Day 305 - Rain or Shine

"Our society has no sense of duty in the committed and consistent view that says “I won't miss church for rain or distraction, tiredness or anything else.”"

It is a shame that the post office is more committed to their task than a lot of church goers are. Maybe I am wrong. I really hope I am. It could be that I live in Southern California and we are just a bunch of big babies. Any time a little rain falls out of the sky the news is broadcasting "Storm Watch" and the roads are flooded (no, not with water) with accidents. 

So then the perfect storm of cold and wet on a Sunday morning and our attendance drops. I don't care who you are or where you are from if you are a pastor your hearts desire is to see people in church. What is worse than not having people in church is not having people in church for a stupid reason. I'll overlook traveling to be with family on a holiday weekend but a little rain?! Come on! 

What it takes to turn this around is committed people doing what it takes to get to church. Those people when they get there have an encounter with God and then they need to tell everyone they know who wasn't there that they all missed out. Next time those who missed out might think twice before staying home. In fact I suspect the more fun, the deeper we go, the more expression of the Spirit on the small nights the more people will desire to be there. Maybe I am crazy. 

What do you think? How can we help others to be committed to church rain or shine?

Day 236 - Have You Heard?

Avalon harbor dock overloaded with small boats

"I could tell a lot of people had never heard faith taught." 

In the church world it seems to be a constant turnaround. People come and people go. One pastor commented that we pastor a parade. Whoever is in front of us we minister to with the understanding that they are just passing through. 

With this understanding I often will find myself repeating concepts and preaching the same thing over and over again. This is not only good for those who haven't heard but it serves as a refresher for all of us. We need to hear things more than once and be reminded and stirred up from time to time. 

The remedy for all this is to be consistent. If I could speak anything into someones life it would be to stay faithful to God and be consistent in church. Wherever you are at, and I know that people read this all over the world, get into a local church and be consistent. 

I recently went to Catalina Island. I hadn't been there in decades and the one time I went was for a concert and I didn't get to experience the island. In the main bay there are boats all over the place and they moor out in the bay. Everyone rides their smaller boats to get to shore. There are often too many boats for the dock. The image left an impression on me.  

What we need is more people that are stable and willing to stay in the same place.  Consistent people serve as an anchor for others. Eventually they will see the blessing of being stable and consistent. In the Psalms is says that people who are planted in the House of God will flourish in His courts. Our lives will be blessed by the consistent nourishment we receive from regular church attendance, fellowship and prayer in agreement with faith filled people. 

Have you seen the benefit of consistency? How did it bless your life? 

Day 158 - New Levels

"We are going to a new level."

Life is a journey. Sometimes it is uphill and you go to a new level. Sometimes you backslide and it brings you down. There are also plateaus where you feel like nothing much is happening. 

The goal is to go onward and upward. It comes by choice. You decide your direction and destination. Don't be afraid to tell people your intent. Pray and commit it to God. Agree on it with your spouse. Involve your friends and family in it. There is accountability to what you have spoken. 

It also comes by consistency. You have to stay focused on your direction and continue in it. If you abandon your goals you won't make it there by accident. You have to keep at your course until you make it. 

A year after writing this statement I believe it has come to pass. We made the choice and stayed consistent. We are lifting our sights for the next year to come. We are going to a new level. 

Why is it hard to choose life direction sometimes? What keeps us from being consistent?

Day 154 - The Dinner Course

"Jess made an omelet this morning for me that was delicious. Then for lunch I made fish and salad. Then we had quesadilla and cereal for dinner."

I have noticed that on social media if you want to start a conversation and get people commenting all you have to do is post a picture of your food. People are passionate about food. Some people skip breakfast and some, like me, love breakfast. Some eat to live and some live to eat. 

Whatever your preference you are what you eat. It becomes a part of you and gives you the energy to do life. What you eat can hurt you or heal you. It is important to put good things in!

Similarly our spiritual life is governed by what we put in. Not only that we have to be consistent at it. A good meal in the morning and afternoon with a terrible meal for dinner is not going to cut it. You have to finish what you started. Consistency is what makes the difference. 

Make sure to consistently put in truth (whatever God says), goodness, grace, pure things, beauty, praiseworthy things, and anything healthy. There are multiple lists in the Bible of things that we can feed our souls and strengthen our spirits with. 

Just reading the dinner I had last year makes my stomach turn. We must have been tired or lazy. In any case that is the exception and not the rule. 

What do you like to eat? What spiritual food do you regularly eat?