"Invite a Friend"

Last September, when I came to Sardis Presbyterian Church to serve as Interim Pastor, I asked, “How many members belong to this church?” The answer was about 2500.  I looked at the attendance numbers and raised some questions as to the accuracy of the membership records.

Thanks to John Schneider and his team, they entered into the challenge of determining an accurate membership roll for Sardis Presbyterian Church.  Many members had moved away from Charlotte.  Some had joined other churches.  Children and grandchildren no longer considered Sardis their spiritual home.  After a determined, sensitive, purging process, the accurate membership is more like 1500.

Only 2% of the 10,000 congregations in our denomination have more than 1000 members.  In our denomination, Sardis Presbyterian Church is still in the 1% category.  In the Presbyterian Church (USA), more than 50% of our congregations have fewer than 100 members.  Among those congregations, the average membership is 45.

Now that we have an accurate membership roll, let’s grow!  Your circle of influence is huge.  How about inviting someone to join you in worship next Sunday?  You will be pleasantly surprised when they say, “I appreciate that.  I would love to join you.”

I pray for our growth both spiritually and physically, for the Glory of God.

Blessings,

"An Effective Spiritual Leader"

During worship on the 17th, we ordained and installed newly elected elders and deacons. What a privilege to welcome these people into the ministry of Sardis Presbyterian Church!

These leaders are charged with the responsibility of providing spiritual leadership of the congregation. They are to “encourage others to seek and do the will of God.”

What defines an effective spiritual leader?

• A passion to share the good news of God’s grace in Jesus Christ.
• Daily commune with God through the reading of the Bible, reflection and prayer
• Listen for the counsel of the Body of Christ and the Holy Spirit.
• Risk failure.
• Embrace discipline.
• Appreciate others spiritual gifts.
• Welcome creativity and imagination.
• Enjoy the community of faith.
• Practice discernment.
• Be generous and genuine with affirmations.

How is that for a list? We all make choices daily that affect our spiritual well-being. One of the many tasks is to provide encouragement to our leaders. I pray for wisdom related to that challenge. Humility is not all that common in our culture. God grant me that as well.

Blessings,

"Amazing Grace!"

Amazement is not foreign to me. God loves surprises! Why else the Incarnation, Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension?

The electronics in my car surprise me. How does Siri keep track of me and keep me on track? I am amazed by the birth of a child. How does the kangaroo’s Joey know how to get to the pouch and the milk source? How do those NFL receivers make those one-handed catches, get pounded and then get up and calmly walk back to the huddle? Wow! That is an inadequate reaction.

Some of the most sensational sunsets I have seen were overlooking the Pacific Ocean – the sun appeared to illuminate in brilliant colors the clouds, the sea and the sky just before sinking into the Pacific. Amazing!

So is God’s grace. Grace is God’s unconditional love for those who don’t deserve it. Amazing grace!

I find the Gospel of Luke amazing. Luke the physician presents many eye witness accounts of miraculous experiences with Jesus. These people were still amazed by what they had witnessed many years earlier. There are at least five Greek words for amazement. Luke is the only gospel writer that uses all five of them.

Stay open to amazement! 

"A Word of Affection"

Today, we have twice as many cars per person than we did thirty years ago. Yes, as a nation we are richer but unhappier. The nasty D’s have caught up with us; depression, divorce, domestic violence, and drugs. They cause pain that defies measurement. 

Satisfaction is not getting what you want but wanting what you have. Jesus said, “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

John 15:11 

Joy is an unexpected gift growing out of our intimate relationship with the Christ. The tell-tale traits are self-esteem, self-control and optimism. We are not momentary blips on the big screen of the universe. What makes for significance? Our prayers, patience, charitable giving, hope, time and community investments all start with a simple step of faith. Nothing good comes from apathy.

Leo Tolstoy, the great literary Russian superstar, walked past a street-corner beggar. Tolstoy reached into his pocket to give the beggar some money, but discovered his pocket was empty. He said to the beggar, “I’m sorry, my brother, but I have nothing to give.” The discouraged man brightened and said, “You have given me more than I asked for – you have called me Brother!” 

To the world, a word of affection is a crumb, but to the love-starved, a word of affection can be a feast!

 

"Grace Under Pressure"

McKinsey Consulting is the crème de la crème of the consulting business. To employ McKinsey is serious business. What do their clients worry about?

• Geopolitics
• Technology
• Cyber Security
• Shift coming in economic power

What does that shift in economic power mean? It implies that in fifteen years there will be 2.2 billion people in the so-called Middle Class on this planet. That is a huge uptick!

McKinsey would say that leaders do not fear change but embrace it. They learn from adversity. They do things by design not by default. They are perpetual learners. They celebrate success. They have a sense of humor.

Every congregation I have served has leaders, followers, critics, and comics! As a leader in the Church, I deal in power currencies; connectional, relational and structural. Consistently, I pray for imperturbability, grace under pressure.

Warren Buffet said leaders need three attributes; integrity, intelligence and energy. Please don’t miss this, he added, without integrity, the other two are useless!

This a the imperative that drives me; Dream something big enough so that unless God is in it, it is impossible and will fail.

"God Loves Surprises"

The Salvation Army does an amazing redemptive thing all over the world. It must be Christmas time because the Salvation Army Kettles and bell ringers are out there.

Do you ever wonder what people put in these Salvation Army kettles? Many unique contributions make it into those red kettles. No, it is not just money. Often it is valuable coins, jewelry, wedding rings, earrings and watches.

God obviously loves surprises. In Jesus Christ, God took human form. The Gospel of John says, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us full of grace and truth.” That is a rip in the fabric of reason.  Why did God do that? Maybe God couldn’t watch us self-destruct? The Lord knows our alienation, estrangement, guilt, shame and sin. Reconciliation is what God wants for us. The Lord does not want a performance but a relationship. To help us he became one of us. The label was Emmanuel, “God with us.”

Grace is God’s unconditional love for those who don’t deserve it. That grace can move us from alienation to reconciliation. Only God could love us like that. Christmas began when God’s Word became flesh. Christmas continues when God’s Word becomes alive in our flesh and blood. 

Blessings, 

 

"Save"

We dare not put the nativity drama under glass with a Do Not Touch sign on it. It is fair to assume that Mary and Joseph found the naming of their impending child a subject for frequent discussion. After all, they were ordinary human beings. They were not puppets. They enjoyed freedom of choice. Their musings on naming their child did not last long. Their right to name their child was preempted by a higher power. Do you remember the directive given to Joseph?

“You shall call his name Jesus for he will save his people from their sins.” Wasn’t Jesus an ordinary, first century, common name? The name Jesus means save. No doubt the name Jesus is a common tag for millions. It is also an ironic tag for all those who fail to live up to that name.

Who would have imagined that Jesus would cry from the cross, “Father forgive them. They do not know what they are dong”? Who could have predicted that Jesus would free us from pride and save us from the tyranny of our own transgressions? It was Jesus of Nazareth who made the name great and not the other way around.

Blessings,