fact of being realistic or true to life; realism
• MERCIFULNESS - leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice

Which ones of these do you have (or more importantly, need?) ?

Is your church doing all of these?  Which do you agree/disagree with?

1. Sing hymns.

2. Preach through a book of the Bible.

3. Talk about sin.

4. Celebrate the Lord’s Supper more frequently.

5. Have a Scripture reading in the service.

6. Transition creative content from popular commercials and other media to creating your own, wholly original content.

7. Read, study, and teach theology.

8. Put as much effort and resources into men’s ministry as you do women’s. On the flipside, pair up younger women with wise, older women in mentoring relationships with the same conviction you have about men being in accountability and mentoring partnerships.

9. Hire from within.

10. In promotional material, use actual photos of actual people in your community.

11. Preach the Gospel.

And now, a few additional ones…

12. Elders.

13. Use the Apostles’ and Nicene creeds in worship.

14. Have a book table.

15. Less music. Fewer instruments.

16. A couple of good mercy ministries.

17. Partner with a third world church, and instead of going over on a “mission trip,” send a small team to find out what they need that you can provide.

18. Pray the Psalms.

19. Train up some hymn-writers.

20. Defy labels.

21. A counseling/teaching ministry aimed at marriages and families.

22. Teach the classic disciplines of the devotional life.

I’m not precisely sure which ones I agree with, but it is challenging nonetheless.  Perhaps the point of all of these is to be sure you are always giving your church roots–something foundational–in order to help your people see how their faith is grounded…

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gleaned from Jared Wilson’s 11 Innovations for Your Church! and Internet Monk’s A Shocking Agenda for the Church.