Life is a passage and as such things change continually. Having spent almost half a century on this planet I have gone through a few such changes. I’ve been a child an adolescent and an adult. I’ve worked for the church and in the business world. I’ve been a preachers kid and not a preachers kid. I’ve been single and married. I’ve not had kids, had kids and now my kids are primarily out of my house and on their own. Life changes. Most of the changes that come to mind have to do with my kids. Here are a few things I miss because life has changed.

I miss my daughter’s high school Christmas concerts. They were the best.

I miss cool fall mornings watching my son in a cross-country meet.

I miss the early morning drives and the visits with my wife going to said meets.

I miss visiting with my kids teachers and coaches because they all ways had good things to say about my kids.

I miss little kids in the house.

I miss dinner conversations with the four of us.

I miss having the kids tucked in bed and sitting in the living room with my wife just enjoying the company

While change is inevitable it doesn’t have to be all bad. There are plenty of things I like about the changes life has brought.

I love quite evening meals with my wife.

I love not hearing my kids come in at all hours of the night.

I love a clean house.

I love a quite house.

I love it when my kids come home.

I love it when my kids call and just want to visit.

I’m sure life has lots of changes to come but right now life is good and I’m enjoying where I am. What ever happens things will be all right and we’ll all adjust to the changes and think about what we miss and what we enjoy. Life’s like that.

One of the more interesting books I’ve read in the last few years is Soul Survivor by Phillip Yancey. The book is basically Yancey’s list of people who have helped him survive church. You know what I mean. Sometimes the hardest place to be is with Christians. We’ve all been hurt and we have all wanted to give up at times. So why have you stuck around? Who or what has kept you tied to Gods people in spite of all the things they do wrong?

This week I get to sit down with the people who are building my boat and work out all the final design issues. The reason I’m getting to do this is pretty simple. The manufacture needed my boat to build a mold from and in return for giving up my boat for six weeks they offered to build a boat to my specifications, no cost to me. No brainer! So Saturday I get to pick colors, deck lay out and dimensions plus all the other bells and whistles I might want. Not bad for a part time guide.

As cool as this is it pales in comparisons to the last weekend. Sunday was Fathers Day. Both of my kids are away at school this summer but they both found the time to call and say they were thinking of their dad. Beats a boat all to pieces. There’s nothing that means more to a parent then kids who have grown up to be really good people and I’m blessed with two of them.

I get to enjoy a great family, preach for a living, and get paid to fish. Life’s good.

Having been employed in full time ministry for almost 20 years I find I’m still asking a lot of the same questions. What’s the purpose of the church? If the purpose of the church is relegated to simple evangelism, by which I mean the converting the lost to saved, then why is 90% of what we do pointed at the saved? Our education programs, fellowship gatherings, worship and almost every ministry we have are more focused on the church member then the non-member. If the church’s purpose is to be a community of light and salt in the world so that others can see what God really wanted humans to be and do then why are we so bent on separating ourselves from the world. We seem to do a much better job at keeping the world at arms length then we do at living out the Gospel.

I tend to lean toward the second explanation of what the church is to be about. It’s not that evangelism is not part of our purpose its just that evangelism is a serendipity of doing what were called to do. I feel our message is that the Kingdom of God is at hand and we should be a model of that kingdom.

A community of faith that lives a sacrificial life, serving the least of these, pursuing holiness, continuing the ministry of Jesus and basically being disciples of Christ will fulfill the role of the church. If we are to be Jesus to each other and to the world how does that happen? How does Jesus become incarnate again in His church? Darryl Tippens has a wonderful book out about everyday spirituality entitled Pilgrim Heart. In it he writes of everyday spiritual experiences that bring Christianity to life. Can we honestly call ourselves the church if we don’t radiate the life that Jesus promised?

What are some ways Jesus has become incarnate to you?

I’m not sure I’m right but I’ve decided laughing is not just good for you it’s spiritual in nature. Here are a few reasons.

1. The observation has been made that in all of creation only man can laugh. That in and of its self is a pretty good reason to think laughing is spiritual.
2. Jesus seems to have had a pretty good sense of humor. The plank in your eye and a camel going through the eye of a needle are exaggerations that can’t help but make you smile.
3. Anything that makes you a better person would seem to have spiritual roots. People who laugh a lot seem to be better folks then those who never laugh.
4. A well-developed sense of humor seems to be a trait of balanced people. I have no proof of this but 48 years of observation have brought me to this conclusion. Imbalanced people are not very spiritual in my experience.
5. Laughing seems to be one of the times we release control of ourselves to something else. When you’re on the floor laughing so hard you can’t breath isn’t there a slight chance you’re possessed?

Laughing is one of the things that make life better and anything that makes life better is O.K. by me. I believe it was the Apostle Peter who said there is no law against doing good. He could have just as easily said there is no law against laughing. Unless your mother is sitting behind you in church when your friend sitting next to you starts snoring. Now that’s funny.

Just for fun what’s the funniest thing that’s happen in church that you’ve experienced.

Since I’ve been preaching on the community of faith for the last month and will continue for at least another month a lot of my time has been spent considering the concepts of Christian unity. I’m part of the American Restoration Movement that was built on a call for this unity. The originators of our movement did not believe they were the only Christians but called all Christians of all faiths to work together for the same ends. Unfortunately this wonderful dream degenerated into a very devise group of folks who have earned their reputation. In recent years we have started to return to our roots of a unity movement and some positive things are happening.

I have to ask the question, is it possible for all faiths to be unified in a common belief that Jesus is our Lord and we are called to follow His lead. Is it absolutely necessary that you and I agree on a few pet doctrines for us to be in fellowship and accept each other as brothers and sisters?

It seems to me that the things that unite Christians are much more important and powerful then the things we argue and divide over. There is no one I agree with one hundred percent, not my wife, not my kids, not my parents but I still accept them as family. More then just accepting them I’m tied to them and I’m invested in their lives. Is this too much to ask of brothers and sister in Christ?

If unity is possible based on a common purpose rather then doctrinal agreement, how do we get there? My suggestion is service. The church where I preach is emotionally, physically and financially invested in a ministry that feeds the homeless here in our city. We are linked to almost every church in town in this effort. The folks who run the ministry are very different then we are when it comes to worship style and doctrine but we have found a common work in serving “the least of these” that over come the things that separate us.

Is it possible for this to happen on a larger scale? I hope so. More then that I pray that it will, so that the world can know who Jesus is and what he is about.

Since I’ve been preaching on the community of faith for the last month and will continue for at least another month a lot of my time has been spent considering the concepts of Christian unity. I’m part of the American Restoration Movement that was built on a call for this unity. The originators of our movement did not believe they were the only Christians but called all Christians of all faiths to work together for the same ends. Unfortunately this wonderful dream degenerated into a very devise group of folks who have earned their reputation. In recent years we have started to return to our roots of a unity movement and some positive things are happening.

I have to ask the question, is it possible for all faiths to be unified in a common belief that Jesus is our Lord and we are called to follow His lead. Is it absolutely necessary that you and I agree on a few pet doctrines for us to be in fellowship and accept each other as brothers and sisters?

It seems to me that the things that unite Christians are much more important and powerful then the things we argue and divide over. There is no one I agree with one hundred percent, not my wife, not my kids, not my parents but I still accept them as family. More then just accepting them I’m tied to them and I’m invested in their lives. Is this too much to ask of brothers and sister in Christ?

If unity is possible based on a common purpose rather then doctrinal agreement, how do we get there? My suggestion is service. The church where I preach is emotionally, physically and financially invested in a ministry that feeds the homeless here in our city. We are linked to almost every church in town in this effort. The folks who run the ministry are very different then we are when it comes to worship style and doctrine but we have found a common work in serving “the least of these” that over come the things that separate us.

Is it possible for this to happen on a larger scale? I hope so. More then that I pray that it will, so that the world can know who Jesus is and what he is about.

I have returned. A lot of my writing time lately has been given to a book project so I have been less then regular in posting to my blog. For those of you who have gently reminded me that you do look here on occasion, thanks for interest.

The possible book I’m working on is based on the theory we might be better off if we approached each conversation and discussion with the underlying understanding I might be wrong. I don’t know if this project will work out to be a book or not. My sister is graciously editing and I’m making a feeble attempt to write so we’ll see what happens. In the coming weeks I’ll try and post a few excerpts just to get your feed back.

Until then thanks for showing up.