Bloomings In The Spirit

My wife, Cheryl, calls them "Christmas Cactus." I think we have a white one, too, but it wasn't around in the house when I was taking pictures today. Strange thing about these plants, they only seem to bloom a couple times every year. Neat colors, and not much of a problem to take care of, but they do make an impact on me. Some places where people keep them they refer to these cactus plants as "Easter Cactus, too! That's the thing that impresses me most about them. Like many people I know, they only bloom a few times a year, and then only for a very short while. Christmas and Easter are the times of the year when a lot of the "membership" comes to worship! Most of the year they are out there somewhere doing something, but during these two seasons they feel oddly compelled to visit the rest of us that are there every Sunday! I've only been at 1st B for a few years, but(Thank God)it isn't like some of the churches I've served. When the number of members is up in the hundreds the ranks in attendance twice a year swell greatly. I've never really understood this phenomena. Like the plant, we have these(may I call them "bloomers")who come to visit and are really quite offended if the pastor does not know them. One Sunday a lot of years ago when I was much younger I remember greeting "visitors" warmly during the announcement portion of the Sunday service only to find out later that they were members! I suppose I offended them a great deal! But I'm running in the wrong direction, again. You see, God doesn't have a score card. He is not keeping track of how often you get yourself up on Sunday and go to church(He really doesn't care what you wear when you come, either). What God cares about is us! So much so that He sent His only Son to make the ultimate sacrifice to redeem His people forever. God cares about us all the time, not just when we're sitting in a sanctuary pretending to be deeply(that isn't fair, I know a lot of folks really aren't sleeping)moved by all that is going on. Much of what we do on Sunday mornings is simply a reminder of God's care and provision for each of us. Like the cactus many of us may not bloom but a few times a year, it's up to the rest of us "buds" to be ready to share their colors and their beauty whenever they enter into our immediate surroundings. Tend them and fertilize as needed and pray that they are growing strong and healthy. I guess we're here to help one another grow, and in so doing, we grow, also! It's a beautiful thing to watch the blooms appear, I pray you are watching for them and enjoying them. Maybe they can be encouraged to share their beauty more often, but then, people aren't flowers. Or are they? My Bible does refer to my Savior as the "Rose of Sharon." Maybe there is a corralation here. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Repot, Repot, The End Is Near!

This picture has nothing to do with tonight's blog!!! I just put it out here for my wife so she can see what the inside of my head looks like sometimes. She knows what it's like to live with me, but seeing is believing. This is just a weird stage of growth, kind of like this plant that needs a larger pot. Preacher.

Praying or Preying

"The church is changing," the cry was heard throughout the land. "Faith has taken on new significance in people's lives!" These are sayings from 1800 years ago, 1500 years ago, 1000 years ago, 100 years ago, and yesterday! "In America we have not seen a revival in the past 50 years," one author writes. It seems that most of us that are believers in Christ are in need of revival, or so some would have you believe. Many say that the state of affairs with the church is the very worst that it has ever been, and they will continue to say it, just as they have since the first "reorganization" of the church. It amazes me that there are so many that want to help us. Here we are on the Great American Desert dying in our pews on Sunday morning because we haven't figured out the true way, the "right" way to worship God. And this is not just here, it's everywhere, and it always has been. My personal opinion is that wherever there is a dollar to be earned with religion you will find someone hawking their own personal version of how to worship God. The radio, the TV, the internet; these days if you just gave a dime to every person that would like to help you get closer to your creator you would soon be out of dimes and more than likely still languishing in a state of being "lost." The Bible teaches us that there is "nothing new under the sun." It also admonishes us not to go chasing rainbows and pretty butterflies that someone has caught up in their net(we usually end up being the ones "caught" in the net). The church is ever changing, this is true, but faith is no different today than it was for the disciples of my Savior 2000 years ago. Beware of those who would "pray" for you and "prey" upon you. They are nothing new. These same people were around in the ministry of my Lord. God's grace is free! Forgiveness cannot be purchased again. Once was sufficient. "People are more in need now than ever before," and if you've heard it once you've got to have heard it several times over. "Times have changed, and we need to change with them." When was the last time you heard that one? It would seem in the ecclesiastical world that there are always those who are more than ready and willing to tell you and I what we need, and then follow that up with an estimate of how much we need to contribute to fill that need. The church is not Walmart, but the selling techniques are used in much the same way. The same folks that put out the commercials for Budweiser work in the advertising campaigns for denominations. That's their job, selling! You cannot buy your way into heaven, nor can you purchase a righteous seat in the congregation of the faithful. That fellow on the TV has fifty people working for him to open your envelope, and if you were to walk up to him on the street(if you could get that close to one of those individuals - they have to hire a lot of protectors)you would be more than a little surprised at the person you met. Not everyone is in ministry for the money, in fact very few are really in it for that reason. Faith is now just as it has always been, and there may be new words to sell, programs to participate in, events to attend, and music to hear, but the true sounds of faith are not heard loudly. They are heard in the quiet moments that take us within ourselves and join us to God as we reach out seeking the truth that is there to be found. It's a simple thing. It's a prayer. And that is how close our God is right now to each of us. "The church is changing," the cry was heard. What they don't hear is "faith is the same, yesterday, today, and forever!" In Christ's Love, Preacher.