We’ve Never Done It That Way Before!

I passed a Sonic the other day. I’ve passed Sonics lots of times. Sometimes I even stop and eat at them.

This one was different, though. It was attached to a gas station. And there were no drive-ins. No car hops. You had to park & go inside, or use the drive thru. My knee jerk reaction was, “That’s crazy! You can’t be a Sonic without a drive-in!!”

But then it hit me. Is Sonic’s purpose to be a drive-in or to sell hamburgers and onion rings? Obviously, it’s the latter. And drive-in service is only one method of achieving that purpose. The geniuses behind this particular location were able to adapt their methods to their circumstances without compromising their purpose.

What a lesson for those of us in church ministry. Don’t exalt the program over the purpose. The method over the message. The style over the substance.

Strong love, strange peace.

Does buying shoes from a muslim heel his sole?

A liquidation sale came to town today. I’ve never been to a liquidation sale. I’ll probably never go to another one. But we were looking for something to do with our afternoon, and the prices on the commercial were too good to be true ( they were, everything was about twenty bucks higher than advertised).

Well we walked around and around until we made our way to the NAME BRAND SHOES, CRAZY LOW PRICES department. There my son found a pair of shoes he just had to have. They were thirty bucks. Not bad. So I bought them. I took them to the shoe cash register, and handed my debit card to a bald man with an impressive beard (I just shaved mine on Monday, so I was a bit envious).

Him: Did you have a good day at work today?

Me: Yes, thank you.

Him: Are you a banker?

Me: No, I’m a preacher.

Him: Oh, so you didn’t even work today!

Yeah he really said that! Then he began talking about a church down the road from his mosque. A mosque? says I. Are you a muslim? He assured me he was. Now I was at a crossroads. Do I say “that’s nice,” complete my transaction and leave, or do I try to witness to him? I flashed back to that scene in Hairspray where Tracy Turnblatt tells John Travolta, “Do it, Mom, or forever wish you had!”

So I asked him if anyone ever told him about Jesus Christ. So we began to have a very polite discussion about the gospel. Unfortunately, he was working, and customers kept coming and buying shoes from him. But we were both eager to continue the debate, so I gave him my number and email address.

I’ve never tried to share my faith with a muslim. Here are the main concerns he expressed to me.

He may have been a great prophet, but how can Jesus be a god?

What’s the deal with the virgin birth? If you say Jesus is a god with only one human parent, doesn’t that make Adam more of a god than Jesus?

The Koran tells us that God rescued Jesus from the cross, but he is coming back to save us. (That was a new on for me. I heard about their teaching that Jesus dodn’t die, but was unaware that they expected him to come back.)

I’d like to hear about your experience witnessing to muslims.

Maxwell House and Mark 13

I almost split my church the other day, but not for the reason I might have suspected. We’re still studying the book of Mark in our Wednesday night Bible study, and we finally arrived at Mark chapter 13. I, of course, have been hesitant to discuss eschatology since coming to this church.

You see, I don’t subscribe to the popular view of the endtimes propogated through the Left Behind series. I realize however, that many people do, and to try to change their view can an exercise in futility.

I’m A Truth Rep and All My Clients Wear Sansabelts!

I’ve been preaching through Ephesians on Sunday mornings, and I am finally to the Armor of God passage. Sunday, the message will focus on the Belt of Truth (“having girded your loins with truth,” Ephesians 6:14).

I’ve been cross-referencing what the Bible says about truth. Of course, we all know Jesus’ famous line, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)

I found it very interesting that the very thing that makes us free is described by Paul as an instrument of bondage.

If You Could See What I Smile

We had a visitor at church last Sunday. After the service he wanted to talk to me. He told me his grandmother was a member of our church, and her request is that when she dies, whoever is pastor of this church is to conduct her funeral, so for now, that would be me.

First Funeral

I did my first funeral today. He was a member of my church. If I had to pick who I thought I would bury first as a pastor, it certainly wouldn’t be this gentleman. He just collapsed at his home on Monday after an ordinary day of running errands and doing chores. I arrived at the hospital the same time as the family, and before I made it inside, they had pronounced him dead.

Two images have not left from that evening: his widow hugging his lifeless body, and his granddaughter carrying pawpaw’s shoes.

Go Ahead, Mrs. Palin, Second Guess Israel

I watched Charlie Gibson interview Sarah Palin this evening on ABC News. I must say that Mr. Gibson came off as a disappointed father whose daughter just told him she was pregnant.

Are Hal Lindsey & Tim LaHaye the Beast & False Prophet?

Are Hal Lindsey & Tim LaHaye the Beast & False Prophet? I suppose not, but I’ve got a question for you. If a Christian doesn’t believe in a pretribulational rapture, and it happens, will he get raptured anyway? Just wondering.

I met a man again today, for the first time.

What’s Wrong With This Picture? Part 2b

I received an invitation to the pastor’s association lunch, and with a little reluctance, I went today. There were nine pastors in attendance, including myself. They were:

The host, a female Episcopalian

A female Methodist

A Catholic priest

A Christian Church/Disciples of Christ

A Baptist

Another (male) Methodist

An Assembly of God

Me, a Free Will Baptist

and… wait for it…

What’s Wrong With This Picture? Part 2

I received this postcard in the mail last week, from another local church. I basically agree with the headline. Although I can think of worse things, boring church services are hard to endure. But is this a picture of a boring church service?