How long do you need to commemorate?

A few weeks back, September 11 fell on a Sunday.

I had no idea.

I heard nothing mentioned in church.

The potential significance of this date didn’t even occur to me until my wife mentioned something on the way home.

She thought that something should have been mentioned. At least in passing.

I thought it was perfectly acceptable that the date went past without acknowledgment.

Why?

Because you don’t have to be shackled to the past.

Sure, if I was in America or there was a significant connection between the congregation and 9/11, then it should definitely be a factor within the service.

But in Australia…

21 years later…

I’m perfectly fine with it not being mentioned.

Because, with the passing of time, every date has an event attached with it.

The sinking of the Titanic… April 14.

The ending of apartheid in South Africa… May 4.

The sacking of Rome…August 24.

On the day I write this - September 29 - The Greeks defeated the Persians at the Battle of Salamis.

If they got mentioned during a church service… it would be interesting… but not something that I’d expect.

Surely, with the passing of time, modern events need to eventually fall into this skippable category as well.

Ministries of awareness and availability

Miscarriages.

Eating disorders.

Cancer.

Grief.

The list of things that the church doesn’t speak enough about is lengthy.

The shame about this list, and it could cover dozens of topics, is that it is made up of the very things that those within their congregation (and those around them) are struggling with.

These unspoken needs need a voice.

And, ideally, a face.

For, far too often, those who struggle feel that they are suffering alone.

I wish the church dealt with these issues better.

But, I have little idea how it could effectively happen.

For, these topics aren’t ones where you can have a weekly meeting. 

You don’t create a program for these topics.

Or do a ten-week sermon series.

But, the church can do two important things.

Awareness and availability.

The church must be aware of these topics.

The church must be prepared to speak about them.

The church must make room for them.

Beyond that, the best way the church can effectively minister to those struggling with these neglected topics are believers who are available.

Those who have gone through it.

Those who have struggled through it.

Those who have come out the other side of it.

These people need to be made available.

Ideally, the church should have some kind of list of those within their congregation who have endured adversities, deeply thought about what they went through and emerged with their faith intact.

Speaking with these available people will minister to someone far more effectively than a spiel from the pulpit.

The church needs to exercise the ministries of awareness and availability…

The only safe option when church and mental health collide

Communion and alcoholism.

Church meals and eating disorders.

Prayers and anxiety.

Singing and anxiety.

Blessings and depression.

Baptisms and infertility.

The more you think about it, the more you realise that church events and activities intersect with potential mental health issues. 

When I was in ministry, I didn’t give it too much thought.

It’s not that I didn’t care about the mental health issues of others, I just didn’t connect the dots between the tasks the church ask people to do and the obstacles these may erect.

So, how should the church navigate these dangerous waters?

Put simply, we need to give people the chance to opt out.

Up front, we should acknowledge that some things and church does can be problematic. And we allow people to not attend. 

In fact, alongside a conversation, we should encourage absenteeism.

This is how we communicate that the church is a safe place.

More so, this is how the church communicates that - no matter what issues you come to church with - the church is a place you can belong.

But this only happens if the invitation to NOT be involved is communicated.

Can a Christian believe in our immanent doom?

At. Any. Moment.

Via asteroid strike.

Through the Sun exploding.

As a result of a cosmic weapon.

We could die at any moment.

But, can a Christian believe this?

It don’t think so.

Why?

Because this is not what the Bible foretells.

This age draws to a close through the return of Jesus.

Not an alien intervention.

Nor a zombie apocalypse.

As someone who trusts the words of the bible, immediate destruction simply isn’t an option.

This should be a comfort.

We won’t die from a ball of fire from the sky.

But, this doesn’t leave a Christian without a sense of urgency.

Jesus can return at anytime.

Without warning.

The difference between a sermon and a podfast

I nearly a complete degree listening to the lectures at double speed.

I listen to most of my podcasts at 1.5x.

When I listen to sermons I’ve missed at church, I will get through them in half the time they were delivered.

What affect does this have?

How is preaching impacted in the time of podfasts?

Of course, if you’re attending any presentation life, you’re fully aware that there will only be one speed.

That which the speaker decides.

And, in part, this is a powerful result.

When you listen to a sermon, under the (hopeful) guidance of the Holy Spirit, you are the recipient.

You don’t control the speed.

You don’t control the length.

You don’t, most likely, control the content.

In a podcast you dictate all of these.

But, listening to a sermon live removes you from control.

The aim is to be in a group beyond nice

We have all been in a group which is nice.

No one objects.

No one disagrees.

No one argues.

No one is… honest.

Instead, everyone is nice.

Churches are… nice.

Bible studies are… nice.

Meetings are… nice.

But the truth is, we need more than nice.

In a safe space… We need truth.

In a respectful manner… We need challenge.

This is the kind of churches we need.

This is the kind of small groups we need.

This is the kind of meetings we need.

Why?

Because nice doesn’t produce growth.

The power of saying you agree

I, sometimes unhelpfully, like to think that I’m the smartest person in the room.

Or the funniest.

Or the one who is the “most insightful.”

The reality is, of course, that this is really true.

Nonetheless, one of the consequences of this delusion is that I’ll speak up in small groups I’m comfortable in.

I’ll put in my two-cents.

I’ll be the one to crack the joke.

I’ll also be the one who will play the “alternate viewpoint.” 

With this being the case, I did something a little unexpected during the week.

I agreed with someone.

Completely.

Without reservation.

In a small group setting, like a bible study, this is something which can often go unspoken.

I can, if I’m in agreement, just allow a statement to sit and the conversation to move forward.

Why?

Because I’ll only interject if a have something to add. 

Or correct.

This strips the speaker of the power of validation.

My silence can deny the sharer with the encouragement of solidarity.

As someone who may be renowned as being a contrarian, speaking up and saying that you wholeheartedly agree, can hold a power which is a far better use of your words than staying silent or waiting for your moment to interject.

The difference between teaching and preaching is in the eyes

school teaching is not the same as preaching.

How do I know?

The amount of eye contact used.

I don’t really make intentional eye contact when I teach my students unless it is to subtly alert them to the fact that they aren’t paying attention.

This is the complete opposite of preaching. In this, eye contact is critical.

The difference lies in the personal connection which is intended in the two.

When teaching, often, I’m simply conveying instructions or information.

When I preached, I was hoping to connect my message to the lives of those listening.

The first requires you to hear me, but no need for any intimate connection.

The later flourishes in relationships.

And this desired connection between your words and someone in the congregation is bonded with your eyes.