Don't Lose the People in the Programs

It was a big day for our church. Our lead pastor was moving on to new things and I was moving into the lead role. The sanctuary was slowly emptying as people said their goodbyes...

I gave pastor a hug, told him I loved him, and as I walked out the door I was greeted by a young couple traveling through town. My immediate reaction... *sigh... "What do they want?" Calloused by listening to years of stories of stranded travelers, I extended my hand and asked, "What can I do for you?" Many times when I extend this hand, I have already made up my mind that "we have nothing left in our budget for this at this time" or some similar excuse... but today was different... Not that their story was unique or special or that it was even legit, but God's prompting was real and I responded.  "Meet me a the Chevron in the middle of town in a few minutes and we will at least get you to the next town where you can find more help."

A few minutes later I found my self squeezing a gas pump and talking with a young man who needed to see the love of Jesus in action... As I finished pulsing off $20 into his tank, my phone rang... It was a young lady, 8 months pregnant, who had slept in the car with her boyfriend the night before and ended up in the hospital with early contractions.  She had been released with no place to go... Once again I felt the cynical sigh coming on... Can I really believe her story?! But once again I felt checked and found myself saying, "I will meet you guys at the hotel in a few minutes. I am on my way."

With my family waiting at home for me to join them for lunch I found myself pulling out of Chevron on my way to Motel 6... feeling bitter and uneasy about my first day as a lead pastor... Is THIS the way it was going to be?!  Constantly dealing with needy people and no time to focus on our church's program or planning?!

And then it hit me... God impressed clearly on my heart, "The church isn't about the programs... It's about the people." You see... when it comes down to it, it really is simple! Jesus was asked, "What's most important?!" His response was, "LOVE GOD... and out of that love, LOVE PEOPLE!"

In that moment I felt my attitude change... The cynicism turned to compassion... As I stepped out of my car at the motel and extended my hand to the young pregnant girl looking desperately for a room Mary, the mother of Jesus, came to mind... With tears in her eyes she expressed her thanks... Her boyfriend was there as well... As he gripped my hand his eyes filled to overflowing as well... Their sincere gratitude shook me... Their statement, "you're the only church that even called us back" broke me...

Church... somewhere along the journey we have lost the people in the programs! We do everything we can to perpetuate programing that will "attract people" and "appease the saints" when hurting people are crying out for help.  I know it can be hard to discern true need... I know people can be deceptive... I know we need to be good stewards of God's money... but I also know that Jesus said it was MOST IMPORTANT to LOVE GOD and LOVE OTHERS...

I returned home to my family, had lunch, laid down to rest and my phone rang... It was a member of our church on the way to the emergency room with another member of our church who had fallen... And that is a picture of what the church needs to be! It wasn't a call to the lead pastor to say, "You need to take care of this". It was a call to say, "It's taken care of because WE ARE THE CHURCH, but we wanted you, our leader, to know what's going on."

Church... Let's not lose the people in the programming! Let's always remember that it's MOST important to LOVE GOD and LOVE OTHERS... All the rest will fall into place.

It's Time to Grow Up!

He pulled up to the light next to me… inching forward… His engine revving… Without even looking I knew who was there… It was one of those young country boys with an ego bigger than his Wranglers… in his lifted Dodge pickup truck decked out with all the goods, wanting to race off the light through the intersection. How did I know? Because this is a rural, “good ‘ol boy” ranching community and 20 yards after the intersection two lanes will narrow to one.  The race for ego, pride, and ultimately respect in small town livin’ was on!

I gripped the wheel tight… tapped my gas petal, feeling for the response… and waited for the light to change! If I could just get a jump on the light, I could do this… 20 yards, I would be in front, he would be eating my dust and I could slow down before I passed the CHP office up ahead.

He revved his engine again as the crossing light turned yellow, knowing the time was close… I had to take a glance… What I saw made everything within me want to break out in laughter! The “lifted Dodge pickup truck decked out with all the goods” was actually an old, beat up, Chevy work truck… The “young country boy with an ego bigger than his Wranglers” was actually an old roughed up, over the hill, gray hair with a scruffy beard and a Taco Bell burrito in one hand… I did get a couple of things right though… He had an ego bigger than his Wranglers and he wanted to race!

I was caught off guard as the light changed and his engine roared! He got the jump and was halfway through the intersection before I hit the gas on my soccer-mom minivan… trying, unsuccessfully, to hold back the laughter! Had I really just engaged in that nonsense, allowing my mind to descend into the abyss of high school, new driver, stupidity?! I had! And I was so glad that time had long passed!  

But a quick word for the “old roughed up, over the hill, gray hair”… It’s time to grow up brother! You’ve been sitting in that seat too long! The steering wheel cover is showing wear and the dice on the mirror have long since been faded by the sun… It’s time to grow up!

And then conviction sets in… and I see the state of the Church… Sitting in the same seat too long… The wear beginning to show… The dice quickly fading… 

Hebrews 5:11-14 is paraphrased in The Message explaining, “I have a lot more to say about this, but it is hard to get it across to you since you’ve picked up this bad habit of not listening. By this time you ought to be teachers yourselves, yet here I find you need someone to sit down with you and go over the basics on God again, starting from square one—baby’s milk, when you should have been on solid food long ago! Milk is for beginners, inexperienced in God’s ways; solid food is for the mature, who have some practice in telling right from wrong.”

Church?! It’s time to grow up!