Category: Random Thoughts…

So I am sitting in a Starbuck’s and pondering what it means to be incarnational and the intentionality of my actions…I am just thinking about all the people that my life comes in contact with…what do my actions say and how do my words come across?  Do they see Jesus?  Do they feel His love?  Do they sense His Kingdom?

My official title is Pastor of Youth and Discipleship…but really, all I am is a Christ follower.  Meaning that my beliefs should wholly dictate my actions.  Meaning that my thoughts should be Jesus’ thoughts.  Meaning that actions should be intentionally worshipful towards God.

It seems that all of us, no matter if we are called “pastor” or not, should be thinking the exact same thing.  And it seems logical then – if everyone were to ask that question – that this world might not have so many lost and broken people.

What do we need to do different?

Be completely absorbed in worship and completely surrendered in our thinking about who God is, what He does, and what He is going to do…for ONLY THEN will there be no doubt of what is going to happen!  You see…only when we totally surrender what WE THINK to WHAT JESUS THINKS will we have the heart of Jesus!

As a good friend of mine recently said, “God needs more people who are more afraid of missing opportunities than of making mistakes!”

Father God – please help me to live this way….

Until next time…

Pastor Barry

 

I wish I could claim that I came up with this…but I can’t.  Nevertheless it’s pretty good and a reminder to all of us when we pray.  Are we listening as much as we are talking and do we really mean what we are saying?

 

 

Our Father who art in Heaven?

Yes?

Don’t interrupt me.  I’m praying.

But – you called ME!

Called you? No, I didn’t call you.  I’m praying…  Our Father who art in Heaven.

There – you did it again!

Did what?

Called ME.  You said, “Our Father who art in Heaven.”  Well, here I am.  What’s on your mind?

But I didn’t mean anything by it.  I was, you know, just saying my prayers for the day.  I always say the Lord’s Prayer.  It makes me feel good, kind of like fulfilling a duty.

Well….all right.  Go on.

Okay, Hallowed be thy name.

Hold it right there.  What do you mean by that?

By what?

By, “Hallowed be thy name.”

It means, it means…good grief, I don’t know what it means.  How in the world should I know? It’s just part of the prayer.  By the way, what does it mean?

It means honored – holy wonderful.

Hey, that makes sense.  I never thought about what ‘hallowed’ meant before.  Thanks.  Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.

Do you really mean that?

Sure, why not?

What are you doing about it?

Doing? Why, nothing, I guess.  I just think it would be kind of neat if you got control, of everything down here like you have up there.  We’re kinda in a mess down here you know.

Yes, I know.  But, have I got control of you?

Well, I go to church.

That isn’t what I asked you.  What about your bad temper? You’ve really got a problem there, you know.  And then there’s the way you spend your money – on yourself.  And what about the kind of books you read?

Now hold on just a minute! Stop picking on me! I’m just as good as some of the rest of those people at church!

Excuse ME.  I thought you were praying for my will to be done.  IF that is to happen, it will have to start with the ones who are praying for it.  Like you – for example.

Oh, all right.  I guess I do have some hang-ups.  Now that you mention it, I could probably name some others.

So could I….

I haven’t thought about it very much until now, but I really would like to cut out some of those things.  I would like to, you know, be really free.

Good.  Now we’re getting somewhere.  We’ll work together – You and ME.  I’m proud of you.

Look, Lord, if you don’t mind, I need to finish up here.  This is taking a lot longer than it usually does. Give us this day, our daily bread.

You need to cut the bread.  You’re overweight as it is.

Hey, wait a minute!  What is this?  Here I was doing my religious duty, and all of a sudden you break in and remind me of all my hang-ups.

Praying is a dangerous thing.  You just might get what you ask for.  Remember, you called ME – and here I am.  It’s too late to stop now.  Keep praying…….

Well, go on….

I’m scared to.

Scared? Of what?

I know what you’ll say.

Try ME.

Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.

What about Ann?

See? I knew it! I knew you would bring her up!  Why, Lord, she’s told lies about me, spread stories.  She never paid back the money she owes me.  I’ve sworn to get even with her!

But – your prayer – what about your prayer?

I didn’t…mean it.

Well, at least you’re honest.  But, it’s quite a load carrying around all that bitterness and resentment isn’t it?

Yes, but I’ll feel better as soon as I get even with her.  Boy, have I got some plans for her.  She’ll wish she had never been born.

No, you won’t feel any better.  You’ll feel worse.  Revenge isn’t sweet.  You know how unhappy you are – Well, I can change that.

You can?  How?

Forgive Ann.  Then, I’ll forgive you.  And the hate and the sin, will be Ann’s problem – not yours.  You will have settled the problem as far as you are concerned.

Oh, you know, you’re right.  You always are.  And more than I want revenge, I want to be right with You….. All right, all right, I forgive her.

There now!  Wonderful!  How do you feel?

Hmm. Well, not bad.  Not bad at all!  In fact, I feel pretty great!  You know, I don’t think I’ll go to bed uptight tonight.  I haven’t been getting much rest, you know.

Yeah, I know.  But, you’re not through with your prayer are you?  Go on…

Oh, all right.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Good!  Good! I’ll do that.  Just don’t put yourself in a place where you can be tempted.

What do you mean by that?

You know what I mean.

Yeah.  I know.

Okay. Go ahead. Finish your prayer.

For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Do you know what would bring me glory – what would make me really happy?

No, but I’d like to know.  I want to please you now.  I’ve really made a mess of things.  I want to truly follow you.  i can see now how great that would be.  So, tell me….how do I make you happy?

YOU just did.

Until next time….

Pastor Barry

A friend of mine recently tweeted, “There is just something very exciting about airports.”  So true.  Whether you love them or hate them, there is something truly exciting about airports!  Just look at all the people coming and going, whether they are jetting off to exotic locations, welcoming a loved one who they haven’t seen in a long time, commuting to work between distant cities, or just enjoying the busyness of life – airports have things to offer that keep people coming back.

This naturally got me thinking?  Can the same be said about my church or your church?

This past Saturday my church was a literal beehive of activity – there wasn’t a space in the parking lot because of all that was occurring.  There was flag football, a dementia care-giver support group, and even a big card making get together for world card-making day (which by the way I didn’t even know was a designated day until this weekend).

My point?  It was awesome having to struggle to find a place to park….

Then Sunday came.  It was a lot easier to park and there weren’t near as many people.  Now, don’t get me wrong.  The lot was full, it just wasn’t to capacity.  And the building was buzzing with activity but with half as many people as were there the day before.  What was the difference?  Why were we able to fill the parking lot, grounds,  on one day – and not so much on another?

Can it be it was deemed as just not as exciting as the day before?  Do our Sundays (at my church and yours) offer things that keep people coming back?  Are we using the methods to promote the Gospel message that entice people?  Do we welcome a person and make them feel wanted?  Do we offer something that they want or need?

I don’t know – these are tough questions and ones that we really have to wrestle with…

Why?  Because I hope some day I see a tweet that says, “You know there is just something really exciting about that church!”

Until next time….

Pastor Barry

Next to our church sits an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school all in succession.  This is pretty cool and is a great use of space.  Except for one fact…the resulting school zone is a mile long and the 20 mph zone seems to be activated more than it is not.  Please don’t get me wrong – I am all about safety and awareness when we are driving, it’s just that I don’t like to slow down…

That’s kind of how life goes for me.  Always running, always going somewhere, always having something to do.  It seems like I am becoming more and more busy as my children get older and I run them to school, to soccer practice, to church activities, to soccer games, to the park, and to “play-dates” (By the way – what’s up with “play-dates?”  Don’t kids just go outside and play anymore in their neighborhoods? Guess that will be another blog…)

Anyhow it seems that I barely have time for myself…and as I ponder that statement I totally hear God in my ear saying, “How do you think I feel?”  Which is an excellent question.

We live in a society that is always moving, always going somewhere, always programming and always  scheduling stuff no matter what day of the week it is.  The result?  God ends up taking a back seat to what we want to do.  And believe me there is a lot we want to do!

Which brings me back to the school zone…

Flashing yellow lights are meant as a warning – to get our attention – to get us to focus on what we are doing – to do something different – to get us to slow down.  So let me challenge you to slow down and do something different.

I know God has been asking me to focus more on Him than on myself.  He has some great thing He wants to do in my life and I am sure He wants to do the same thing in your life.

So the next time you are in a school zone or even at a stop light let it be a reminder….God may be trying to say something to you.  Are you listening to that flashing yellow light?

Until next time…

Pastor Barry

I need to tell you about a pretty cool little publishing company.  It’s called The House Studio and they are putting out some amazing products! It is refreshing to know that the church can still think deeply and challenge ourselves while not being stale.  In fact they know how to have some fun over there.

Go check them out at  – http://www.thehousestudio.com – or on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-House-Studio/67723316065 – or on Twitter – http://twitter.com/housestudio

And while you are at it….check out my winning photo in the Moses “Inaction” Figure contest….pretty proud of it if I do say so myself.  And I do!  In fact I’m not going to lie – I am pretty awesome – http://www.thehousestudio.com/wp/2010/09/08/moses-in-action-winner-and-some-honorable-mentions/

Until next time….

Pastor Barry

Over the past several weeks I have had many conversations about how the church (as in church universal) can make its collective worship experience more relevant.

This got me thinking.  What are we saying when we use the word “relevant?”  What does that truly mean?  Why do we use that word so much in the church?

Most of the conversations focused on differing worship experiences and our casual use of the word “relevant.”  (For an interesting and related read go check out the current issue of Christianity Today and its cover article entitled, “The Ironic World of Hipster Faith.” )

It occurred to me that the church is unintentionally sending a confusing message by simply using the word “relevant.” We keep saying our worship experiences need to be more relevant – usually meaning we need to be more “hip.”

Let me explain…

When myself (or anyone for that matter) says that this form of worship is ok but this other form of worship is more “relevant.”  What we are in fact communicating is that this form of worship will do, but that other form of worship is the “real” way to worship.

What we should be doing is focusing our discussions on the question, “What is the goal and purpose of the Sunday morning services?” and for that matter “What is the goal and purpose of the whole gamut of church programming?”

A good answer should be, “to communicate the Gospel story.”  Which then leads to, “So how do we communicate that message?”

Here is my point.  The message of the Gospel story is a rock-your-world and knock-your-socks-off kind of story, a true story that was lived out about 2,000 years ago, a story that defied the logic of the world then and the world today, a story that was life-changing, is life-changing, and forever will be life-changing.

The Gospel story is not a feel good, fuzzy blanket, I want a warm experience kind of story… Unfortunately, many in the North American Church read it, hear it, and act upon it like it should be warm and fuzzy.

So the discussion continues.  How can the church better communicate the Gospel message?  And more importantly – how can the church enact true-life change?

The answer, ironically, is by being more relevant.  Yep, we actually have to go back to using the word in which we overuse.  So if we are going to use it then we should understand its definition.   Relevance means to have a bearing on or connection with the matter at hand.

If our focus then is on communicating the Gospel story then relevance really has nothing to do with the “right” worship experience, but EVERYTHING to do with creating an environment, creating a culture, and creating a church that creates changed lives.

Relevance is communicating the Gospel story and the requisite life change that comes from responding to that story.

So the church should be relevant…by not accepting apathy…but by calling people to a higher standard.  The church should become less accommodating and more challenging!

If all of this is achieved by being more “hip” in worship then go for it…but actually changing lives – now that’s being relevant!

Until next time…

Pastor Barry

Ever wonder what happens to your business card after you hand it out?  I would like to think that mine gets framed and filed away nicely – but I am also a realist – so I know this is probably not the case.  In fact it is probably discarded as quickly as it is accepted.

However, at least one card didn’t meet file 13 immediately.  Recently I received a call from Chipotle Mexican Grill in East Vancouver, WA (36o.256.4552 for those of you playing the home version of our game).  You see I had visited there  for what is absolutely the best burrito ever concocted by human hands and I noticed this fish bowl begging for my business card.  So I gave it one….

As it turns out, not only was my card drawn, noticed, or otherwise picked and awarded a free burrito – it was awarded a full box of burritos.  (OK – actually Declaration! student ministries was awarded the box-o-burritos). None-the-less I felt like I had hit the lottery!

This awesome turn of fortune allowed our tired and weary group of travelers (fresh off our mission trip to the US/Mexico border in El Paso, TX) to enjoy a mexican fiesta albeit with a very American slant.  Kudos to Chipotle for the burritos, chips, guacamole, and salsa that they provided for our party.  It was awesome!

So (here comes the shameless but well deserved plug) if you are wanting to cater a party, have an awesome meal, or otherwise need a burrito craving filled, go visit ‘mi amigos’ over in East Vancouver.  They will definitely set you up!

So until next time…

Pastor Barry

I want to start this blog by saying I love my MacBook Pro!  It took me a long time to finally convert from a PC but now that I have – I can’t believe I waited so long.  It was mainly a price thing – but given the LACK of problems I have experienced since becoming a Mac owner, the price is well….priceless.

Unfortunately, however, I still own a home computer that for 3 weeks now has been functioning more like a door stop than an actual computer.  This has been cause for some consternation in my family.  Mainly because it seems there are individuals in this world whose entire goal in life is to play havoc with all things Windows….which only serves to interrupt our social media needs.

Now I know just enough about computers to be dangerous and to be able to completely render an entire library of files as useless.  So I enlisted the help of an Information Technology individual who has been helping me clean, as he puts it, “An extremely infected computer.”

It truly has been frustrating – my family would like to get back to email, Facebook, and the all important Playhouse Disney – but we can’t (at least not yet).

What we can do though, is draw an incredible spiritual parallel from this unfortunate incident.  Please indulge me…

As I was sitting there (for the umpteenth time) watching the virus scan look at each and every file on my computer I couldn’t help but think about my heart and how Jesus knows each and every file in my heart.  As the program was “cleaning” the computer I also thought about how Jesus “cleans” us!

Too often we live our lives thinking we are immune to what is going on in the world around us.  We think we are safe and then we become “infected” bit by bit.  Then all of a sudden what we’ve let in grows and digs deeper, and soon thereafter our heart no longer reflects Jesus in a manner He would deem worthy.

But – unlike my computer – it is easy to turn that back around – it is easy to switch our focus. And let me tell you Jesus is the best I.T. guy around!  It takes Him no time at all to search out everything and get rid of the bad stuff.  That is if we let Him search and destroy.

We need to want to change…we need to want to get rid of what He discovers…we need to let Him do what He does best….

This whole computer thing has caused consternation – but it has also brought a smile to my face.  It has allowed me to reflect.  I have been able to sit and think and read and talk to Jesus.  I have found time to see if any viruses have crept into my life!

Have you ran a virus scan on your heart lately?  I would recommend running one daily – to make sure you have real time protection!

Until next time…

Pastor Barry

How much stuff is too much stuff?  The other day I really wanted to move houses simply because I wanted to purge my household possessions, it was probably just spring cleaning fever but I really had the urge.  (In fact, now that I am thinking about it, having the fever would explain why I pulled the TV set out and vacuumed behind it!)

Ok stop judging….I know I’m not the only one.   You know how I can tell?  It’s because of all those yard sale signs and by the amount of stuff showing up at the church in the form of donations.  So here is a question for you, “Why do people think that broken, worn out, outdated and simply useless stuff suddenly becomes fixed, working, current and useful by selling it or giving it to a church?”

It’s kinda fun to stroll around a church – especially one that has been around for a long time – and find stuff.  Just go look for yourself in every door and closet – it is pretty amazing.  Of course there is always the obligatory flannel graph, but I have found a commode chair (here is a pic) and even a disassembled wooden pew stuffed into an attic!

But you also find stuff that simply doesn’t work.  For example, there is this flashing light affixed to the wall in our welcome center.  It is a box about the size of an electrical plate that has an opaque acrylic covering with “phone” printed on it.  It is designed to flash when the phone rings so a person can answer since there is no ringer – even though I never have actually seen it light up.

Yesterday we were doing some work in the welcome center and I began to look closer at this box.  Ok, in reality it got bumped and the cover fell off so I had to look at it.  I noticed there were no wires, no light bulb or LED, and no screws.  I tugged on it and it easily came off the wall – it had been affixed with double-sided tape!

So now it is sitting in my office as a reminder of the things we look at in the church that have a purpose but are not functioning and in reality are being ignored…

It got me thinking about stuff.  We fill our lives with so much stuff that we begin to confuse the important things, get lost in all we have, or even forget what’s there (kinda like the pew stuffed in the attic or that commode chair stuffed in a storage closet).

The same can happen with people.  In this world of connectedness and social media I am sure there are forgotten people that are longing for a friend, wanting a note, hoping for a phone call.  This morning I decided to walk the halls of the church again.  This time I began to think of the people that fill them during the week and on Sunday.

How many faces I have I walked by and not noticed?  How many people feel like they are broken and useless?  How many feel like they are ignored?

Lord – help me to notice – help me to pause – help me…

Until next time…

Pastor Barry

So it’s been a long time since I last posted…my apologies to those of you waiting with bated breath for the latest and greatest insights from the random wanderings of my mind!  For those of you who weren’t waiting – well shame on you!

It has been a very crazy four weeks.  The first two were spent on vacation and the last two were spent doing all the work and catching up from going on vacation.  I am pretty sure you who know exactly what I mean.

So anyway…  It was the Scottish Poet Robert Burns penned this famous line in 1785, “The best laid schemes of Mice and Men oft go awry, And leave us nothing but grief and pain, For promised joy.”  It basically means no matter how well you plan something, always expect the unexpected, in other words, just because you think you’ve done all you can for something to go right….something can still get messed up (always have a plan B).

This is exactly what happened as I was driving through central California on vacation.  I had the route all planned out.  I knew exactly how long it was going to take, when we would arrive, and what we would do…but…somewhere on highway 99 one of the tires on the van decided to quit functioning as a tire and function more like a door stop.

So there I am unloading all the luggage, lowering the spare, and reading the directions on how to use the jack (there is photographic proof and please note this is not the time to do this – and be rest assured that my eight year old is going to learn how to change a tire before she is a nine-year old). While my wife is in the van talking on her phone with her mother and ready to dial 911 on my phone as a white panel van quickly drives up and all doors fly open.

It turns out that these good Samaritans were there to help – but my wife later told me that she was ready to drive off if they started to attack me or something.  I was like, “gee thanks!’  She responded, “Well, don’t you want me and the girls to be safe?”  At that point I remembered I had just updated her on our life insurance coverage moments before the tire gave out…

3 hours later we had a new tire, the spare was pumped up to the proper air pressure, we had a brand new umbrella (hey I told you we were at Costco and I didn’t care if I was in Central California that was one cool umbrella – in fact my wife now admits it is pretty cool), and were back at the point where I changed the tire…

Interruptions – you gotta love them.  OK not really, but you do have to come to expect them and deal with them.

It made me think about Jesus and His ministry.  How many times do you think He was interrupted in His ministry?  I’m definitely going to ask Him someday…but for now I can take a guess it was a ton.  The cool thing is Jesus used those interruptions as teaching moments.  He used them as times to point to the Father…EVERY TIME!  Go ahead and show me a story in the Bible and I’m pretty sure I can show you an interruption.

What about our lives?  What if we were to look at every interruption in our life as a teaching moment?  As a moment to for ministry?  WOW!  Can you imagine the impact?  It could be pretty amazing.

The other thing about that road in Central California…it’s straight and boring…gives you plenty of time to think about interruptions….and what to do with them!

So until next time  – Here’s to hoping for interruptions!

Pastor Barry