When will I pull the pin?

This Friday I will record a video post to mark the ten-year anniversary of Tiny Bible Bits.

This blog, as of August, has just clicked over into its thirteenth year.

But, should they last forever?

Should they go for another decade?

If not, when should they fade into the abyss of the internet?

How should they be taken to the top paddock and out down like Old Yeller?

Frankly, I’m not sure.

I’m not sure, primarily, because the reasons for their beginnings have now passed.

I’m no longer driven to reach teens as a youth minister.

I’m no longer concerned about “my brand” in youth ministry.

So, should they be eliminated now?

Will this be my last post?

No.

For, I still enjoy posting on both.

And, while my circumstances have changed, I still like having a forum to post and share my musings.

And, particularly for Tiny Bible Bits, people still read them.

But, I very much doubt that I’ll still be posting when I’m in my retirement years.

Maybe neither will see out the end of the decade.

Probably not.

But, as long as I enjoy it, have time and have inspiration, I’ll go for a while longer.

Then they can join the graveyard of blogs and Facebook groups online…

We shouldn’t just pray for someone

A few weeks ago I recorded the prayer that was presented during church.

It was… ok.

Nothing too special. 

Just a few minutes in length.

This is how the prayers of the people are happening in my current church. I suspect we are not alone.

But, as I reflect upon my prayer and those I hear weekly, I feel that there’s a trap we keep falling into.

Praying FOR the person, not WHAT FOR the person.

Firefighters.

Doctors.

Nurses.

Teachers.

Missionaries.

Ministers.

Whoever…

We lift them up in prayer.

We rattle of a list starting with the phrase “We pray for (insert person or segment of the community).”

And then we move on…

The trouble is… I’m not sure this is an actual prayer.

It’s an acknowledgment.

What we should do - something I didn’t - is say what we pray FOR them.

Peace.

Endurance.

Strength.

Whatever…

This is an actual prayer.

This is an actual request. 

This is something that people can agree with.

Not just a vague prayer-thought into the spiritual ether.

Preaching should come at a cost for talented ministers

No one should do it all.

Which, surely, poses a problem for immensely talented ministers.

Of course, this means that I was never a threat of doing everything!

But, for ministers who can sing, act, preach, play music and are talented with technology - they could do it all - or at least everything or anything.

They could, in a single service, set up the sound, arrange what is to be displayed, lead worship, play a musical instrument, sing, lead the service and preach.

All on the one Sunday.

But, as I’ve previously written, they shouldn’t.

It would hurt the church they are called to serve.

It would hinder the congregation they are meant to empower.

It would, dangerously, create a culture of dependence.

So, what does the talented minister decide to set aside?

Do they, knowingly, lay aside their songwriting or guitar?

Does someone explain to them that they will, for the good of the church, need to restrict what they do in the future?

I’m sure, for some highly talented ministers, the desire to preach will result in the hibernation of something else they enjoy.

For, while some can do it all, they really shouldn’t. 

Jumping through the hoops

Technically, I could now teach in school.

Furthermore, as of around ten minutes ago, my application to be a full-time teacher as just submitted.

In my final (hopefully!) semester of my teaching degree, I’m within sight of my teaching journey actually beginning.

It’s exciting.

It’s nerve wracking.

It’s… unfamiliar.

For, I never went through this to get a job in ministry.

Sure, I had to apply.

And interview (way back in 2008 I already considered myself to be a ministry-interview pro).

But the hurdles to become a teacher, of which I still have many to go, are far longer and higher.

I wonder if the scrutiny for those in non-ordained ministry should be higher.

Sure, you don’t want to launch an inquisition when someone wants to help out with the crèche (and standards for working with young people have greatly ramped up over the last decade), but it’s curious that the rigours to teach an academic education are far greater than those expected to impart a spiritual/moral one…

Why the church must decide if they will advertise their vaccination statuses

I’ve got my first COVID vaccination and will get my second jab in a few weeks time.

When I got jabbed I wasn’t required to for my current job but, as a precaution, I got the shot in order to ensure that I could undertake my final teaching prac (which hopefully will include some face-to-face teaching).

If I still worked for the church nothing would change - I still would be vaccinated.

For me, backing up what I wrote on Tiny Bible Bits at the start of July, getting the shot is an act of goodwill and compliance for my family, neighbours, community and government.

If you want to label me a sheeple, knock yourself out.

But, as things reopen in Sydney and around the globe, will vaccination status become a church selling point?

Will churches advertise that every member of staff, or each volunteer leader within a ministry, has been double-jabbed?

Will this be something that people will look out for?

I imagine, for the vulnerable - the elderly or those with youngsters - the vaccination status of those in leadership will be a matter of concern.

But, what do you do if there is a holdout?

What If a staff member doesn’t get the shot?

What if a leader won’t get the shot?

Do they get stood down?

Frankly, I have no idea and, thankfully, it won’t be a problem I’ll need to juggle.

But, it is an impending situation that is arriving at the doorstep of every church and ministry. 

I genuinely hope that the institutional church will bring down mandates “from above,” otherwise, a lot of churches, ministries, ministers and leaders will be greatly out of their depth in navigating the situation - without a denominational safety net.

Should you preach 2 Chronicles just… because?

 The gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, John.

Acts.

James.

Ecclesiastes.

These are the regular wells we derive our sermons from.

If you walk into any five churches in Christendom, there will be a sermon on one of these books.

And it makes sense. They tell of the central truths of Christianity. They lay the foundations for the church. They touch on meaty issues.

They aren’t bad. By no means.

But, frankly, they can get tiresome.

There’s only so many sermons of James 3 you can handle over a decade…

So, what place is there for the minister to delve into the darker regions of the bible?

The minor prophets.

The book of Numbers.

The epistles to the Thessalonians.

The book of Jude.

In theory, the congregation should be taught from the entire counsel of God.

This includes the neglected sections.

But, should they be - inevitably - preached on… just because?

Because they are there…

Because God has, is and will speak through them…

Because they will be different…

Ideally, every sermon series is selected intentionally (I touched on how to do it here). 

Is a preaching challenge or interest a good enough reason?

I hate to say it, but no, it isn’t.

The pulpit shouldn’t be used as a device for the preacher to dive into dusty commentaries or research their next book.

The sermon should be a place of service towards the people. It is, by definition, a pastoral exercise. 

Does that mean that the sermon will never darken 2 Chronicles?

Maybe. 

Perhaps the minister just needs to realise they they are not the one to give them God’s message out of 2 Chronicles if they don’t need to hear it right now.

How do you minister to those on the edges of the arguments?

I don’t envy those currently in vocational ministry.

Of course, any time someone is in ministry is a difficult time.

Ministry is messy.

People go through seasons of need or trouble.

You also have your own sh!t to deal with.

Ministry is always a hard juggle of work, faith, church structures, people, expectations, highs, lows, friends and family.

But it must be especially difficult now.

COVID.

Vaccinations.

Isolation.

Uncertainty.

ZOOM everything…

All of these will ramp up the challenges.

And, on top of these, there’s a new tightrope to walk along… conspiracies.

How do you minister effectively to members of your congregation, who both love and want to follow Jesus, but hold opposite views on current issues?

Vaccinations.

Face masks.

Churches staying open.

How do you cater to both sides of the divide? Should you?

Should you let your personal feelings be known?

Should you, to some extent, entertain what you think are crackpot theories?

I would like to say that these tensions are balanced like any hot button issues of the past…

War.

Divorce.

Abortion.

Sexuality.

People in a church can, will and do hold differing opinions on these and a thousand other topics.

But, right now, there seems to be greater, louder and more public division and camp-creating.

If we choose, we can now live, work and listen to only those who are entrenched within our own echo chamber.

So, how do you minister to them?

I’ve actually already answered the question when describing those within the discussions…

If people love and want to follow Jesus, point them there.

Point them to Jesus.

Tell them to follow Jesus.

Ask them what they think Jesus would do.

Ask them how Jesus would treat others with a different viewpoint.

Walk with them through that conversation.

Practically, let the Holy Spirit work in them.

This is how we best minister to those on the edges of a debate and allows those at either end of a discussion to be reminded of the thing - the primary thing - they hold in common.

Am I a former youth minister or a beginner teacher?

Yes. I am.

I was in vocational youth ministry for over a decade.

But I’m also in my final semester of an education degree.

Now, I’m soon to be a newbie in the classroom.

So, what does this mean for this blog?

Does it become a teaching blog?

Does it continue to be a less-often-serviced church blog?

Does it become a thinking-back-to-the-good-old-days of youth ministry blog?

Yes. It does.

It becomes all of them.

Why?

Because, primarily, my blog is about… me.

And I’m a former youth minister…

And I’m about to be a teacher…

And I’m a church attendee…

And I’m a husband…

And I’m a father…

So, yes, the blog will probably mention teaching more and ministry less.

But, that is me now.

And I’m very different to the guy who started Rambling exactly 13 years ago…

Maybe we should cut down on telling people to love Jesus... Do they really have to?

Jesus asks Peter, at the end of the gospel of John, if he loves Jesus. Clearly, in this case, the question mattered.

But I can’t think of to many other parts of the New Testament that we are explicitly told to love Jesus.

Sure, lots of places in the bible tell us to love God throughout the entirety of the bible - with the incarnation obviously pointing this to including Jesus, but “loving Jesus” isn’t stressed to the degree that we do within the modern church.

We tell everyone to love Jesus.

This is what you need to do.

This is what will inspire you.

This is what will strengthen you.

This is what you aim for.

But, does it need to be?

Could we just follow Jesus, but not love Him?

Couldn’t you just obey Jesus, but not love Him?

Isn’t this what you do when you first convert? 

Sure, obeying and following may result in loving Jesus...

Appreciation for what God has done, through Christ, can result in loving Him...

But... do you HAVE to love Jesus?

Is this a nonnegotiable?

Does this make you a Christian?

Frankly, I don’t think so.

And yet... we stress it soo much.

And I wonder what effect this has upon those - especially men and younger people - who struggle with our primacy to “love Jesus.”

How much angst would be reduced if we withdrew the dependency on “loving Jesus”? (Plenty of people have Googled the question “I don’t know if I love Jesus enough”)

Should a preacher wade into the waters of controversy?

A few weeks ago I wrote something on Tiny Bible Bits about doing the right thing while I was stuck in a fortnight of COVID isolation.

It’s not the first time I’ve mentioned COVID over the last year-and-a-half. Usually I escape unscathed.

As I do periodically, I boosted the post, resulting in it being seen by over 1100 people (which is around ten times the usual).

If you’ve ever posted anything online, you know that you’re potentially setting yourself up for an internet grilling. Expectedly, I copped a small dose of pushback. 

Frankly, it wasn’t a lot and it wasn’t too bad. 

I got accused of spreading blackmail...

Using the bible to spread propaganda...

Using the bible to support lockdown extensions...

And... one “Oh ffs”

All in all, not too bad for over a thousand sets of eyes.

Any heat was well and truely cancelled out by the 80 likes and 12 shares.

But I did hesitate in mentioning my release from isolation and firmly avoided linking it to a passage about freedom.

Rightly so, this would have been pilloried.

In that case, I would have been “drawing a long bow” and applying my situation into a place in the bible it didn’t belong.

But I wonder, how many preachers are currently walking a tightrope like never before?

Will they avoid speaking anything into the current pandemic? How about vaccinations?

How about the government last year? Or voting? Or... Trump?

Really, there are dozens of hot button issues which might make a preacher hesitate to wade into - Same sex marriage, homosexual ordination, abuse by clergy, racial reconciliation, BLM, class or gender equality...

To what degree does the political makeup of your audience make a preacher hesitate?

Should it ever?

Do the current circumstances a preacher finds themselves in create increased anxiety that they may be more readily misinterpreted?

Should it matter?

Should any controversy be totally avoided?

Is this responsible? Aren’t these the exact situations that those in the pews want to - nay, need to - hear about? Shouldn’t they hear what the Bible says about the controversies unfolding around them?

Or, does wadding into areas of controversy just force the speaker to be clearer and even better in both their theology and exegesis?

The not-always-risky percentages behind “there’s somebody here tonight”

There’s always a risk behind boldly saying that your point will apply “to somebody here tonight.”

There’s always a risk in stopping to boldly state - “inspired” - that what you’re saying directly applies to a certain person.

But, your odds rise with the amount of people hearing you.

And they will rise the more generic your statement.

And they will continue to rise the more disclaimers you stack up.

To a crowd of three hundred, someone will definitely be struggling with habitual sin. Or feel distant from God.

To a group of fifteen, it will be a far greater risk to say that someone present is identifying directly with the conditions laid out in a passage.

I don’t think that I’ve ever “felt led” to make my points directly applicable to “someone” but I am increasingly wary once the odds improve and the amount of “inspiration” is reduced.

For, in a crowd, simple percentages say that “someone” will be struggling with watching porn.

And they will be liars.

And a fair slice of the crowd will have a trauma in the past that they are still wrestling with.

Or they have been hurt by the church in the past.

To pick them out requires little “inspiration.”

How expanding your strengths can shift a drifting church

There’s an old saying that says if you’re not moving forward then you’re going backward.

It’s probably one of those “quotes” by Waldo Emerson that are in Quote-A-Day Calendars.

Nonetheless, if this quote is accurate, I wonder how many churches are, by default, going backwards.

The pessimist inside me thinks that there a lot of - at minimal - drifting churches.

But, when it comes to looking for ways to advance, there are two avenues which churches usually explore.

Old and New.

Do the familiar or try something new.

Either can work.

Either can flop.

But, I suspect that the former option is looked down upon.

Who wants to do the old thing?

But, if the other option is decision paralysis because the options are too daunting, then why not double down on what you know? 

Why not investigate your strengths and seek to expand them?

Do them better.

Share your knowledge.

Join with others.

Your strength can be a new shoot of growth elsewhere.

If the other option is to do nothing... stay stagnant... go backwards... then why not use what you already have/already know/already do to remain active?

Who knows, when you link your strengths with others, then they may reveal areas where you yourselves could grow in fresh ways...

Why you should pay attention to the questions which set the platform

Last semester I went on my first six-week teaching prac for the year.

While I was on prac I marked my first set of assignments.

In doing so I quickly found out why teachers mark students work accompanied with a hearty dose of wine.

The buzz of marking quickly wore away.

But one important thing was exposed.

Always start with multiple choice questions.

Why?

Because they quickly reveal the level of knowledge of the student.

Of course, multiple choice questions are easier to mark, but once they are completed and ranked, then you have a fairly clear order of the best-through-worst students.

This helps further marking because, as you subsequently mark from the best-to-worst, then you’ll quickly be able to discern what a quality answer (at least for that class/year) looks like.

We should do a similar thing when it comes to bible studies.

It is tempting to dive right into the “deep” questions, but this can be problematic if we overlook the questions which lay the platform.

No only do introduction and comprehension questions warm the group up by opening up avenues to talk and actually delve into the nuts-and-bolts of a passage, but they expose the depth that the group may be willing or capable of going.

These are the equivalent of the multiple choice questions in a school exam.

They give a foretaste of what to expect.

So, if you have a group that struggles to share or is having trouble grasping the details of a passage, then you’d be amiss to dive into deeper topic prematurely.

We need the God of bush chapels and cathedrals

A few weeks ago I was sharing the story of the worst, and most influential, time of my life and faith - 2010 - the year my dad died and my ex and I had two miscarriages.

It was a rough year.

But, my then wife handled things far better than I did.

I saw God as a cosmic sadist. He has omnipotent. He has in control. He was distant.

My partner saw God is a heartbroken friend. He was close. He was sympathetic.

I saw God as transcendent - big, holy, far above.

She saw God is immanent - intimate, close, incarnate.

He is both.

Gods is both transcendent and immanent. 

He is both the God of the awe inspiring, overpowering cathedrals and the gentle, quiet bush chapels.

We need both.

We learn from both aspects.

It is when we get the balance between the two askew that we can harmfully respond to situations and negativity impact the relationships around us.

My inspired thoughts are the equivalent of my kids paintings

Having two children, with my youngest being five years old, I’ve seen a lot of kiddy artwork.

I’ve delighted in every drawing, painting and scribble.

But they won’t be hanging in an art gallery. Anywhere.

Why?

Because, frankly, they are of dubious quality.

Lots of stick figures.

Variable perspectives.

The colour palettes have been less than accurate.

But, again, I’ve shown delight in each one.

I guess this is how God views my “wise” thoughts.

For, I tend to think that I’m pretty clever.

I write things and think that I’m clever.

I speak in bible studies and think that I’m clever.

I look over the things I’ve pondered in the past and think that I’m clever.

In reality, I’m not.

But, when my Heavenly Father sees the “discoveries” that I’ve uncovered, He is glad for the progress and pride His child has made.

Not that I’ve a genius or biblical scholar. 

You have to be close enough to see the bones

Every church has skeletons.

Every. Church..

Having worked in four churches, every one of them had skeletons that most members of the congregation were unaware of.

I heard of many other skeletons elsewhere which never saw the light of day.

Now, most skeletons rattling around a church are not fit for the front page. Or barely a tweet.

But they are there.

Past hurts.

Past splits.

Past blunders.

Past mistakes.

Unless you get knee-deep in the church, you’ll never hear about them.

You’ll never stumble over the details.

You’ll never trip over the wreckage left behind.

This is the danger of becoming a member of a church.

This is the reality of getting involved in a ministry.

You will be close enough to see the skeletons.

And you will find skeletons.

But they are everywhere.

The most important question adult converts can answer

The vast majority of Christians were converted - if they recall a date at all - in their teenage years.

With this being the case, adult converts are like unicorns.

Valuable unicorns.

One of the most important questions a mature believer can be asked is this... What almost drove you away?

For we all know that church is odd.

So are Christians.

And many of the things we tend to do.

So... for those who have joint our communities - and stayed - what were the things which made this the most difficult?

If a church wants to genuinely investigate the way it does church and the manner in which they accommodate visitors, then they must honestly listen to the answer to this vital question...

How > Does God speak

I believe in God.

I believe that God is a living God.

I believe that God is still communicating.

For many Christians, if we asked them if God speaks to them then they may get a tad flustered.

This can be based upon the belief that God communicating is weird. Or must be supernatural. Or audible. Or miraculous.

More often, it isn’t.

It’s through reading the bible...

It’s through wise advise...

It’s through the words of a sermon...

It’s a thought while praying...

It’s a persistent thought that nags away at them...

It’s an opportunity to get involved at church...

It’s through seeing the creation around them...

I could give plenty more examples.

So, I wonder if we changed the question to “How do you best hear God speaking?” would the response be different?

For, this question assumes that God does communicate and, for each of us, there will be ways which we see and hear Him more than others. 

Yes... but how long are you willing to wait?

Patience.

I’ve asked for it.

Last week I was at church and someone asked for it.

If you’ve been waiting for a new blog post while I was on my latest teaching prac, you’d have needed it.

But, whenever someone is speaking about their desire for patience (usually having to do with a revelation of a next step) there should always be a probing follow-up question.

How long are you willing to wait?

Unfortunately, when it comes to patience... we want it now!

In order to reveal our heart behind the request for patience, we should probe for the expected timeline of the petitioner.

Do they want an answer on their timeline or on God’s?

The secret hack of meeting new people at church

 I’m pretty decent at small talk.

When I can be bothered, after years of forcing myself to meet new people at the churches I worked for, I can make oodles of chit-chat.

But... everyone is worried about the most awkward part of meeting someone new.

Silence.

After you’ve exhausted all your queries and niceties, you’re just left with silence.

What do you do then?

For some... most even... their strategy is to avoid getting themselves into this situation in the first place.

Don’t meet new people.

Don’t extend your hand.

Don’t introduce yourself.

How about if I told you that there’s a hack to cure your welcoming troubles?

What if there was a secret for avoiding the awkward silence?

Now, this advice begins by still walking across the room and introducing yourself. That part’s unavoidable.

But, once you’ve met the newcomer and are a nice human being, then you’re equipped to employ my meeting hack.

It’s simple.

Find something out about the person - a job, a hobby, an age range, a family status - and then use this information to introduce them to someone else who has the same thing in common.

This works for four reasons.

First, it introduces the visitor to more people.

Second, it opens an easy conversation for the two people to make.

Third, it shows the newbie that they won’t stand out.

Finally, while you can and should stick around once your conversation pair becomes a triplet, you’re able to - relatively guilt free - excuse yourself and not leave the newcomer on their lonesome.