Posted in Grace, Ministry

The fifth one is on us

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A few weeks ago, I met someone who didn’t attend church much, but came to worship with us one Sunday. I’m not sure how, but we got talking about the punch cards he carried in his wallet from various places he liked to eat. You know, where you get it punched every time you come in, and then when you have a certain number of punches, you get something free.

For some strange reason, I thought, “I can do that.” I made him a “frequent worshiper” card for our church. “Attend four worship services, and the fifth mass is on us!” I laminated it, punched out one of the church logos for the Sunday he was here, and sent it with the usual letter thanking him for worshiping with us. I haven’t seen or heard from him yet, but I hope he found it as amusing as I did.

Afterwards I got to thinking, “What would it mean for worship to be ‘on us’?” I mean, we give freely because of all God has freely given us. I guess it could mean you didn’t have to put an offering in that week. Or maybe you could get something from the plate when it was passed around. Although I wouldn’t recommend it. Our ushers are pretty tough.

Actually, this isn’t such a unique idea. We have churches in our community that have given out gas and coffee gift cards to first time visitors. Some will take you out for ice cream if you bring a friend to youth group. My idea was meant to be taken lightly, but hopefully it will help strengthen the connection with this individual.

Posted in Life

The final curtain

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Today was the last performance of “This Thing Called Love,” a dinner theater at our church. Having done five shows over two weekends gave me a new appreciation for those who do a show on Broadway for years, or those who tour and perform the same show 7 or 8 times a week. I wonder how you stay “up” for a performance that is essentially the same night after night, week after week, month after month. And many of those who do it love it. Not only is it their profession, but it is their passion. It’s what people pay to see, so that’s what you have to do. How do you keep from getting stale? I’m sure there are techniques you learn to be able to be your best on a consistent basis. But I’m also sure it’s hard work, too.

Touring bands must face the same challenges. Playing the same songs over and over each night in different places, and having to make them sound fresh and exciting each time around. I have great respect for those who do this and do it well.

Posted in Grace, Life, Ministry

People of influence

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Tomorrow, as the first part of a stewardship emphasis at our church, I’ll be talking about the influence we have in this world. My sermon is based on Matthew 5:13-16, where Jesus says we are the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world.”

One way to look at this is to see how influential Jesus says we are in this world, making as much difference as salt and light make when something is bland or dark. (If you’d prefer to think of salt as a preservative, that works, too. We make as much difference as salt and light when things are rotting and dark.) Anyway, I think we sometimes forget how influential we are as Christians. Feeling outnumbered by other faiths and atheists and agnostics, the temptation is retreat into our own worlds or let ourselves be influenced by others.

Whether we like it or not, God shakes us out of the saltshaker and puts us into the workplace, the marketplace, the schools, and our communities. There, whether we realize it or not, we bring some of Jesus with us. By that, I mean we bring what we’ve received from him, things like forgiveness, love, humility, patience, etc. And that is the stuff that salts, brightens, and changes the world. Wrap your mind (heart, soul, and strength) around that, and you might even do it intentionally, realizing what a difference God makes through you.

We are anything but ordinary, bland, and dull in this world. We’re salt and light.


Posted in Life, Rant

Coffee crisis

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Coffee maker crisis. The most annoying thing in our lives right now, at least first thing in the morning, is our coffee maker. We’ve become totally dependent on a Keurig one cup coffee maker, which has developed a mind of its own.

Here’s the problem: you never know how much coffee will end up in your cup. Sometimes it is a normal 8 oz. serving, exactly what you expect. Other times, the coffee maker holds back, giving you a couple ounces of really strong stuff. Still other times, you get more than you expected, more than will fit in the cup you have. I’ve cleaned it, de-scaled it, done everything I’m supposed to do, and we still can’t get the one thing we really want to work in the morning to work in the morning.

I know, this really isn’t much of a crisis, especially when people in Haiti don’t have water to drink and plenty of people in the world have no food much less a cup of coffee. It just shows how easy it is to get hooked on a convenience. This morning I reflected on the olden days when we had to get up and actually brew a cup of coffee, a process that could take 10 minutes. Now we call that roughing it.

There are lots of coffee makers on sale right now, so we’ll probably just shop around for a new one. Then my mind can move on to bigger and better things.

Posted in Life

Jazz 91.1

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I’ve got some new music to listen to while I’m working at the computer. It’s the live feed at http://www.jazz.fm, Jazz 91.1 from Toronto, Canada. All jazz music, all the time, an amazing variety of music and musicians, instrumentalists, bands, and vocalists. A few things I’ve heard before, but a lot I haven’t. As soon as I turn it on, it creates a very relaxing mood wherever I am. I even have the app on my iPhone.

It’s been a long, long time since I’ve been somewhere that had an actual jazz station to listen to. A long, long time ago, there was one in Philadelphia. There used to be a smooth jazz station in Jacksonville, FL, but they changed format to Latin music. So these sounds are very welcome when I find myself parked at the computer, working on sermons or letters or whatever.

It’s got me playing my trumpet more, too, especially some jazz etudes I’ve collected over the years. It would be nice to have some kind of band to play with, but for now, practicing on my own with some occasional background tracks has been a good way to clear my mind and stimulate some different parts of my brain.

Posted in Grace, Life, Ministry

Thanks, God

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I just listened to a message on my answering machine from someone we’ve been praying for who needed some tests done. Pretty serious stuff and a little bit of anxiety. Well, the news was good and the voice on the machine sounded suitably relieved! You’ve got to love a message like that.

Just that moment of joy and the chance to thank God for His care also made me realize that I don’t get to find out what happens to a lot of people for whom we pray. Our petitions for help and healing far outweigh our prayers of thanks and praise.

That’s one of the reasons I keep a list of prayers in the back of my daily devotional journal. That way, I can go back and remember what I prayed for a week or months ago. I would say nine times out of ten, something has happened in that situation, and I become aware of God’s response to a prayer. Without that list, I’d forget, wouldn’t think about the response, and would miss out on seeing God at work in our lives. It’s definitely a faith-building experience when your petitions are replaced by thanks and praise rather than just more petitions.

I do this when I teach prayer in confirmation class, too. We post our prayers on a bulletin board and revisit them each week to see what’s happened. I am just as amazed as the students at all the answers. Of course, not every issue is resolved. Some things remain in our ongoing prayers, but that’s OK, too. Our persistent prayers remind us of our dependence on God and his grace, and build our endurance, character, and hope.

Posted in Ministry

Shallow faith

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I think this entry is a testimony to how shallow my faith can be sometimes. Even though I’ve been getting to meet and minister to an average of one new family per week over the past months, my world was rocked by a rumor about one of our families who may be looking for another church. I don’t even know if that’s a fact, but just the idea is enough to hit my heart like a dart of failure. I know that is a totally ridiculous response, but it is what it is.

Immediately, my mind switches into guilt mode. Was it something I said? Or something I did? Was it something I didn’t say? When did I last see them? Call them? Pray for them? No wonder they’re looking somewhere else. What kind of a pastor am I?

Then I quickly change channels to defense mode. After all I’ve done for them? Hour long drives to visit them in the hospital and rehab. Coming up with money to help them get through a tough time. Support, encouragement, prayers, whatever. What more could they want? What in the world is the matter with them?

After I get all that out of my system, then faith kicks in again. It might not have anything to do with me at all. It might be a part of their faith journey. People leave other churches to come to ours; some leave to go to others. And really, there’s just one church, right? We’re not in competition with each other. They may be the blessing that another church needs. And another church may be just what they need.

I will try to call them again, just to talk with them. I would really like to know more about the next step in their journey. Recently, all I get is an answering machine.

Posted in Ministry

Unresponsive

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I didn’t get much response to my sermon today. We observed Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, and I think I got one comment after church and one emailed comment in the afternoon. Period. Why so little reaction? Could it be that I played it too safe? That I really didn’t say anything that warrants a response? It’s possible. Or could it be that the word need to incubate for a while before a response? That’s possible, too. But like most people who want instant results, I want an instant response. But the response may not come today. Or tomorrow. It may come sometime in the future. I may never see it or hear about it. This is where faith comes in. God says his word never comes back void but always accomplishes what he wants. I can only trust that God is right, that the word wasn’t preached in vain, and that somewhere, in some heart, something is happening. I should know better by now to not expect any useful response. But a part of me still hungers for that.

Posted in Ministry

Last minute sermon adjustments

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Today I’m wondering how much I should adjust my sermon to address the event that is on everyone’s mind and constantly on the news: the devastating earthquake in Haiti last week. I’m already prepared to speak about life issues this week, as we often do the third Sunday of January. Yet I can’t pretend that people aren’t thinking about the suffering in Haiti, how they can help, earthquakes, and what this all might mean. I also can’t ignore the even greater tragedy of millions and millions of abortions over the last 36 years in America.

My plan is to still speak the truth about life, and use Haiti as an example of how sensitive we are to suffering and dying in this world. So is God. That is why His Word speaks so powerfully about the value of human life, from the view of both creation and redemption. We care about life because He does. Since I don’t write out my sermons, but do a kind of storyboarding, I think I can weave this together.

Another thing to consider when adjusting a sermon is how quickly we move from one crisis to another. After five days, there are already other stories in the news, and our focus is turned elsewhere. Jesus said that earthquakes are just the beginning of the birth pangs, just a sign that the world will be coming to an end, calling people to boldly testify of him and remain faithful (Matthew 24). It’s going to happen, and you are going to need some endurance, in other words, hang on for the ride and remain faithful by loving God and loving others (Revelation). For me, that’s about all you can say about an earthquake. But there is so much more to say about life.