In the Zone

What is Alpha? That's a very good question that I cannot give a very good answer to. Alpha is a program which teaches spiritual truths, but does so through a video series and small group interactions. It's not your traditional Bible study. It is more organic in the conversations it starts. And, initially, it was something I was afraid of. You see, as people, we are reluctant to try new things. We can be very set in our ways. We like our schedules, our tastes, our pace of life and our ways of doing things. A church is made up of people, so you can only magnify that reluctance. Churches tend to be places based on traditions and by-laws and the way it has always been done. In some ways, churches fear change because it is different and to some people, different is bad. So when I first had the opportunity to start Alpha at our church, I was hesitant. I feared it failing. I feared this new way of teaching. I feared bad theology. I feared the ramifications if this thing went...

You clicked on the story, didn't you? Well, I have to be honest. I made up that headline with the intention of you clicking on the story. It's a tactic often used in what is known as "click bait." These are stories with ambiguous headlines like the one above that are designed to pique your curiosity enough to get you to click on the story. Once there, the author or the site gets money from ad revenue based upon their visitor numbers. It's a scheme, and we all fall for it. We just can't resist clicking on the story to see what it is all about. Usually, it's nothing, but you click and read and they get revenue. So the cycle continues. Sometimes it is even worse than that. People will literally make up false stories to sway your opinion about someone or something. Usually it is politically motivated. It happens on both the left and the right. It's the phenomena we know as "fake news." With the advent of social media, fake news has expl...

Jesus is entitled. Do you realize that? Of all the talk in our culture about entitlements and people who feel entitled to things they didn't achieve, Jesus Christ actually is entitled. And he deserves it. You see, God is entitled because he's God. He made the universe. He is the embodiment of goodness. He is perfect. He is all powerful and all knowing and ever present. By being God, he is entitled to our worship, devotion, adoration, and obedience. In a sense, that's what the Ten Commandments were about. They ratified God's covenant with Israel, but also stipulated that Israel was to only worship God, to obey his commands, and be completely devoted to him. Then, he went out to describe the proper ways to do that. God is entitled. Jesus is God. Therefore, Jesus is entitled to those things as well. And yet, despite that, Jesus did not take those entitlements while on earth. Paul writes in Philippians 2:5-11, that Jesus did not take advantage of his divinity on...

I have no desire to be a caretaker pastor. If you don't know what a caretaker pastor is, then let me explain. It's a term for a pastor who simply takes care of the people in the church and does not worry about being innovative, evangelistic, or doing anything that might rock the boat. Caretaker pastors generally keep the people in the church happy rather than trying to make strides to grow the church in a significant way. Generally, this term is applied to older pastors near retirement. They see the end in sight and so they concentrate on keeping things quiet in the church. No conflict means a smooth ride out of the church and into retirement. I've seen it too many times. Often it means that the church is slowly dying. The pastor, rather than rescue the church, is content with keeping members happy. Happiness and peace often means more than growth and evangelistic efforts. I get it. Churches all over America are dying. More will close this week. It's easy to f...