A Caution to Spiritual Formation Gurus and Evangelistic Zealots:

A Caution to Spiritual Formation Gurus and Evangelistic Zealots:

It is my observation that evangelistic activity, defined as the on purpose seeking to help bring as many people as possible to faith in Christ, is currently regarded very lightly. At the same time, there seems to be a strong emphasis on spiritual formation.

The danger is that these priorities become an either/or proposition. I came up with a pretty good quote, especially for parish pastors who want to see both evangelistic activity and spiritual formation within their Christian community. I would submit that every pastor is mandated to build both evangelistic activity and spiritual formation within his or her congregation.

In other words there is no true spiritual growth without a desire to actively help people move from non-faith to saving/reconciling faith. In the same way evangelism cannot be separated from a growing, deepening personal relationship with the resurrected Christ. Christians who are spiritually weak and shallow are a detriment to the Kingdom.



Any focus on spiritual formation must include evangelism as primary.

Any focus on evangelism must include spiritual formation as indispensable.


Hate to brag but I’m quoting myself. My next blog: “How I Came to Know Total Humility”

My observations true ... false ... inane ? Any ya-but responses? Thinking that quote ya-buts itself.

Institutional Church

Left this comment on a friend's blog site, http://jamescopple-the-seeker.com/, thought I would put it here as well.

I have been a parish pastor for 28 years and have been early retired, ie on disability, with Parkinson’s disease, for the past 5 years. I am beginning to realize how much I have lived within my own small spiritual ecosystem and not needed to interact with the institution from a different perspective. I am finding that it is alarmingly rare for Christians to have a relationship with the institutional church while sharing a corporate vision and having some sense of involvement in the nature and direction of that congregational vision.

Too long a sentence, but I think I see a great deal of defensiveness and even aggression against the congregational peons by leadership. To me, a servant leader procures most of his/her authority from a shared , God given vision on the congregational level. I’m not sure if I am seeing this because I’m getting old and crotchety or just seeing things more accurately now that I am in a different position.

I am SURE my friend Jim is right, however, the Church is hard to be around but the world would be lost without it.

More Than a Clunker

More Than a Clunker

God really does take care of those who follow Him. We are king’s kids and “he don’t want us driving no junk”. In spite of the fact that I am a retired pastor on disability, putting kids through college, on a fixed income, my wife and I just love our shiny black Lincoln Continental. We enjoy the V8 power, recline in the plush leather seats, relax in air conditioned comfort as we drive on the air soft suspension.

The fact that our Lincoln is 14 years old does not take away from any of the comfort we enjoy. We are genuinely thankful for our shiny old black Lincoln Continental. It strikes me how much more we can appreciate and enjoy material things as a follower of Christ. There is no doubt in my mind that we enjoy that 14 year old car many times more than the wealthiest executive on the fanciest private jet on the way to Washington. So already the Lincoln in the driveway is more than a clunker.

It was sad news when my wife called after a suicidal deer on a dark road chose to take his final leap in front of a big black Lincoln. The bumper was damaged, grill cracked, the full light assembly was damaged, the fiber glass hood and fender were both cracked. There were no injuries aside from the poor troubled deer but immediately “Cash for Clunkers” ran through my mind. Our particular car did not qualify, however, so we began to consider repair.

I began checking online for salvage parts, looked up the number of a friend who helped with a previous accident, trying to figure out what we could or should do. The parts even from a salvage yard would be well over $1,000 plus shipping. The new parts would need to be painted etc. etc. It was looking like clunker heaven for our black, shiny favorite car. It was obviously in God’s hands and we live with the confidence that He does provide for His children. I had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 9 years ago. We were looking at 15 to 20 years of income that would not come in. God has His ways. Somehow we live in a beautiful, small house of our own and have put four children through college and we eat 3 or 4 meals almost every day. So we knew that God does indeed work. We prayed for His direction.

A couple days later there was a knock on my door (guess he couldn’t figure out how to put the two wires together to ring the door bell ... got to fix that door bell). Looking out the front window I could see two 1995 black shiny Lincolns in my driveway. A man was at the door telling me that he was getting rid of his 1995 black Lincoln Continental and wanted to know if I wanted to buy his tires. I looked his car over and told him that I didn’t really need tires but I could use the rest of his car. Well his car was going to be clunked on Saturday and it was then Thursday night.

I called my good friend John who is a mechanic/carpenter/ handy man do most anything kind of guy. John has been battling cancer for the past year and a half . The initial news was that he had 6 to 8 weeks to live. The prognosis is still terminal but by the grace of God he is a shining witness to the reality of genuine faith. He had received a debilitating chemo-therapy treatment a few days before but said he would be glad to help. Tony is the Dad of a handicapped child that my wife cares for as a nurse, who just happens to have a full shop with a lift and everything needed to do the work. Tony just happened to have the day off and was willing to help.

The next day John and I drove two Lincolns over the Tony’s shop to swap the damaged parts with the providentially provided parts salvaged from an about to be cashed in, clunker. The next 6 hours we extracted and replaced hundreds of screws, clips, belts, and our well beloved luxury car looked new again. There was much more that happened during those 6 hours. How inspiring it was that John very easily as one friend to another shared with Tony how the love and strength from God had made the last year and a half the best months of his life. There was a bonding that happened as three men were blessed to be part of God’s working as only He can work.

I don’t fully understand the workings of God’s providence. Does God hunt deer with Lincoln Continentals? Does He always deliver car parts? Is every stubbed toe an act of God? When I think too much about it my brain starts to hurt. I guess I don’t really understand God’s providence much at all.

There are, however, some things I do know ... or maybe more accurately ...there are some things I “faith”. I know that God was at work in all these things for good. My wife and I look ahead to an uncertain future dealing with Parkinson’s disease. What a beautiful re-assurance that God’s “eye” is upon us. We are stronger in the faith that he will continue to work for our good.

A good Catholic man knows, by faith, that God had sent him to knock on my door to deliver His car parts. He was excited as well that his shiny black Lincoln could be an organ donor before the fatal clunking. My friend John, so close to heaven, had another opportunity to splash joy and peace all over the driveway as we worked. Tony was more than a bit splashed on. The God of creation has received honor a glory as we retell the story of a special delivery from God’s Salvage Yard Inc.

And we are cruisin’ in our Lincoln still.

Let Down

All in all, I'd rather have people fail me than the other way around. quote by Keving Lynch or he is quoting someone else :)

How to Use a Wheelbarrow

John Stevens was the chief engineer of the incredible Panama Canal Project in the early 1900's. There were up to 40,000 workers at one time, from Asia, the Caribbean, Europe and the great urban centers of the United States. Building understanding and cooperation among such a diverse group was a challenge.

Soon after his arrival, he saw three West Indians at work with a wheelbarrow. When the wheelbarrow was full, two of them hoisted it onto the head of the third man who carried it away. The Path Between the Seas, John McCullough

Someone had the patience and perseverance to teach these workers how to use a wheelbarrow. As a result billions of tons of earth were moved in completing what was considered an impossible task. Ministry is an impossible task, in which a loving personal God patiently teaches us to use the tools that He provides. The call is then to share the heart of this loving personal God by faithfully instructing others in the use of the tools He provides to build His Kingdom.

Hang in there. Don't become weary in patiently teaching people the principles of faith. They will learn the simple basic things and do the impossible in ministry.

Do Something

The year was 1905 and the work on the Panama Cabal was in disarray. John Findley Wallace had resigned as chief engineer. Theodore Roosevelt had appointed John Stevens, chief engineer of the Great Northern Railway stretching from Chicago, as head of operations in Panama.

John Findley was a man of action. His interviews of his closest associates were brief. "I am hiring you to do something" he would say, "you will not get fired for doing something. You will get fired for doing nothing. Doing something wrong can be corrected. There is no way to correct nothing". The Path Between the Seas, David McCullough

Be encouraged and challenged to do something and if you make any mistakes, make sure they are new mistakes.

Nazarene Nirvana

Nazarene Nirvana
We live in a consumer society. Although I consider myself less focused on material possession and consumption than the typical greedy American, I can be one of those consumer type people when necessary. General Assembly is one of those times.

Upon arriving at my upscale $150 plus hotel room, my wife and I walked in, looked around, and I wondered to myself … where is the rest of the room. No matter how much I looked, there couldn’t have been more than $75 worth of room there and half the closet seemed to be missing. My annoyance list started to grow with an extra fee for internet and exercise room, ten year old television, tiny little pieces of soap, cheesy little coffee creamers. Certainly I expected more consumables for my buck.

After lunch we decided to look around for a $75 room that would also $75. Next door was a $69 room, free internet, complimentary breakfast with a flat screen television. It was tempting but the pool was the wrong color of green. The next hotel had $109 rooms with new television, fridge, microwave and close to the convention. We took a card and went back to our mini-$150 room.

Making a long story short, we decided to stay in the upscale hotel. The scale was tipped by the beautiful large pool (which was the right shade of blue) and a large foyer, crowded with Nazarenes to meet and greet. Sure enough, we met Steve and Tina from Michigan, Andy from Illinois, I ran into several friends I had not seen for many years. It was Nazarene Nirvana and I liked it. It was fun, relaxing, and we felt like the right decision was made.

The next morning I woke up with two jumbled, related but dissimilar thoughts. The first was the irony of consuming a couple thousand dollars getting together to further the work of compassionate ministry to the “have nots” of our world. The word obscene popped into my head, wondering if that could be a word used by our brothers and sisters from other world areas to describe the affluence. I pushed that word out of my mind. The path way to negativity and cynicism is slippery indeed.

The second was the annoyance of waking up in a pricey hotel where the neighbors wake up call did the job in my room as well. This hotel exists for my benefit, comfort, and convenience. The information in our room instructs to dial “88” if we can do anything for you. The temptation was strong but room expansion and spare closets are not likely what they had in mind.

It struck me that, I really do like to “have it my way.” Guilt is overused and often abused by we preacher types, but a bit of guilt, properly placed can be a very positive thing. “WWJT” came to mind. “What Would Jesus Think" about all this excess, in relation to the crying global need ?

A still small voice intruded on my thoughts saying you need to get back to WWJD Maybe it would be a good thing in my few days in my $150 Motel 6 type room, to DO what Jesus would DO.

Perhaps I could back away from the negative or cynical and pray for the maid that cleans my room, be patient with the waitress that is slow, be an encouragement among this amazing gathering of the family of God. So I find myself praying Lord, give the grace to live for you, love your people, and care for your world. The extra closet? I am thinking there might be more important things.

I now have a blog sight. My son Jonathan set me up so I can share some of the profound, perplexing, interesting, humorous, sobering aspects of ministry in the Christian church. Seems like everyone thinks people are dying to hear what they have to say ... we shall see.

My first entry is a sermon, article, personal account of God's working in my life in dealing with a diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease 9 years ago ... "When Life Shakes You Up" It's longer than future posts ... it's a start.

When Life Shakes You Up

I was a student-athlete in college. Warming the bench is an important role on any team ... even the JV team of a small Christian College needed a few spare bodies giving some semblance of a team. My good friend Dan and I ... sitting on the end of the bench... backslapping... opponent mocking... anything for the team. It was not particularly glamorous but was a legitimate alternative to serious study and I think free socks were part of the deal.

I always considered myself at least a semi-athlete, which means I could normally keep up with the over weight slow guys in the gym. Playing sports well into my forties... I planned to be running with the kids when I was 60. Suddenly the large slow people seemed much quicker. Seeing 50 lbs. of overweight former athlete roll on by was more than a bit disconcerting.

There were other changes. As the pastor of a busy church, I found my stamina severely affected. My planning and organization seemed to be less and less effective. Routine tasks took twice as long. My handwriting was getting worse and worse. Knowing that a sloppy signature indicated an advanced level of education, I was pleased that could pass as well educated by signature alone. Friends and family started to nag... why are you limping... why don't you swing your arm when you walk... is your arm hurt? Why are you shuffling your feet.

One day I went to pick up a dish and was unable to do so. The previous Sunday I had fallen at church bruising myself badly. It looked like something needed attention. I went to the doctor who ordered an MRI. They took all kinds of pictures of my brain... perfectly normal they said... it was good to have confirmation... my kids have never been too sure. The next step was a visit to the neurologist who went through the basic neurological movement type diagnostics and informed me matter-of-factly that I had early Parkinson's disease. Quickly analyzing the situation... it struck me that early Parkinson's disease is a lot like... just like... real Parkinson's disease. All kinds of words came to my mind... debilitating... devastating... discouraging... and probably some more d words I can't think of even though I had been producing 3 point sermons alliterated with d for 25 years. He gave me a prescription and said to come back in a few months.

What does a neurologist in Poughkeepsie New York know after all. I am one hour away from one of the top movement disorder centers in the world... Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan. We set an appointment and believe it or not they did the same diagnostics and came to the same to its conclusion except they didn’t call it early Parkinson's... they called it Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's is a disease of the brain. A definitive cause has not been identified although evidence points toward a combination of genetic pre-disposition and exposure to some environmental toxin. Whatever the cause, the brain cells which produce dopamine begin to die off. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter which enables the messages to travel from the brain to the various parts of the body. By the time a Parkinson's patient shows any symptoms 80% of these dopamine producing cells have died off. From that point on the disease gets worse and there is no cure.

The most common symptom is tremor... usually starting at one side... often in the hand and then progressing to the rest of the body. 15 to 20% of Parkinson's patients never get tremor. Other symptoms of Parkinson's disease are stiffness, slowness of movement, confusion, memory loss, instability leading to falls, aches & pains, and difficulty writing. Any function of the body can be affected. Breathing, swallowing, digesting, bladder control ... all can be affected or slowed down by Parkinsin=s Disease aka PD.

Driving home from the neurologist, I was shaking my head. These are the kinds of things that happen to other people. Over the years I've preached that instead of saying why me when the trials come... the question is why not me? We live in a fallen world. Disease is not God's plan. Even as followers of God the sins of our fathers for generation after generation have a devastating effect.

I had a plan for my retirement years. I was going to work real hard so I could retire at 65, settle in to a church with a small stipend and I would spend my time doing all the things I loved to do as a pastor. The tough assignments would fall to the young senior pastor. Some days, I couldn=t wait. That was my plan. Suddenly the horizon had changed. Kids in college, no house to Iive in, no job, uncertainty. The plan had changed.

What do you do in life shakes you up? How do you live when the plan changes? There are all kinds of coping mechanisms … denial. gallows humor. busyness. blame. anger. bitterness. What do you do when life shakes you up? Facing an incurable diagnosis, losing a promotion, hurting emotions, despairing of hope... there are some principles to live by.

Face the Facts

Christians have been accused of hiding their heads in the sand. In no way is Christian faith some sort of spiritualized denial mechanism. Any denial of the difficult realities of life is a denial of the adequacy of Christ in whom we place our faith. Jesus is the cornerstone of our faith. He did not come to live among us to escape real-life but to get all wrapped up in realities of a world full of sin, oppression, and injustice... seeking to save those who are lost.

When you lose your job... face the facts. When stricken with illness don't act as though it doesn't exist. When you fail... Afess@ up... face the music... suffer the embarrassment. When you sin, don't pretend it's a mistake, confess the sin. There's no way to deal with the things that shake your life until you look them straight in the eye. (pink slips, diagnoses, rejection, and other trials certainly must have eyes ... They find us so readily)

Faith in God does not change the circumstances. Faith in God does not make us fearless. Faith in God does not make us perfect. Faith gives additional strength... from God. Faith gives a game plan... the guidance from God. Faith gives support ... in the family of God. Faith gives hope... in eternal life. So it is because of Faith we can face life head on.

Face the facts. Don't try to defend God. Don't make up some high sounding explanation why God took the life of a young child. Be real. The world needs to see real people with broken hearts with a faith that is real. Anything the world offers for the broken hearted will pale in comparison to a heart, just as broken, filled with faith love and hope.

Accept the Feelings

The way of Christ is a way of great joy. There is within Christian circles, however, a combination of misconception and misrepresentation that produces a false appearance of joy. The misconception is that Christians never stop smiling. This distortion of reality is reinforced ... by the smiling Christians on television, the pastor who is always up every Sunday. (You should see the same pastor on Monday morning) and by the false application of scripture. So often Christians carry an unrealistic burden that goes far beyond trust and obey but rather leads to a facade that refuses to let anyone see their broken hearts. When there is death don=t deny the sorrow. When there's injustice don't pretend there is no anger. When you are weak don't pretend you are not discouraged. Be a real person.

The misrepresentation happens every Sunday morning. Broken hearts all camouflaged by “Sunday go to meeting clothes” and a hearty handshake. Christians are too busy to be real. Do we allow Christians in our fellowship to be sad? Do we allow them to go through times of fear without judging their spirituality?

I felt somewhat less than spiritual as I faced my nemesis of PD. I was puzzled and upset ... OK angry. Why would God allow a faithful pastor, wannabe athlete, humorous, very bright, and extremely humble to get Parkinson=s disease? It doesn’t make sense. It certainly wasn=t my idea. What possible good can come from an early retirement in the prime of my life. Just when I can run circles around those old guys up at the alumni basketball game.

Accept the feelings. Feel the feelings. God gave you feelings to help identify areas of need in your life. If you Afeel@ tired, you need rest. If you Afeel@ sorrow, you need to mourn. If you Afeel@ lonely, you need a friend. Feelings will either heal or destroy. Feelings denied, repressed, or ignored have a devastating effect on your relationship with God, relationship with others, interpersonal integrity and serenity. Don=t pretend. Pretending isolates the real you from those who can help and care for you. Maintaining a facade takes great resources that are needed for facing life head on.

Don=t be afraid of tears, they as well are God=s gift. Jesus wept, his heart was broken. I had never really wept, until I faced the facts and began to feel some feelings. I would never be a pastor again. I would never preach again. I may have to leave my church family. So much of what I loved was gone. It was all over and I wept for 3 hours. God was there and I faced the reality with him. He has been there every step before and after that time of sorrow.

Count Your Blessings

How easy it is to be so focused on the trial that we lose sight of the blessings. A quarter, when held close to one eye will block off sight totally. When life shakes you up, it is easy to focus on the trial alone. The truth is, there is much more to reality than the present problem. The blessings are just as real.

Counting blessings is not denial; it is recognizing Aon purpose@ the good in the midst of the tragedy. How many blessings are yours in Christ? God does not change. The psalmist says I will look unto the hills (as majestic as they are) but my help does not come from the hillsides. My help comes from the Lord who is more trust worthy than the majestic Rocky Mountains.

The promises of God in scripture are a daily blessing. God=s promise in 2^nd Peter that he will give you Aall you need@ for life and godliness. God=s strength is shown clearly in time of greatest weakness. The time of trial is an amazing opportunity to received God=s grace. In the struggles and pain of an incurable disease, I have received more grace and love through God=s people than I ever imagined.

Don=t escape from the reality of life=s blessings. They are a gift from God. The blessings and grace will keep you strong and encouraged when struggles come your way.

Live Your Faith

Years ago Reuben Welch wrote a book entitled, When You Run Out of Fantastic ... Persevere. Life is not always fantastic but we need never quit. Robert Schuller speaks of two principles of success 1. Get started 2. Don=t quit. When many disciples were leaving Jesus, Peter decided to stay ... Why? ... Where else would we go? You (Jesus) have the words of eternal life. The tempter will especially use your time of weakness to draw you away from the foundation of Christ. In your deepest pain ... keep worshiping God, keep close to his people, allow his word to hold you up. Your faith in Christ is just as real in the valleys of life as it is on the mountain top.

We were stricken with grief at the passing of my mother 20 years ago. As we made our way through the airport terminal to pick up a family member, my Dad stopped and helped a man who was confused with directions. “Can I help?” he asked. In his time of overwhelming grief, he helped a confused traveler find his way. The practical caring of a broken hearted Jesus person is a powerful testimony to the working of God=s grace in the worst of times. Decide now how you will live when (not if) the times of trouble come your way. Decide to walk with a personal God when your feelings are low, your body is in pain, and you feel alone. Don=t abandon your faith ... Live your faith

Trust Your Future to God

Why so downcast old my soul... put your hope in God. We sing this song with great enthusiasm. We celebrate our hope in God through praise and worship. We are in a positive up frame of mind as we celebrate. We are together ... clapping our hands. There is a really cool drum part when we sing this song.

The direction of scripture to Aput your hope in God@ is even more important when you don=t feel like praising. Trusting in the loving kindness of our eternal God is even more vital, when you feel alone, when you face your greatest failure. There are many questions that remain unanswered as you look into the future. If you live in fear of the uncertain future, you will be paralyzed and live in despair. The answer is to trust God rather than your own resources. His resources, help, and grace never run out.

A quote from No Man is an Island clarifies the choice to be made. “If, instead of trusting in God, I trust only in my own intelligence, my own strength, and my own prudence, the means that God has given to me to find my way to him will all fail me. To place your trust in visible things is to live in despair. We can either love God because we hope for something from him, or we can hope in him knowing that he loves us”.

There are some things we can know for sure. God=s love is a foundation stone upon which we can step with confidence. God=s promise from Jeremiah reminds us AI know the plans I have for you, plans to help you not to harm you, to give you a hope and a future.

Everyone is shaken by life sooner or later. Decide now to face the facts (you will be shaken by life) accept the feelings, (pain and sorrow are real), count your blessings (they are always there), live your faith (God never changes), trust your future to God (he is trust worthy).