Jon Acuff has a brilliant article on How To Enter Church when you are late.  Just a fore-warning, Acuff writes satire, so his humor is tongue in cheek.  He gives us a comical look at how late arrivers work their way into service.  Enjoy!

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you, lady who is making me late to church.”

I didn’t say that a few weeks ago when my wife stopped my speed walk to the sanctuary so that I could meet one of her friends after dropping off our kids in Sunday School. That probably would have been rude to proclaim, but that was what I was thinking. Standing there watching people stream in the open doors and fill up the seats, I could feel myself getting anxious.

“We’re going to be late. We’re going to be late. Oh the agony, so close but yet so far away. Any second now they’re going to close those doors and we’ll have to sneak in along the baseboards like some sort of rat or hamster scurrying for birdseed that the Acuffs may have left in the garage without thinking that a rodent the size of a small cat would find it, eventually get stuck on a glue trap, scream so loud you could hear it in the house and then get murdered by a grandmother across the street because you were at work and couldn’t come home.” (Whoa, that just got personal.)

And although we weren’t late that day, I know it’s going to happen. We’re going to show up behind schedule and need to sneak into church at some point, so I went ahead and wrote myself a guide on the best way to come into church late. Without further ado:

7 things you need to know about sneaking into church late …

1. Never come in during prayer

Rookie move. Strictly amateur hour. People often think this is a great time to come in, everyone has their eyes closed and no one can see you. Wrong. Lots of people have their eyes open and will see you. Plus, the people who do have their eyes closed have entered bat mode and have enhanced hearing. That’s lose, lose my friend. Never come in during a prayer.

2. Blame your kid.

If you’re so late you can’t sneak your kid into Sunday School and have to take them to big church, don’t miss that perfect opportunity to shift blame. As you carry them down the aisle to your seat, nod your head toward your child in a way that says, “This little guy made us late! What are you going to do though? I love this rascal. Kids will be kids.” Please note that this won’t work if your kid is in the habit of saying things like, “My dad caught up on all the college football scores this morning on ESPN and made us late to churchy.”

3. Pretend you’re a volunteer.

I’m not suggesting you wait until the offering is collected, grab an empty bucket when no one is looking and then come in late as if you’re an usher, but if that happens, it happens. You can also find someone else who is late and pretend that you’re seating them. Walk them down the row and point them to some empty seats, pat them on the back as if to say, “Just doing my job pal, try not to be late next week.” Then while people watch the person walk to their seat, you fade into the crowd and sit down. The bonus here is that you get to look helpful and holy in addition to finding a seat for yourself.

4. Wear black.

If you have to come in during prayer, it would help if you were wearing black and could act like you’re one of those magical stage hands who materialize out of nowhere and shift things around on stage while no one is looking. This might be a little extreme, but it wouldn’t hurt for you to keep a spare one of those little table and chair combos pastors are using in your car. When you show up late, just tell your wife, “Help me with this chair, we’ve got to put this in the sanctuary somewhere when we walk in.”

5. Don’t assume it’s best to walk in while people are singing.

Again, common mistake. Sure, the music is loud and everyone might be standing up which on the surface seems like a good time to walk in. But depending on how charismatic your church is you might have some physical worshiping going on. The last thing you want to add to the adventure of sneaking in to church is the need to dodge arm raisers. It only takes one person doing a quick unexpected double arm pound cake move to your diaphragm as you scoot down the aisle to realize you made a mistake. If you come in during a song, find a restrained section of the audience without any hand raising to sit in.

6. Army crawl if the sermon has already started.

A few weeks ago I spoke at a college that had rows of chairs that were elevated like a stadium. The stage was at the bottom and on the left side was a fire exit door a few feet from the podium. During the middle of my speech, I saw a shadowy figure coming through that door and essentially walk on to the speaking area with me. I was about 3 seconds away from launching a judo chop at what I assumed was a would be assassin when I realized it was just someone coming in late. If the sermon has already started, please army crawl in on your stomach less the pastor sweep your leg like a member of the Cobra Kai Dojo.

7. Aim for the meet and greet.

This is your golden moment. This is where the real magic of a late arrival happens. If you can time your entry to the meet and greet then you just look like any other church attendee that is walking along greeting people. Shake a few hands when you walk in, tell people you’re happy to see them and then sit down when everybody else does. Nothing to see here folks, just meeting and greeting.

Do those feel extreme to you? Perhaps, but then perhaps I just respect the sanctity of an already in progress church service more than you. I’ll pray for you. Is pretending to be an usher a weird way to respect the sanctity of a service? Perhaps. Maybe you should pray for me.

Those are my tips for coming in late to church, what are yours?

Have you ever been late to church?

What do you do when you’re late?”

"This is my endlessly recurrent temptation: to go down to that Sea (I think St. John of the Cross called God a sea) and there neither dive nor swim nor float, but only dabble and splash."

C. S. Lewis, "A Slip of the Tongue," in The Weight of Glory, page 187.

HT: Ray Ortlund

Have you ever wanted to take this kind of action?  This is actually one of those things that bother me…someone talking on the phone while I am waiting in line…not to mention talking so loudly we can here all the personal details.  My advice to those on the phone: call them back when you are in private! 

Sorry this cartoon just touched a nerve and after all, this is my blog to share MY personal opinions;)

What is standing in your way?

The old hymn says, "Is there a mountain in your way? Do doubts and fears abound?  Press on oh hear the Spirit say, This mountain shall come down." (By My Spirit, Almeda Herrick.)

Everyone of us have a mountain in our lives.  The mountains may be different.  They may even be different heights, but it is a mountain none the less.  In Texas there is legitimately no mountains just hills.  The difference between mountains and hills are the heights.  You can testify that what you are facing is more than a hill.  It is mountain.

So what is that mountain?  Is it fear, doubt, finances, sickness?  What is it that keeps you from fulfilling the destiny for your life?  Many people are hindered from seeing their dreams and visions fulfilled because of circumstances.  The enemy of our souls trembles at a man or woman who has a purpose in life.

It is then that he crowds us with fears and doubts.  He whispers in our ears, "you can never do that.  It is impossible.  You don’t have the money.  You are not smart enough.  God could never use you like that."  This is the enemy’s tactic to get you to see that mountain as an obstacle rather than a way to climb to the top.

Zerubbabel was a man in the Old Testament, who had a dream to see the temple rebuilt.  His dream is chronicled in three different books, Zechariah, Haggai and Ezra.  This dream was a God dream but it seemed that the mountain was in His way.

The prophet Zechariah spoke a word from God to Zerubbabel and said, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel; Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord of Hosts.  Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel, you shall become a plain!"

Many of us believe that if God gives us a dream that we have to be the ones to make it happen.  The Lord says it is not by your might or power but by His Spirit that will make it happen.  The Hebrew word for might means strength, power, force.  I know we often try to force that dream to happen. But with God it just happens as His Spirit unfolds the plan.

Then God spoke and said, "O great mountain…you shall become a plain!"  Whatever your mountain is God says it will become a flatland.  Your fears and doubts will be under your feet.  The finances you need to fulfill your purpose will be released into your hands.  You just have to trust and have faith in Him. 

Tommy Barnett says that if we have a God dream it must be bigger than us.  If we can do it in our own ability it is not a God dream.  God wants ownership.  He wants to get the glory for making it happen.  Your mountain shall come down.

Have faith that God can perform the impossible.  It is not alot of faith to believe God for the possible but it is a holy faith that believes Him for the Impossible.  Go for it!  Your  mountain is about to fall as His Spirit goes before you!

Be at church on Sunday for more…

I often wonder about the state of the AMerican church.  We have it so good yet we are not flourishing as we should.  Today I read this article about the church in China. This church cannot be contained nor stifled.  Persecution won’t stop them.  They thrive in the midst of a communist regime. 

It makes me realize that we have taken for granted our freedom to worship.  China’s church is anticipating a major explosion, while the American church declines.  Can we be revived without facing persecution or will it take something severe to turn around the apathy in the American Church culture?  Just a curious question.

Take time to read this lengthy article from The National Post:

It is when Rev. Ezra Jin says there are about 3,000 underground Protestant church services being celebrated around the Chinese capital on this bright autumn Sunday, that you begin to get an idea of the leap of faith that is happening in this decidedly atheist country.

Rev. Ezra is happily chatting in advance of his second service of the day at Beijing Zion Church, a grandiose name for the series of large and small conference rooms he presides over. They are located above a karaoke bar in an old-fashioned hotel deep in the Beijing suburbs. His is what is called a “house church.” It is not sanctioned by the Communist government, hence it is not legal.

But as sometimes happens in China, it is tolerated — for the moment, anyway.

“For a long time, the government cracked down on house churches. But recently the situation changed,” he explained. “It has started to face up to the existence of house churches and make an effort to establish a formal relationship with them.”

It’s not a perfect situation, he admits, but a vast improvement to what it was.

“Ten years ago, house churches, like ours, wouldn’t dare to think they could have such a large space to develop,” he said.

In recent years, “house” Protestants have been harassed, fined, beaten by police and even jailed for the temerity of shunning the officially sanctioned churches and starting their own.

Several kilometres deeper into the maze of Beijing’s suburban sprawl, the Shouwang Church is finishing up the second of its three Sunday services. The congregation of about 250 people is packed into a large boardroom in a medium-rise building that is otherwise full of small companies and offices.

The sign in the eighth-floor hallway pointing the way to the service is testimony to the breathing room the government has allowed house churches recently. The fundraising chart that dominates a side wall tells another story, however.

As Rev. Jin Tainming explains it, last year police and government officials mildly hassled he and his congregation, trying to force them to close-up shop. But Shouwang members stood firm, so officials tried another tack this year and began pressuring the landlord not to renew the church’s lease.

“We were planning to build a church before that,” Tainming explains in an interview, “but the new pressure convinced us to accelerate our pace.”

Almost half the money for the church has been raised so far.

It’s a bold step to go from illegal and underground to laying a cornerstone and people such as Rev. Ezra are watching with interest — if less than wild optimism. He certainly believes the day will come when Christians in China can build their own churches, Rev. Ezra says, “but maybe not for 10 years.”

Estimates range as high as 130 million, but according to Carsten Vala, a specialist in Protestantism in China at Loyola College in Maryland, there are probably about 50 million Christians in China.

About 40 million of them are non-denominational Protestants.

There are no divisions into Episcopalian or Baptist or whatever in China. There are simply Christians — who in Mandarin literally follow “Christ-religion” — and they are divided into three groups: Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox.

Mr. Vala said the Protestants “tend towards fundamentalism,” in their worship, but really are “post-denominational.”

He also makes the point that “by and large, Protestants in China are very apolitical.”

There are so many college-aged young men waiting for the elevator in the office building where Shouwang Church is located, it looks like a high-tech business must be sharing the floor with the Protestant worshippers. It is an eye opener when they all head towards the church service.

At both Shouwang and Beijing Zion churches, the congregation is surprisingly young and well educated. It’s a phenomenon that is being noted in cities across China, particularly since it is so dramatically different from what has been happening in the countryside where older, working-class congregations formed the backbone of the Protestant house-church movement for many years.

Mr. Vala says university students in China see Protestantism “as sophisticated and modern.” 

Rev. Ezra caters to his youthful parishioners with a lively rock service that includes a full band plus a female vocalist with a microphone in one hand and the other raised in testament as she belts out: “I love you deeply Jesus/ I love you more than everything in my life.”

About half the congregation has its right hand raised, mimicking her gesture, and is swaying along with the music. A relaxed and welcoming Rev. Ezra Jin has little trouble explaining the appeal religion has in China today.

“After 1949 [when the Communist Party came to power], all the old beliefs were cracked apart,” he says. “Then there was the Cultural Revolution and the ideals of Communism fell apart, too. So, all Chinese people just looked to money then.

“But in fact money couldn’t satisfy their spiritual needs.”

The breakdown in the national value systems led to “a crisis in belief,” he said, a void that religion is increasingly filling for many people.

Rev. Ezra notes that ancient Taoism and Buddhism are also experiencing a revival in China at the moment, but that Christianity, particularly Protestantism, is expanding the fastest of all.

“The form of our congregations is flexible and our doctrines match today’s reality and people’s needs,” he said.

Pan Jianxiao brought three university friends with him to the crowded Sunday service at Shouwang Church. The 22-year-old from Wenzhou — the city in Zhejiang province Mr. Vala calls “the Jerusalem of China — explains: “I tell my friends I’m Christian. I don’t hide it. Sometimes they are curious about this. They asked me what things I do as a Christian. I told them about our congregation, prayers, etc.”

Mr. Pan said that if anyone asks, he tells him that “this religious belief marks the meaning of my life, my personal values, how I live my life.”

Rev. Ezra was a 21-year-old student of geophysics at the prestigious Peking University in Beijing in 1989 when the troops marched into Tiananmen Square and mowed down the students protesting for democracy.

A friend of his was among those killed and for the first time Rev. Ezra Jin went to a Christian funeral to pay his last respect.

As he tells it now, the experience changed his life. “I saw people with faith in God and it shocked me.”

Rev. Ezra’s journey into Christianity led him to the Nanjing Theological Seminary in 1992 and later to advanced theological studies in the United States.

Today, Rev. Ezra counts himself among “the first generation of priests in China since the Cultural Revolution.”

The bespectacled minister and his fellows, he said, “were mostly young and faced a lot of difficulties, particularly because of the limitations imposed by the government.”

But from a congregation of “a dozen people in 2007,” Rev. Ezra now boasts 600 parishioners, a Sunday school, a marriage counseling service and a regime to train disciples to help with the parish work.

He is both enthusiastic and optimistic about what the future holds.

“Abroad is in what we call the post-religious era. But it is just the opposite here in China,” he said.

“When the ideals of Communism were spent after 30 years, religion started to rejuvenate. Today it is an explosion that will last another 20 to 30 years. Religion will incrementally affect all of Chinese society.”

HT: True Discernment

One of my favorite authors of all time, John Bevere has released another masterpiece.  Though there seems to be an influx of books recently released on the subject of finding your purpose, Extraordinary is set apart.  Bevere reveals that our purpose to live extraordinary lives was not lost in the Garden of Eden because of Adam’s sin.  The author reminds us that Jesus came to reverse the curse. What was lost could now be restored.  Extraordinary is a book that focuses on God’s grace to help us live extraordinary lives.  Lives of power, holiness and faith.  Bevere challenges the believer to cultivate what God has planted inside of us.  The way this book is written built excitement or should I say anticipation for what God wants to do through us.  This is a great read!

Summary:

There’s a question that troubles many believers: “Why am I not experiencing more joy, more hope, more satisfaction, more intimacy, more power, more everything in my Christian life–didn’t Jesus promise that?”

He did promise an abundant life, but too many people are trapped by the curse of “the ordinary.” They have accepted the wrong idea that following God means losing individuality, creativity, and a passion for achieving lofty goals.

Nothing could be further from the truth!  John Bevere builds a convincing case, straight from Scripture, for a way of living marked by extraordinary experiences and accomplishments—the life God always intended for his children.

Here is a guide to understanding God’s incredible plans, and how to enjoy a life where he adds the “extra” to “ordinary.”

Author Bio:

John Bevere is an internationally popular conference speaker, teacher, and author of bestsellers, including The Bait of Satan, Drawing Near, and Driven by Eternity. His award-winning curriculum and books have been translated in over sixty languages and his weekly television program, The Messenger, is broadcast around the world. John and his wife, Lisa—also a bestselling author and speaker—reside with their family in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Visit his ministry website at www.messengerinternational.org.

You can get a copy of Extraordinary at christianbook.com. Or at Random House Publishers.

I am on a constant journey to grow in leadership.  Lately I have been looking to grow as a pastor and I am trying to learn more about how we can build our church.  No, I am not looking for church growth methods, but rather a simple process where we can see steady growth. 

Right now we are at the 100-125 barrier.  This is our first major hurdle to clear.  We hit 100 and dip back down…hit 100 and dip down again.  At RFA we  must discover what we can do to break the barrier.  I know that numbers aren’t everything, but souls are everything.  To get past any barrier, we must evaluate whether we are impacting souls for eternity.

Yesterday, I was able to attend the Business Leaders Summit at the Church of Pinnacle Hills.  Dr. Ronnie Floyd is a phenomenal leader and preacher.  Needless to say, I can learn from him.  At this luncheon he presented the process to discovering our future.  He spoke in the context of business leadership but I left with a process for our church.

I have read many books on purpose, church growth, leadership, vision and processes.  By far, this simple process Dr. Floyd spoke about was the most practical and applicable for our church.  He laid out the simple steps to get to your future and it struck a chord with me.  I left the luncheon with the feeling, “Finally, that is what I have been waiting for.

I am not the smartest guy in the world.  I do, however, read alot of books but most of them are written by guys who are running in the thousands.  They share their philosophy based on where they are, not where they have come from.  Dr. Floyd’s process however, could work if you had 25 or 2500.

The whole premise of his message was, “The process always precedes the product.”

Here is the process he shared:

1. Start with missional vision and core values.  Define your missional vision and core values.  Core Values are guiding principles that create a culture that allows you to fulfill your future.  These are the things that are non-negotiable.  The things you live by.

2.  Next is the agreed upon goals.  Define your desired results.  What do you want to see in the end?  What is it you are working for?

3.  Then, identify your barriers.  Ask yourself, “What stands in my way?  What keeps me from accomplishing my desired results.”

4.  Define your Objectives.  Simply, make plans that will remove the barriers.

5.  Last, Make actions and directives.  Lay out specific steps to propel us to accomplish our future.  This is basically planning how you will make it to the end results.

6.  This process leads to the vision of your future.

One thing Dr. Floyd said that arrested my attention was, “The difference between a good leader and a great leader is follow-through.”  It hit me like a ton of bricks.  Follow-through happens to be a weakness of mine.  Not because I don’t finish what I start but rather I have too many irons in the fire, juggling too many things that take away the focus.  I am challenged to dedicate a certain portion of everyday to following through on the vision.

If you would like a copy of the process, here is a pdf file that I made from Dr. Floyd’s notes. 

These things can be applied to church, ministry, business or family.  Enjoy!

Do you have a cause to fight for?

Every person has a purpose for living.  Every person, that God has created, is destined for great things.  There is, however, a tragedy to this.  Not every one discovers their purpose. 

Implanted within you is something that you are passionate about.  You may not even notice it but inside of you is something that makes you passionate when you think about it.  Stop right now and think of something that stirs your heart.  Inside of you God has placed a cause for your life.

As I journey again through the Old Testament writings about the Kings of Israel and Judah, I noticed something about King David.  He was not yet king of Israel, he was just a young man with a cause.  Goliath was defying the army of Israel and the living God.  David catches wind of it and he is hot.  Although he is not the greatest of warriors, he is not even in the army, his heart is stirred.  His cause arises within him.  He voices his disgust that the army of Israel will not fight the giant, Goliath.  David’s brother then rebukes him and accuses him of pride.

David says, "What have I done now?  Is there not a cause?" (I Samuel 17:29)

There is a cause!  David chose to be the one to fight the 9 foot giant.  When man has a cause there is no obstacle too big for him.  When God implants within you a cause nothing can stop you but you.  David could have sat back and said, "I can’t fight the enemy here, I am not even in the army. It is not my place."  He chose, however, to fulfill his purpose.  God had placed that passion in David not the army.

There is a cause inside of you that God wants to use you to fulfill.  No matter how big the obstacle seems, if you are called to fulfill it, nothing can stop you.  Remember in the story that David did not wait until Goliath made the first move.  David ran at Goliath.  What a funny picture!  A kid with a slingshot running towards a guy that is two foot taller than Shaquille O’Neal.  There was no intimidating David. He had a cause.

God is waiting for His people to fulfill their cause.  We cannot be intimidated by the obstacles before us.  No matter how big they are, we cannot cower down.  We have a mission to fulfill.  My passion may not be the same as yours but you and I must each pursue our passions.  If we all pursue the cause inside of us, the body of Christ will be complete.  Run after the giants and fulfill your purpose.