Living in HD

I still remember the first time I saw an HDTV.  I was walking through a department store when I was completely overwhelmed by the row of Plasma TVs peering out from their shelf in the electronics section.  The picture was so bright, so sharp, so detailed, that it put the rest of the TVs in the room to shame.

I've had an HDTV in my house for a while now.  I've gotten used to the exceptional detail and vibrancy that comes with it.  And to be honest, I can't imagine going back to the old TV.

This weekend, I'll be preaching about what it means to be Living in HD.  God calls each of us to salvation through Jesus Christ.  Too many of us respond to that call by becoming 1-day Christians, showing up to church each weekend and living the rest of our lives as if nothing significant has happened.  But God envisions more for us.  He wants to open our eyes, giving us the opportunity to see Him at work in the world.  He wants us to sense the significance of our calling, to see the path He has laid out before us, and to experience His unspeakable power in us and through us as we pursue His purpose.  He wants us to live a transformed life.  Living on purpose. Living victoriously.  Living in HD.

I hope to see you at Sunnyside this Sabbath.  If you can't make it, check out the webcast Saturday morning at 11:20am Pacific Time. 


 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.  ~~Ephesians 1:18,19

While I'm Waiting

I was in the Department of Licensing office the other day because I needed new license plates for my truck.  I don’t think you can go into a DoL or DMV or any other government office without having to pull up a seat and wait a while.  While I was dutifully waiting my turn, I began looking around the room at about forty others who were also waiting.  

One lady was sitting sort of by herself, deeply engrossed in a book.   A couple of young men were sitting toward the corner, talking while passing the time.  One particularly apprehensive teenager was using the time to pore over the Driver’s manual. Still another person had their cell phone out either texting or playing games.   Probably half of the people were simply staring into space, waiting for their number to be called.  

Sitting next to me was an older gentlemen of oriental descent.  Dressed casually, but not ratty.  His shoulders were hunched over and I could see that he was studying something.  In his hand as a pencil and a half-sheet of paper.  He was frantically scribbling what appeared to be calculus equations.  The paper had been folded many times, and now he had only a small square left to fill up.  

It occurred to me that life is full of waiting.  You wait to pay for your groceries.  You wait at a red light.  You wait for your spouse after an event.  You wait at the doctor’s office.  You wait to get into the movie theater.  Some even wait to have fuel pumped into their cars.  We all have to wait.  And wait a lot.  The question is: what’s your waiting style?

When something is taking longer than expected, how do you spend the few extra minutes?  Do you read a book?  Do you stare into space?  Do you start to compare yourself to the other people in the room?  We each have our own style.

This Saturday at 8:50 & 11:20 AM, we explore the idea of waiting.  As a church, what are we waiting for?  And how might we handle our time while we're waiting?


“But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.  So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.”  ~~2 Peter 3:13,14

Profile of a Dying Church

Not long ago, I was on a weekend trip with my family and we decided to attend church on Sabbath morning in the area we were visiting.  We were in a small community so I expected that the church would be quite small also.  That was confirmed when I went to Adventistdirectory.org to find the address for the church.  It said that the church had 19 members, and was part of a four-church district.  We have loved worshipping in small churches before and really looked forward to worshipping in this one.

Since I was in a new area and completely unknown, I intended to go into the church as an apprehensive first-time visitor, testing out how the church would respond to visitors in their midst.

On Sabbath morning, we were running a bit late for Sabbath School (which started at 9:30) but I punched the address into my trusty Garmin GPS and made the quick trip to the church.  Imagine my surprise when Garmin said that we’d arrive and all I saw was a manufacturing warehouse.  I double checked the address. It was right.  We continued down the road about half a mile to find a place to turn around, when we saw the sign for the Seventh-day Adventist Church.  We found it! 

We pulled up in the parking lot, counting five cars in the lot.  As we came up to the door of the church, there was a little sign that read, “Church at Study: 10 AM.  Church at Worship: 11 AM.”  So we weren’t really late after all!  I go in the door.    It’s a split level entry to the old country church.  I meet a lady coming up from downstairs.  “Hi,” she says, “we’re visiting today from (a town about 50 miles away).”

“We’re visiting too.   From more than 50 miles away.”We talked for a couple of minutes there in the lobby of the church.  As I scanned the lobby, I expected a greeter or some other church member to come back and direct us to Sabbath School.  I picked up a bulletin from a little table with a big sign in bold capital letters: “CHURCH BULLETINS.”  The bulletin said that they meet for church at 11 AM twice a month, and 9 AM twice a month.  I had to look at the calendar to see if we were here the right week for the 11 AM service.  We were.  Thankfully.  There were no church members around anywhere, but I heard something faintly through some swinging double doors that I assumed led into the sanctuary. 

We opened the door and went in. The sanctuary was completely dark.  A large video screen dominated the small sanctuary.  On the screen was a woman inviting people to join in the hymn-singing of the Sacramento Central SDA church.   There was 3ABN watermark on the lower part of the screen.  The directed singing was a nice touch, considering it was such a small congregation.  When she sat down, Doug Batchelor stood up to teach the Sabbath School lesson.  I expected with nearly a dozen people in the sanctuary now, we might turn off the satellite feed and have a rich Sabbath School discussion.  Instead, Pastor Doug taught the Sabbath School lesson while we continued to sit in the dark.

As Sabbath School drew to a close, the man whom I assumed was the Elder stood up and said, “Now it’s time for a potty break while I switch the DVD’s.”  After a few minutes, the Elder gathered everyone up once again and explained that since it was a small church, all they really did was watch DVD’s.  They were currently in the middle of a series by Morris and Lee Venden.  He had a brief prayer, turned the lights off, and pressed play.  Only after church was finished did any of the church members say a single word to me or my family.  If I had tried hard enough, I probably could have walked right out the back door without anyone saying a word to me.   It was definitely an educational experience.

Just imagine if I had been an un-churched visitor, walking in the door of an Adventist Church for the first time.   What if I had been hurting and needed some compassionate human interaction?  What if someone else will be there crying out for a connection with God this week?

Here’s the thing: if we want to be a part of dying church, the formula is simple.

• Make sure that the church is almost impossible to find for a first-time visitor.
• Make sure that the actual service times don’t correspond with those that have been published in other places.
• Don’t expect visitors.  And be sure not to be prepared to welcome them into church.
• Make sure that there is no human interaction through any part of the morning worship experience.

If we want to be the body of Christ, meeting the needs of the people that come through our doors, this approach won’t do.  Here’s a question:  How’s your church doing?

All In

I’m not a poker player.  I don’t think I’ve even played a single hand in my life.  But there has been a time or two when I’ve seen the World Series of Poker on ESPN.  I’m intrigued by that moment in any poker showdown when a player sizes up his cards, takes a deep breath, and with both hands slowly shoves the whole pile of chips to the center of the table.  It’s a calculated choice.  It’s a moment in which the player’s survival in the match rests on the fate of a few cards.  He’s all in.  That takes guts.  And faith.  And a bit of luck.

            Each one of us gets to that moment at one point or another.  It’s the moment when we cast our vote, we throw our hat in the ring, we totally commit….to something.  You see it when a basketball is flying out of bounds and a player goes flying into the  first row of seats to try and keep the ball in play.  You see it when a young violinist spends 12 hours practicing everyday, preparing for a world premiere she may never see.  You see it when the alcoholic has lost everything and decides that it’s time to get in rehab and clean up.  We all have our moments.  The question is, what are we committed to?  When do we go “all in?”

            

God calls each of us into relationship with Him.  But it isn’t some take-it-or-leave-it, only-on-Sabbath, part-time relationship.  He invites to be “all in” with Him.  He longs for a 24/7, always open connection that transforms our lives.  It’s scary.  It’s intimidating.  It’s invigorating. 

This weekend we’re exploring more about what it means to be “All In” with God.   You don’t want to miss it.  I hope to see you there.  Sunnyside.  Saturday.  11:20.

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. ~~ Romans 12:1

What if the Church Marketed like Starbucks? (or Starbucks marketed like the church?)

You know, sometimes a church does whatever it can to make a new person feel out of place.  I know (at least I think) this isn't the case, but it's almost as if we don't want new people to come in the front door for fear of them upsetting the balance of what we do.

This video is a favorite of mine, bringing attention to some things we do in church without even thinking.  What do you think?  Is this on the mark?

Celebrations

So I'm not really a Lakers fan. But watching them win tonight got me thinking....wouldn't it be great if we would celebrate every baptism with the same exuberance with which the Lakers celebrated their NBA title? I mean, without the wierd group hug/bunny hop thing. But if they can muster that much excitement for a trophy, why can't we be that passionate about people who make decisions that alter their eternal destiny?

Do you know someone who has recently made a decision to follow Christ? Let 'em know you're celebrating with them.

Luke 15:10 "In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Revisiting Daniel 7

So I've been working on a sermon for one of my preaching classes. Daniel 7 was my assigned preaching passage. This passage has been preached so many times by Adventists that I was not sure how to preach a sermon that hasn't already been preached by someone. As I was studying, I got stuck on verses 15-18. Daniel tells about this vision then shares that he is completely terrified. Then he goes out in search of answers.

Daniel finds an angel that is willing to answer his question and asks, "What is the meaning of all of this?" I found it interesting that the angel didn't answer everything in detail like we are often so anxious to do. Instead he basically aid, "there will be four kingdoms that reign over the earth. Then God's people will inherit a Kingdom from God Himself. Simple. Concise. Anyone could understand. Granted, Daniel wasn't satisfied so he asked more specific questions to which the angel answered, point by point. But in the angel's eyes, this vision wasn't about beasts, or horns, or time frames. It was about God bringing salvation to His people. What a powerful idea! I'm not saying that the other stuff is wrong or unimportant, it's just refreshing to me to be reminded that regardless of what history brings, the bottom line is that God is working on behalf of His people to bring salvation. In uncertain times like these, that's welcome news.