In the South people tend to shorten statements and words whenever possible. We save a lot of time in the South by doing so, although we are also prone to speak slowly and add a few syllables here and there, so any time saved is often lost later in the same sentence. Ustabe is an example of a Southern contraction. “I ustabe faster than I am now.” A cousin of ustabe is ustacould. “I ustacould eat doughnuts all day long and not gain weight. I ustabe skinny but now I aintnomore.” O.K., maybe it’s only my relatives that speak like this, but regional dialects are not the point of this treatise. Whether you say “ustabe” or “used to be” is a matter of choice. The real intent isn’t on contractions but on statements of past performance. When a person says they were formerly able to do something it suggests they cannot do so any longer. To some degree this makes sense as the natural life cycle of aging necessitates the reduction of many actions. A person over a certain age cannot do all of the things they were able to do twenty years earlier. Aging brings restrictions that are often hard to overcome. Dreaming dreams of a better future and goal setting should not be added to that list however. This would be true for people of any age.
Ustabe is not a derivative of the Greek language. The closest thing to this in scripture might read “I ustabe an unrepentant sinner and now I’m free in Christ.” As they say in the trade, “that’ll preach.” We are to be new creatures in Christ and as such we must have a future focus. Dwelling on past failures is not productive to spiritual growth. Focusing on past accomplishments and assuming we no longer have what it takes to make a difference is simply unscriptural. There is no retirement age for our faith lives. There is also no such thing as too small a contribution to God’s Kingdom. It doesn’t take a village to progress a church, it takes a congregation. Congregation is plural and implies everyone. All people have something to share and to contribute. But, God won’t make us do anything. Having a future view and seeking to make a difference is entirely up to us. Coasting is allowed but is not encouraged. Too much coasting will ultimately lead to a ustabe church.
It’s not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. Sir Edmund Hillary
None of us will ever accomplish excellence except when he listens to this whisper which is heard by him alone. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Let us not cease to do the utmost, that we may incessantly go forward in the way of the Lord; and let us not despair of the smallness of our accomplishments. John Calvin
MM (ustabe lost but I aintnomore)
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Cup' A Joe For Ya'?
Americans love coffee. On average Americans drink three cups of coffee each day. What demographic group drinks the most coffee you ask? Surprisingly, it’s not the uber-trendy young adults often seen on television in cool coffee shops, it’s the over-60 crowd. I’m guessing you won’t see a television show about older friends hanging out at Geezer Perk. Who’s next in daily coffee consumption? It’s the 40-59 group. This is hard to believe if you’ve been in one of the swanky coffee establishments lately. Even in a recession the crowds are large and normally on the younger side. Obviously coffee is a multi-generation beverage.
There is also a new language spoken in today’s coffee world. As a purveyor of extremely mild coffee I do not shop at the trendiest spots, nor do I understand the unique language spoken there, but my wife does and upon her request I recently pulled up to a drive-through and placed her order. She told me what she wanted and I remember staring at her in stunned silence. I want a grande skinny mocha caramel latte light whipped. “I thought you wanted coffee?” It is coffee. Sir, may I take your order? “Uh, yeah, it’s a, uh, what was that again?”
You know the world is spinning a bit too fast when it takes seven words to order coffee and coffee isn’t one of them. Where has simplicity gone? Would someone please slow down this merry-go-round ? No, because it’s not possible. We have seen more change in the past fifty years than in all of history combined. It’s stands to reason that we will experience even more in the near future. But, come on, how many cable channels do we need? Do we really benefit from being connected 24/7? Do kids really need to become skilled in every gaming system that exists? Would we all benefit from a slow walk in the park? It’s not my place to answer these questions for others; my job is to begin the conversation and steer it toward the arena of faith. So, ponder what Jesus might say about today’s speed-of-light-lifestyles? Assess the toll that stress has taken due to our deepening dependence on being connected. You know it’s getting out of hand when the laws for texting while driving are the same as driving under the influence of alcohol. It might be time to slow down, take a breath and order a cup of coffee…plain coffee!
MM
There is also a new language spoken in today’s coffee world. As a purveyor of extremely mild coffee I do not shop at the trendiest spots, nor do I understand the unique language spoken there, but my wife does and upon her request I recently pulled up to a drive-through and placed her order. She told me what she wanted and I remember staring at her in stunned silence. I want a grande skinny mocha caramel latte light whipped. “I thought you wanted coffee?” It is coffee. Sir, may I take your order? “Uh, yeah, it’s a, uh, what was that again?”
You know the world is spinning a bit too fast when it takes seven words to order coffee and coffee isn’t one of them. Where has simplicity gone? Would someone please slow down this merry-go-round ? No, because it’s not possible. We have seen more change in the past fifty years than in all of history combined. It’s stands to reason that we will experience even more in the near future. But, come on, how many cable channels do we need? Do we really benefit from being connected 24/7? Do kids really need to become skilled in every gaming system that exists? Would we all benefit from a slow walk in the park? It’s not my place to answer these questions for others; my job is to begin the conversation and steer it toward the arena of faith. So, ponder what Jesus might say about today’s speed-of-light-lifestyles? Assess the toll that stress has taken due to our deepening dependence on being connected. You know it’s getting out of hand when the laws for texting while driving are the same as driving under the influence of alcohol. It might be time to slow down, take a breath and order a cup of coffee…plain coffee!
MM
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
So Many Churches, So Many Choices
Ever wonder why there are so many churches in today’s world? Ever wonder why there are so many different types of churches in today’s world? Well, join the crowd as the mailing list on those questions is quite long. This is especially true for people who are familiar with the formation of the Christian church in the first century. In the beginning there was but one church, and those who worshipped, prayed, studied, and served were Christians. The one church was all about following Jesus. Overtime there were disagreements and subsequent schisms, some small and some large, and the result became the myriad total of different Christian expressions prevalent today. Today it is more likely that a person views themselves as being a _____ rather than as a Christian.
The most recent issue of benign division relates more to worship styles than to denominational or theological squabbles. Sadly, churches across the spectrum have engaged in internal strife over the style and format of worship services. All of this began after a couple of visionary pastoral leaders began churches in places where the historical and hyper-traditional worship formats no longer attracted unaffiliated younger adults. In Chicago and in Southern California these new approaches to “going to church” began to reach large numbers of people and a new strategy for evangelism and discipleship was born. Being “bandwagon-prone,” churches all over America began to copy the styles and strategies of these two mega-churches. In some places the new insights and practices worked well and churches became successful in reaching adults for Christ. Conversely, many churches and eager pastors all but destroyed their churches by instituting new worship styles. The old adage just because it works in one place doesn’t mean it will work in every location was lost in the translation and many people suffered in the process.
Traditional, Blended-Traditional, Contemporary and Emergent churches are all excellent options for reaching people for Christ, which is after all what we are called to do. It’s not that it takes all kinds of people, it’s that there are all kinds of people, so we should have unique worship and church options for all of the different types of people who need a relationship with Christ. One option isn’t better than another option, just different. Each option is valuable and obviously God-inspired. The only rule is to not be nutty. If you are a nutcase pastor leading a nutcase church you cease being a viable option for positively impacting the Kingdom.
In a nearby state there is a church that plans to burn non-King James Bibles on Halloween, along with books by authors who have been influenced by Satan. The Reverend Nutcase in this church deems Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Mother Teresa and Billy Graham as offensive writers and plans to burn their books along with Bibles not written in Middle English. I’m thinking of sending him a copy of one of my books so I can be in the company of the aforementioned Christian giants (which may be my only shot). Nutty Christians do not profit God’s plans to reach the millions of people who desperately need Him. So remember: unique churches with unique worship styles are good; nutty churches aren’t.
MM
The most recent issue of benign division relates more to worship styles than to denominational or theological squabbles. Sadly, churches across the spectrum have engaged in internal strife over the style and format of worship services. All of this began after a couple of visionary pastoral leaders began churches in places where the historical and hyper-traditional worship formats no longer attracted unaffiliated younger adults. In Chicago and in Southern California these new approaches to “going to church” began to reach large numbers of people and a new strategy for evangelism and discipleship was born. Being “bandwagon-prone,” churches all over America began to copy the styles and strategies of these two mega-churches. In some places the new insights and practices worked well and churches became successful in reaching adults for Christ. Conversely, many churches and eager pastors all but destroyed their churches by instituting new worship styles. The old adage just because it works in one place doesn’t mean it will work in every location was lost in the translation and many people suffered in the process.
Traditional, Blended-Traditional, Contemporary and Emergent churches are all excellent options for reaching people for Christ, which is after all what we are called to do. It’s not that it takes all kinds of people, it’s that there are all kinds of people, so we should have unique worship and church options for all of the different types of people who need a relationship with Christ. One option isn’t better than another option, just different. Each option is valuable and obviously God-inspired. The only rule is to not be nutty. If you are a nutcase pastor leading a nutcase church you cease being a viable option for positively impacting the Kingdom.
In a nearby state there is a church that plans to burn non-King James Bibles on Halloween, along with books by authors who have been influenced by Satan. The Reverend Nutcase in this church deems Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Mother Teresa and Billy Graham as offensive writers and plans to burn their books along with Bibles not written in Middle English. I’m thinking of sending him a copy of one of my books so I can be in the company of the aforementioned Christian giants (which may be my only shot). Nutty Christians do not profit God’s plans to reach the millions of people who desperately need Him. So remember: unique churches with unique worship styles are good; nutty churches aren’t.
MM
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Dear Earth, You're Only as Old as You Feel
The latest archeological testing has determined that humans did not evolve from apes after all. The 1994 find of a four-foot tall female skeleton in Ethiopia and the just released intensive testing have laid to rest the long held belief that humans evolved from a prehistoric ape. Archaeologists searching for the “Missing Link” now have to regroup and begin looking for this common ancestor of both humans and apes. Those aren’t the only scientists thrown for a loop as a result of this earth shaking discovery. Scientists who date the Earth’s age are also scrambling to find their calculators as our planet is now believed to be even older than previous research had indicated.
Theology will not be immune to this discovery as both protests and affirmations will flow from the two sides of the creation versus evolution debate. Creationists see the world as being only 6,000 years old and reject all tenets of evolution. On the other end of the spectrum are those who view the earth as being millions of years old and who readily accept many of the teachings of evolution as long as it is stated that God was intimately involved. In the middle are those who have no clue and are happy to admit it. Truth be told, that’s the best location to be in the midst of all the rancorous debate. Many of today’s best scientists are swimming upstream against the current after these findings were published. World class scientists held to the ape-to-human evolution track for most of the twentieth-century, only to be proven wrong by one find. Now they know how meteorologists feel on a regular basis. Creationists will continue to say that all of this is hooey and that carbon dating is a hoax. And the fight goes on.
So let’s find a middle ground and settle this silly fight over something so mysterious, so ethereal, and so abstract that we couldn’t possibly understand the actual truth anyway. Here’s the simple answer: GOD DID IT! If God created this rock we live on six billion years ago or six million years ago or six thousand years ago, the real story is that God did the heavy lifting. If God created dinosaurs (which most certainly existed as I saw the skeletons at Fernbank) and they died out, what’s the big deal? If humans and animals looked differently millions of years ago so be it. We’d look different today if we had to forage for food and run from saber tooth tigers and flying lizards with big teeth. No one can empirically prove God or God’s path from day one of creation to today, so why fight about it? These fights are not good for God’s Kingdom.
So go with God. God created all things and God did it in and through God’s dimension. The details are not important enough to fight over. God did it and that’s all that matters to me.
MM
Theology will not be immune to this discovery as both protests and affirmations will flow from the two sides of the creation versus evolution debate. Creationists see the world as being only 6,000 years old and reject all tenets of evolution. On the other end of the spectrum are those who view the earth as being millions of years old and who readily accept many of the teachings of evolution as long as it is stated that God was intimately involved. In the middle are those who have no clue and are happy to admit it. Truth be told, that’s the best location to be in the midst of all the rancorous debate. Many of today’s best scientists are swimming upstream against the current after these findings were published. World class scientists held to the ape-to-human evolution track for most of the twentieth-century, only to be proven wrong by one find. Now they know how meteorologists feel on a regular basis. Creationists will continue to say that all of this is hooey and that carbon dating is a hoax. And the fight goes on.
So let’s find a middle ground and settle this silly fight over something so mysterious, so ethereal, and so abstract that we couldn’t possibly understand the actual truth anyway. Here’s the simple answer: GOD DID IT! If God created this rock we live on six billion years ago or six million years ago or six thousand years ago, the real story is that God did the heavy lifting. If God created dinosaurs (which most certainly existed as I saw the skeletons at Fernbank) and they died out, what’s the big deal? If humans and animals looked differently millions of years ago so be it. We’d look different today if we had to forage for food and run from saber tooth tigers and flying lizards with big teeth. No one can empirically prove God or God’s path from day one of creation to today, so why fight about it? These fights are not good for God’s Kingdom.
So go with God. God created all things and God did it in and through God’s dimension. The details are not important enough to fight over. God did it and that’s all that matters to me.
MM
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