Jesus Loves You.....But You Don't Really Mean That

Recently I was involved in a some what of an argument at church. The end result as I was walking away was that the person that was arguing with me said Jesus Loves You and I Love You. I was shocked. Those words had never before come out of that persons mouth to me. I was blown away. Had my prayers been answered. I didn't take it too seriously.

I have come to believe that people who claim to be Christians, but are really not (talk the talk, but don't walk the walk) tend to say things that they really don't mean. This was on of those times. Following worship this person gave me the weekly sermon like always. Nothing had changed.

Don't take the love of Jesus lightly. Jesus died on the cross to save you and me. That is a big thing. Don't think that in an argument that you will win if you say Jesus Love You. You are just covering up for the fact that you may not be right.

When I tell someone Jesus Loves You I mean it. I take the love of Jesus seriously. I know that Jesus has done lots for me in this life. When I die I know that I am going to spend eternity with him. That is an awesome thought.

So the next time that someone tells you Jesus Loves You think about the meaning behind it. It says a lot about what kind of Christian that they are.

Being in control

So often times I have come in contact with people that I have to always be in control of  everything. It has to be their way or they get upset. Life is not all about having it your way. You need to think about others as well. Sometimes being in control of it all hurts others. 

I worked with a teacher once that had to have everything their way. I can remember one time when our schedule was changed she freaked out. Got upset about it. This teacher got upset at anytime the schedule would get changed. I don't think that she liked change at all. 

I went to a church once were this one couple in the church was basically let to be in charge of everything. If something went wrong or something happened to upset their order of things they would get upset. I can remember once that some of the ladies in church decided to have a good by lunch for the pastor who was leaving their church. They didn't consult the couple and boy did they get mad. The lunch was canceled because the couple really didn't like the pastor. 

My advice to people like this is to get over it. You don't have to be in control of everything. Someone once told me that if a person has to be in control of everything then they are covering something up. A person needs to start by getting control of their lives before they start to control others. 

If you have to have control of everything then people will start to resent you. You will lose friends and people will not want to be around you. 

My opinion is that the only person that really should be in control is God. If he is not in control of things then there is something wrong. God has to be in control for things to work.  

I have noticed that a lot of people that want to be in control don't have God in their lives. They push him away. They even push people away that believe in God. That is just wrong. They need to let God in before it is too late. They will self destruct without him.

So if you are one that has to have total control I urge you to take a step back. Evaluate the situation. Get control of your life and then let God take control of the rest. Things will be better that way.

Structure vs. Control

Have you ever wondered why some teachers have great classes and others maybe should reconsider their profession? It all stems down to the idea of structure vs control. Structure is about having a schedule, a routine, and making a great learning environment. It also has to do with the placement of furniture and how discipline is handled. Sometimes teachers can go beyond this and make it about being in complete control.

Complete control is when a teacher has to tell the students how to do exactly everything that they do. For example in a Preschool Classroom the teacher tells the students what they have to do at each center during center time. When the students don't follow the teacher's directions the teacher ends up getting very upset and loosing control.

A teacher that has to be in complete control of the classroom looses sight of what matters and that is teaching the students. It turns into all about them. They get very upset when things don't go their way. They get upset when their order is disrupted. These teachers refuse to take help from others. When they get into trouble they are apt to blame others for the problems.

A Preschool Teacher had the nature to have to be in control of everything and everyone. He planned the day of herself, each of his students, and his aide down to the very second. At Center Time he gave assignments of what to do at each center. He even made the students sign in to each center by putting up sticks on signs. At inside recess time he made the students sign into the centers with sticks. He was so obsessed with being in control that he  wrote down everything that the aide was to do at every second of the day.

This continued to happen for awhile until parents got concerned that they not receiving their children academic work each day. Parents called the school to complain about the fact that it seemed that the teacher was more concerned about  doing art work than doing academic work. An investigation was done and it was decided that things in the room would have to change. This teacher got very upset because what they had decided was going to happen suddenly had to change without their control.

The teacher took it out on the aide. In the end it cost the teacher their job. You see the teacher had lost focus. They were so fixated on being in control of things that they forgot what their job was. They forgot to teach. They were more concerned with control than they were anything else.

Having classroom structure is one thing, but when it becomes a need to be in control then it is out of hand. No teacher should have to control everything that goes on in their classroom every second of the day.

If a teacher has to control every second of the day in their classroom then they need help. They need also to find another line of work.

So please if you go into the teaching profession please make sure you know the difference between structure and control before it is too late.

All Saints' Day

Traditionally in the church year the day after Halloween is called All Saints' Day. It is a day to remember those that have gone before us to live in Heaven. A friend of mine told me that at her church they read the names of those that passed in the during the past year and then ring the church bell for each name. I like that idea.

This morning I got to thinking about people in my life that have passed who I would consider saints on earth during their lives. My Mom was one of those people. She had a good heart. She was always helping someone. She taught me the importance of the power of prayer.

Then there was my Aunt Virginia. She always said to never give up in prayer. She would pray often for those that she knew who needed to get saved until they did. I was one of those such people. She was such a loving person.

I could think of others too who lived a life of a saint on earth. All have had an impact on my life. They have in some way shaped me into the Christian that I am today.

Who has shaped your Christian walk? Think about them on this All Saints' Day and thank God for them.

War Room

Last night some of us from my church went to see the movie War Room. If you have not seen this movie yer I highly recommend that you see it. The main focus of the movie is about the power of prayer. In the movie it talks about how we should use prayer in the right way to fight the battles in our lives. 

I never had ever thought about how I pray before. This movie made me reexamine my prayer life. I want to be on fire in my prayer life. I don't want to be cold in it.I want to see more results from my prayers than ever before.

In the move Ms. Clara has what she calls a War Room. That is a room in her house where she goes to pray. At the end of the movie it is said that her praying is baked into that room. I would love to have a prayer room of my own. 

Prayer is a powerful weapon if used in the right way. When we pray we need to plead with God, tell him what is on our hearts, and then stand back so that the can do what only he can do. Then we will begin to see results.

Check out War Room. It is an awesome movie. You are going to love it.   

We are all in this together

     Sometimes I have to wonder what would make someone want to have sole control over a church. I was told years ago that the church was God's and that everyone had a right to it. Yes that is true. But, in some churches today you will find that there is that one person that has to be in control. They have to have their way about everything or they are just not happy. That is very sad.
    People fail to realize that in order for the church to survive and work that everyone needs to work together. That everyone must be given a part to play in the life of the church. If this does not happen then the church in the end will die out. That is a sad fact that keep growing.
     It is sad that in a lot of churches that there are no young people to keep the church going. Older members are set in their ways and want only to do things the way that they have always been done. Keeping things the same is not going to work anymore. Times are changing in the life of the church and people need to get with it.
    I grew up in the Presbyterian Church. They had stricked rules about how things were to be done. These rules are what is hurting the growth of the church. Rules are great and serve a purpose. But, there are times when rules can get out of hand.
    One of the things that is hurting my church is that more effort is put into making sure that we have a Sermon or Message each week than getting people to Sunday School. It is seen as proper for members to not come to Sunday School. Sunday School is where you really get into learning the bible. You get to study the word and get to dig deeper into what God has to say. Worship is great if it is true worship. Some people just go through the motions when they come to church.
     I use to attend (for a short time) an Assembly of God church. One of the things that I liked about it was the fact that they had what they called Praise and Worship time. That was a time were they sang modern Christian songs. Really got into it. They also had a time in the service that if you were in need of prayer that you could come to the front of the church and someone would come up and pray for you.
     Another thing that I took note of is that they didn't always have a pastor give the message. Sometimes it would be members of the congregation who spoke. Also sometimes they would have guest speakers come and give the message. Above all they worked together as a congregation. If congregations worked together then they would see more growth. The community around them would accept them.
    We are all in this together. Keep that thought in mind when you are doing your church work and things will all work out for the best. The church will grow and good things will happen.

Church Burnout

Recently a lady in my church was complaing that she was overwhelmed by all the things that she "had" to do at church and that she just could not do one more thing. The suggestion was made that she give up some of the things that she "had" to do. This lady refused to do, but till maintained that she could not take on more jobs at church.

When people feel the need to be in charge at church the end result is burnout. They get to the point to where they feel that they just can't do one more thing. However, they feel that they have to still be in charge or things will fall apart.

Soon resentment sets in. People begin to resent this person. They begin to question why this person does what they do. They begin to question why things have to be the way this person wants. In the end all this begins to pull the church apart.

THE ROAD TO BURNOUT

• Over-commitment (always in motion);
• Inadequate breaks and rest (continuous ministry involvement);
• Idealistic standards;
• Constant low-grade stress (occasionally interrupted by crisis!)
• Lack of help and assistance;
• Chronic fatigue from pushing oneself ("hitting the wall");
• Strong sense of responsibility, even when others "dropped the ball";
• Guilty feelings about missing church events/activities;
• Heavy job and family responsibilities/expectations;
• Inability (or strong reluctance) to say no.

BURNOUT REALITY ORIENTATION

Burnout happens to nice guys--to the dedicated, loyal, idealist church member who wants to make a difference. That’s the problem: this all-out commitment drives some Christians to take on too much, too soon, too often. They overlook their heavy non-church responsibilities at home and on the job.
Constant challenge and activity carries stress in its wake--"getting up" for ministry activity, putting out brush fires, coping with diverse personalities, making do with scarce resources. And don’t forget the strings attached to becoming a ministry leader: visitation, showing up every time the church doors are open, maintaining an exemplary witness at all times, attending (seemingly endless) meetings.
Sometimes the pastor and staff get a bit out of touch with grass roots volunteer busyness. They’re so busy (and under-appreciated) themselves, chronic over-commitment is simply a way of life. The idling majority of the congregation conveniently assumes that "everything is running smoothly, so our help isn’t really needed." Others, not so naïve, know the tremendous sacrifice required of ministry involvement and want no part of it.

A STRATEGY FOR AVOIDING BURNOUT

It’s easier to avoid burnout in the first place than it is to overcome it. Here are 10 do-able strategies for escaping its clutches:

• Rest, relax, recreate, renew. It’s God’s way of sustaining us for the long haul.
• Pray for your ministry responsibilities. Let God perform the work, using His infinite strength and perfect wisdom.
• Give something up before taking on a new commitment or responsibility. Don’t keep "adding floors" onto your already towering skyscraper of activities.
• Learn to say no and to set up reasonable boundaries around your involvement. Specify the help you’ll need and the constraints on your time.
• Set priorities and consult with your family. Church work occupies an essential role in our lives but must never take priority over family. Look for ways to team up with your spouse in ministry activities. Be willing to occasionally say no to low priority church activities when they conflict with quality family time.
• Get away from it all on a regular basis through hobbies, recreation, short-ministry "sabbaticals," and sometimes just being a couch potato.
• Listen to your body's stress warning signals, such as headaches, backaches, dizziness, insomnia, and unexplainable fatigue.
• Cut out the hurry and worry. Stress is the natural byproduct of trying to stuff 10 pounds of potatoes into a 5 pound bag. Do only what you reasonably can in the time available and with the resources available.
• Keep those to whom you relate informed of your changing commitments and priorities. Stay away from guilt trips.
• Emphasize grace over works. We don’t earn God’s blessings by the amount of church work we do. He wants us to lead healthy, balanced lives where ministry service is a joy and source of deep personal fulfillment. In the absence of such joy, ministry turns into burden and burnout.

Jesus knew of the burden of burnout. His words in Matthew 11:20, 30 are extremely comforting: "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

 

So to avoid church burnout you one thing to do is delegate. Don't insist on being in charge of everything at church. Let other people take over. Don't insist on being at church every time the doors are open. Take a break from church. No, you are not a bad Christian for doing this  No, you will not go to hell for not coming to church all the time.

 

Take time for yourself to relax and recharge. It will not happen overnight. It will take time, but in the end it will be worth it. Take time to pray. See what God wants you to do in regard to the church. He has a plan for you. You just have to open your heart and listen for God to speak.

 

Let others have a turn. Give up some of your jobs at church to others in the church. Don't do the jobs all yourself all the time. You need to let others in the church do some of the jobs. Don't just delegate the jobs to your friends and people that will do what you want. Ask for volunteers and let people sign up for jobs.

 

Don't make sure that there is something going on at church every night of the week. Doing that will lead to others being burned out at church too. Resentment will arise and in the end the church will close. Think of others first over self.

 

Following these guidelines will prevent burnout and help your church be active in the community for years to come.