A Prayer Through Tears

If you've been watching the news at all, you are aware of the horrible violence and murders that have taken place in Connetticut.  Here is a prayer shared by The God Article.  I hope it touches you as it did me.  Blessings.  ~ Ben

A Prayer for the Conn. Elementary Shooting
from The God Article

Good and gracious God,

Today we are reminded
that we live in a broken world.
We are reminded of how fragile
life really is.

Some will surely say,
“Where is your God?”
And it is easy to echo their question.
But remind us that you
did not cause this tragedy
or any other.
Remind us that you suffer
with those who suffer.
You reach out and offer them
a loving embrace of comfort.
You call on your people
to do the same.

While we know in our hearts
that this tragedy was senseless,
we also know that you
have a beautiful way of pulling meaning
out of the senseless
in order to help us move forward
and grow closer to you.

So for this moment,
we hold in our hearts
the children and the teachers killed,
the families who will now grieve
and, yes, even the shooter.
And even as we remember them,
we give thanks for the knowledge
that you love each of them
and have invited them into your presences.

Once we have grieved this tragedy,
turn our minds toward the problem
of violence in this world.
Help us to bracket out
political perspectives
and the monetary call of big business,
and focus our hearts and minds
on the love of your creation,
the love of our neighbor.

May the way we move forward
honor the lives that have been lost.

Amen.

Unintentional Growth Hindrance

I've seen a phenomenon occur in every church I have been a part of.  The latest program comes up, and the person leading the program asks the "old standbys" to fill all the leadership and service roles.  Then disappointment sets in as the new folks don't participate as fully as expected.  It's not that the program was bad, or even that the desire was to exclude anyone.  Really, the positions were filled because the leader knew people who had done it before or they had such a relationship that the leader knew they would do it again.

However...

This unintentionally hinders the growth of a church because it excludes people from becoming fully functioning members of the community.  It says, "We've already got someone who does that, sorry."  In a church, roles need to change and be filled by new people on a regular basis.  This not only keeps things fresh, but it also keeps those who have done it before from getting burned out (a major problem among church volunteers).

Additionally, it allows folks who have been involved for awhile to continue to grow and stretch as they gain new skills.  Just because someone is trained as an accountant doesn't mean they want to serve on the finance team.  Likewise, a trained educator might not be best to teach Sunday School.  I know a man who has been practicing as a physician for over 30 years who is the best 4th Grade Sunday School teacher you'll ever find.  A logistics manager I know has an incredible heart for pastoral care.  The owner of a large HVAC business rocks electric guitar on his church's praise band.  I could go on.

It's what distinguishes growing churches from plateaued churches.  The fancy word is "assimilation."  If that's too Borgian, think of it as "getting involveded-ness." 

It can be in official capacities for big projects and events (like running VBS or the annual Christmas Program) or in small ways (cooking hotdogs, passing collection plates, leading Children's time, organizing where food goes for potlucks).

The difficulty is in letting someone else do the work.  And trusting them to take care of it.  Empowering folks is difficult for many of us, but it is a skill that can be learned.  Next time you have the opportunity to fill a role, skip over the people who immediately come to mind.  Dig a little deeper and see who has never done this before but who might be good at it.  Ask them to take the lead, but let them know if they have any questions, you're right there for them.  Don't be obtrusive or nagging, but take a step back and let them see you present and supportive.  That will work wonders for getting people involved and committed to the program.

You already love your church, and you serve in a myriad of ways.  It's time to open opportunities for others to love and serve in a similar fashion.  Not only will they be blessed, but God's Kingdom will be enriched. 

Angels We Have Heard On High?

My office manager and I were looking for the perfect piece of advent art for the cover of our Christmas Cantata bulletin.  We decided singing angels wold be appropriate.  The first Google image search made us die laughing!

Middle Guy: I'm here for the band...who are...wait, what are you guys doing?!

OK, seriously!  They look like the Bee Gees.  The one on the left appears to be playing a pair of underwear.  The next one is holding...a rainstick?  Then we've got the mandolin player, which is actually a legitimate musical instrument.  I'm not so sure about the two on the right, but the one holding a long black thing looks like he's smoking something out of it.  No one holds an instrument like that.

Maybe the artist got confused and thought the title of the song is "We Have Heard High Angels."  That's the only logical explanation for whatever is happening in this picture. 

Happy Advent

This is awesome!  Happy beginning of Advent!