“Please hold, your hit is very important to us …….”

No, I’m not gone just pondering some observations at a different angle ….. for now.

Business As Usual?

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me for he has anointed me to preach good news ……. “
“Go and preach this gospel into all the world”
“Preach baptize make disciples”
“I have to proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God in the other cities also, for that is what I was sent to do.”
“Just as the Father has sent me so I am sending you”

It seems to me that in scripture God has placed a fair amount of emphasis on the preaching, proclaiming and spreading of the good news of the gospel as a means of presenting the gift of eternal life to those who are lost and dying. The power of the preached gospel is an unmatched force in all the world. In some versions it says the disciples were to preach the gospel into the “whole of creation”. It’s through this act that men hear holy truth and are saved, set free, transformed, renewed and established as new creatures in Christ for the glory of God.
I see few witnesses of this same power in the act of teaching among those who are saved or during the act we often refer to as corporate worship, we do see examples in the old testament and in the new during corporate prayer and the offering of sacrifices. Most of these how ever are external demonstrations. There are demonstrations of this power witnessed in the laying on of hands and various kinds of healing which follow the preaching of this gospel, but the most amazing demonstration is that which occurs when one is transformed from being an enemy of God into one who bears his name as a son or daughter through the preaching of salvation. This also remains the most definitive way in which God’s kingdom is increased; as those who believe are added daily to the multitude He will gather together one day.

I used to work for a national corporation as a purchasing agent, buying products from all over the US and some off shore, the company was the largest of its kind in the world and we were it’s largest plant. If a company were able to secure a contract to supply us product it was a big deal and they knew it. On the other hand a company also knew that to lose our business could be devastating for them. With this being true many large companies would send salesmen to live in the city where our corporate office was located; they would sell his old house, buy him a new one at the new location, cover all of his expenses and provide him with a salary just to have him in close proximity to our company. The strategy was to begin developing relationships with those who made the decisions regarding our national contracts. Needless to say this required a HUGE investment of time, money, and commitment on the part of these companies, but they knew it was worth it if a deal could be made. If they were to secure a contract they would be the beneficiaries of a huge increase in business causing their company to grow and expand. Businesses constantly have salesmen out in the field presenting the benefits of their company to others in an attempt to increase their size, wealth, name and influence in the business world.
Why did they do this? Why didn’t they just stay at their corporate office on the other side of the country, have meetings about how great their company was? Why didn’t they keep their salesmen at corporate teaching and training other “affiliates” in the attributes of the company, its products and the great plans they had to grow the company over the next few years?
Meetings, seminars, memos, strategies, staff meetings, employee “empowerment” training classes, “kick off celebrations”.

I did a lot of business with salesmen who worked for fast growing, successful companies, some used to live in areas of the east coast or the south prior to being moved to Oregon. I can tell you it was never the idea of these guys to walk up to their bosses and say, “Hey, I want to move my family across the country to Oregon to get more business for the company”. Fat chance. The mindset to “send” people for the sake of increasing the wealth of the company was always that of the corporate office. They knew they needed to “send and spend” if they wanted to establish a presence of their company in new areas. They were willing to make an investment towards that end. It’s absolutely unheard of for a scenario like this next one to occur.

A top achiever within a corporation sees the need for expansion into a new area so he goes to his boss and says, “I’m going to move my family across the country in an attempt to generate more business through the development of new relationships”.
Although the corporate office has never mentioned nor made any attempt of doing this itself, it agrees to send the salesman off “in the name of the corporation”. Corporate also sends out a memo letting everyone know that “Joe salesman” is off to reach new customers and has its full support and blessing, and if anyone wants to help support Joe’s efforts on a monthly level feel free to do so, as a matter of fact, corporate believes in him so much they too are willing to provide one hundred dollars a month towards Joe’s effort.

Now I know I’m being silly and there isn’t one responsible corporation who would be foolish enough to believe any company could reach new clients and gain increased business this way. It’s pretty much fantasy ……..right?

The Sky Is Falling!!!!

Do you ever wonder what it must be like to watch the weather in say …. Hawaii? In some ways it must be nice, no snow fall except for the top of that one volcano, rain on almost a daily basis in a lot of areas, warm windy breezes in other areas (also on a daily basis), temperature? 75 to 80. Yawn! For the most part Hawaii is pretty much predictable which is very appealing to me. Montana? fairly mild summers but in the winter? Cold! Do you think the news stations devote a lot of time and energy reporting on one to two inches of snow? Naw, it too is pretty much of a yawn in most of that state.
Thank goodness we here in Oregon have news stations that are devoted to protecting me and my family from the weather by manning themselves with First Alert Storm Teams devoted to spending an excruciating amount of time covering every detail of the local weather and considering the fact that Oregon experiences heavy rains, high winds and cold temperatures in the winter, and high temperatures in July and August pretty much every year, it’s nice to know there are people out there who believe the potential for the “same old thing” to be severe or extreme enough to keep me updated on a minute to minute basis is reassuring. Isn’t that a good feeling? I can sit home and have the TV weather man tell me to stay home, (which I am) then show me footage of drivers crashing into one another trying desperately trying to get home so they can have the weather man tell them not to go out.
Look, I took advertising and marketing classes in school and I know you can edit video footage in such a way that lets you tell a story the way you want people to see it and no one does that better than your local television news station, to watch them present me with the kind of weather that’s “headed my way” makes me want to run to the hardware store, get everyone in our family a shovel and start digging a storm shelter.
If only Dorothy had listened to her First Alert Storm Team she never would have wasted all that time wandering around the land of Oz.

“On with the show this is it …..”

Every now and then you have a chance to participate in something that’s outside your normal, daily routine, you know what I mean. My wife called me on the phone the other day asking me if I wanted to go see a play in Portland, she was offered two free tickets from her boss. I’m really not much for crowds although I find myself in the midst of them more often than I would like. Several years ago we would attend Blazer basketball games on a regular basis because of the job I had, tickets were free so that was a good motivation to go. It was during that period of time when the Blazers were winning and the majority of them weren’t in jail.
Actually I already had plans but I asked her what the play was about, she said something about a spelling bee. Now I have to say the thought of going to Portland to watch a play based around a spelling competition didn’t exactly spur me on to thoughts of social or theatrical rapture but I said yes and we headed north.
Now I really do like Portland, especially the downtown, and the thought of living in a busy metropolitan area has always appealed to me. We found a parking structure and a place to eat right across the street from the auditorium so getting there was a breeze. We sat back at the sandwich shop taking our time before heading across the street to the side entrance, premier guest, season ticket holder, VIP entrance (just so ya know). I thought, a Thursday night just after new year, it’s going to be a slow night at the opera ….. wrong! the place was packed!
It was a little different than what I was used to. I had been to see Larry the Cable guy during the summer and people were loitering around the lobby slamming down Bud’s in plastic beer glasses, but not here, oh no…… this crowd was “mingling” among one another sipping glasses of white wine. Sport jackets, suits and jewelry. grey hair, wire rim glasses and cuffs. and no bathrooms here ……no siree….. “Lounges” …. men’s and women’s, because these people aren’t here to see a play, they’re spending a night at the “theee yaaa tah”, oh yeah!
Speaking from a strictly non-profit fund raising point of view these are the people you would love to get to know, each and every one of them. Designer eye wear, really nice cars and Merrill Lynch medical emergency bracelets. Thank goodness I wore my sport coat!
All that aside, we had a great time, the performance was nothing like I expected, a play about a spelling bee? Pppttttt! The name of the play was, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”, and it was great! Who would imagine one could make fun of so many social, economic, racial, religious, political and politically correct issues within the frame work of an adolescent spelling bee. The characters were perfect, timing, flow and delivery were seamless and the musical performances were well executed and excruciatingly humorous. They even nabbed some audience members prior to the show starting to help make the B’s contestant field look a little bigger on stage, they actually had to participate in the competition when called upon (naturally they weren’t spared from ridicule).
As I had mentioned before I’ve always enjoyed the thought of at least once living in a downtown metropolitan setting, being able to walk just a few blocks home after an evening out or grab a light dinner at any one of the many restaurants along the way (except those overly expensive ones where the guys outside the door are dressed in those “God save the queen” beef eater outfits, what’s with that?).
Well that’s pretty much my report on our night at the opera, now if you’ll excuse me I have a pressing engagement to be fitted with my new pair of Christian Dior reading glasses (okay they’re from the Chuck Norris “camo collection” but they make me look like I know how to sip wine).
“Last Call”

“Hey, if I tithe a dollar to the church, what’s the exchange rate?

For years I’ve been intrigued by the amount of money spent by the church on things which really don’t matter, especially when the church is to be devoted to the advancement of the kingdom of God through the proclamation of salvation in Christ to all who are willing to believe and receive. More proclamation, more hearing, more believing, more receiving, more glory.
American evangelicals in 2000 collectively made $2.66 trillion dollars in income. Nearly half the worlds total Christian income.

In a report filed in 2000 (and by all indications hasn’t changed much) for every dollar donated by evangelicals 90 cents goes to their own churches.

97 percent of the entire income of all Christian organizations was spent on, and primarily benefited other Christians at home and abroad.

$261 billion spent ministering to Christians
$7.8 billion on already-evangelized non-Christians, and
$0.81 billion on unevangelized non-Christians.

In 1933 during the depths of the Great Depression the percentage of giving per member in the church was at 3.3 percent, in 2000 after more than a half century of prosperity it has dropped to 2.6 percent.

I had mentioned in a previous entry the story of the poor widow in scripture. In spite of the vast amount of resources placed into the hands of the religious leaders of the day, she was still poor.
I have to wonder how often the multi million dollar building we are willing to fund will effectively proclaim the eternal message of salvation?
How often do we see or hear the paid staff of the church proclaiming the message of the gospel or even socializing with the lost of our communities?
I remember speaking with a pastor who was amazed that I could actually display an open bible in a public restaurant reading and studying it where others could see. He said he would be too intimidated to do that. (Unfortunately that was my senior pastor).
How much of the money spent goes towards the actual professing of “this faith”? Most is spent on spiritual silence.

In 2001 eighty-eight percent of evangelicals and 73 percent of all protestants donated to churches.
American evangelicals gave four times as much, per person, to churches as did all other church donors in 2001.

Hey, I’ve been on a church staff working part time. I led worship and I have to say I got paid real well considering I loved what I did! No complaints. But I really couldn’t justify tithing to the church knowing the money I gave was going right back to my next pay check or to the rest of the staff, lights, mortgage etc.
I could see what “no one” was doing as it related to reaching the lost. All their time was focused on next Sunday and not much beyond that. So for what it’s worth I tithe, and yet I don’t. I give my money towards the sake of the gospel, into the hands of those who “do” and withhold it from that which “doesn’t”. Yes I said “those” who do and “that” which doesn’t, I’m not going to support a building mortgage or lights, sound, piano, carpet, but I will support proclamation and outreach. Now I know this sounds a little two faced for someone who operates a non profit which seeks to build schools and stuff like that which don’t proclaim either, but the increase in spiritual fruit which they produce through the gospel truth they proclaim in them is a good investment.
It may seem like I ‘m beating this to death at times but it still manages to intrigue me.
It’s curious but my travel agent is in the business of getting people places. That’s what she does, that’s what I want. We both understand how all that’s suppose to function. It costs me money but I get the results.
She doesn’t spend 97 percent of the money I give her on her office and staff, if she did no one would ever get to see what paradise looks like……. Hey, I may be on to something here.