Questions of Church Growth

I recently read a column in a local newspaper which tried to address the issue of declining numbers in the Christian tradition. The author pointed to the dichotomy between nearby mega-churches with their large attendance numbers and the ever-shrinking numbers in their own faith tradition, all the while mingling the gall of a civic organization into the conversation, finding no satisfying answer to their wonderment.
I am no expert on why people come to Christianity or why they leave it, but these are a few things I am observing:
Most people do not want to become Christian for the sake of Christianity, to reach heaven or because they fear Hell. They become Christian because they have had or desire to have a genuine experience with Jesus that isn't laden by liturgy or sermons, but is highlighted, even set free, by acts of acceptance, welcome, healing, love, mercy and community, such as Jesus Himself modeled in ministry.
The local congregation which is not engaged in the issues present in the local community, providing leadership and opportunities for folk to witness in ways of justice, grace, equality, understanding and faith, is a congregation caught up in the study of its' own belly-button and will languish and die. There is far more to faith in Christ than Christianity and there is far more to Christianity than maintenance of tradition and tending to sacred cows . . . and those who are seeking a meaningful root to their sacred journey know the difference and are drawn to places where their time and gifts are nurtured and valued as those who are God's children.
The church was never meant to be judge and jury of God's people, neither was it intended to become the gatekeeper of God's Holy Kingdom. Those who are disciples of Jesus of Nazareth, the One who is Christ, Lord and Savior, are those who will be found feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, giving a drink to the thirsty, tending to the sick and caring for the imprisoned. Those who are disciples of Jesus will be found in the leper colonies of our current age, touching the unclean, eating with sinners, offering welcome to the marginalized and striving for justice, God's justice, even in the midst of the Temple. Sometimes the tables have to be overturned before anyone notices something is wrong in the way we have been doing faith all along.
People today are multi-sensory in their daily lives and the thriving faith community strives to engage, both the wonder of sacred silence and the holy of joyful praise. This does not mean that praise music has 'taken over', nor that amphitheater seating with few religious symbols is the way to go. No, rather, the people who continue to walk in the door of the congregation with whom I am sharing the journey are seeking a time and space where the Spirit is welcome, praise is considered a response to God's ongoing Presence and Love, and Peace surrounds them in a community of faith which resembles the world in which they live, inclusive of race, sexuality, culture and experience.
Now, I am not certain I have answered the question any more than the author of the column I read, but of this I am certain: The church more engaged in reliving a memory of what once was or saying they want to become something they really don't value will struggle mightily until they truly walk with Jesus . . . or simply die away. The church is not a civic organization . . . the Church is the Body of Christ alive in the world. Maybe when organized religion accepts such a call and such an identity the questions some now ask will become moot . . . for the Answer will truly have the final say in Whose we are becoming.

Post-Easter Day Ponderings

Garrison Keillor, in one of his News from Lake Wobegon monologues, referred to the month of March as God's way of helping those who don't drink to know what a hangover feels like. Paradoxically, from my humble perspective, the Great Vigil of Easter and Easter morning Worship Services are God's way of helping everyone to have a taste of what the Kingdom of God is like. Let me explain . . .

The Great Vigil of Easter and the Services of Word and Sacrament on Easter morning tend to be the unique times of the year when: a) Most Christians find time to attend a worship service; b) The kids are excited to be in Sunday School and Church Services; c) The adults in worship are excited to have children in church and are incredibly patient with those children who have seldom been there before; d)The 'regulars' in worship eagerly offer their seats to strangers; e) Worship bulletins inevitably run out and people easily share; f) All of the choirs sing/play/offer gifts; g) Only the very best of high praise music is offered by the musicians; h) People don't mind the service going longer than an hour; i) (at least in our tradition) The fact that everyone, absolutely everyone, is welcome to the Table, from the youngest to the oldest, is celebrated in loving fashion; j) The congregation reflects the diversity of our culture and that is reason for people to smile and laugh in wonder; k) It's 'standing room only' and people are okay with that; l) In the resurrection story of Jesus, people not only are given hope, but on this day claim it in profound and tangible ways; m) The people in the pews do their best to stay awake and smile at the Pastor during the sermon; and, n) For many, this IS the best service they will attend all year (irony intended).

I suspect that many of the more pious church-goer's are going to be really, really surprised by how broadly God chooses to be grace-filled in welcoming God's children into the Kingdom . . . and Easter worship services are God's way of warning all of us that none of us will ever have the perfect picture of that moment until we are there. That's okay with me. In these days, I absolutely adore what I am seeing of the gathered community in sheer praise of God's power and might in defeating death through the faithfulness of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I am in awe of lily-laced air, the squeals and laughter of 'untrained' children in worship, the hospitality of the 'regulars' for those who arrive just for the 'major moments', and the Spirit at work in it all. I am humbled by the capacity of God to make smooth the waters of division, to roll away the stones of intolerance, and to divide 'the way it has always been' with the staff of Living Bread that all God's children might go to safety on dry land. I love this foretaste of God's immeasurable goodness and long to drink deeply of its refreshing, nurturing nature always.

I pray it so for you, too. Until then, we have Easter morning memories to build upon and share. 'Go, tell the disciples and the others what you have seen and heard, and He will meet you in Galilee, just as He told you.' . . . and so I write this to you.

Have a blessed Eastertide!

A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to A Wedding

"Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles." Matt. 15:10b-11 NRSV

"A funny thing happened on the way to a wedding a few weeks ago."
I know that sounds like a set-up line for a joke, but it isn't . . . or wasn't supposed to be. Nancy and I were invited to attend the wedding of friend in Springfield, Illinois in late July. Upon driving up to the historic downtown Presbyterian Church, I realized that many of the other attendees ahead of me were pulling into the parking lot just South of the church which was clearly marked as belonging to the neighboring Missouri Synod Lutheran Church. Yet, without much thought to it, we parked where others were parking and made our way toward the site of the wedding. Nearing the street where we were to cross, a man came out of the Presbyterian Church announcing to those who could hear, "The Pastor just received a call from the Lutheran Pastor, and if anyone attending the wedding leaves their car in the Lutheran Parking Lot it will be towed during the service." Nancy and I just sort of laughed at the irony, but quickly agreed that she would continue on into the church and I would go back and move our car to a nearby parking garage and meet her in the church later.
Meanwhile, an alarm, which proved to be false, had brought the local Fire Department to the steps of the Presbyterian Church and all of the early arrivals among the guests and wedding party had to be evacuated while it was checked out. Returning from the parking garage after moving our car, I joined Nancy on the steps of the church as wedding guests were, again, being seated. From behind us a rather loud conversation about the 'parking issue' was being held by two men when one of them asked, "Is that a Christian church?" To which the other replied, "Oh, no! That's a Lutheran church!"
The whole crowd on the steps fairly erupted in quiet laughter at both the truth and the irony of what had been spoken, the paradox of which was deepened by the realization that, clearly, neither of the men really understood the significance of what had been stated.
"Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles."
The easy targets for wry humor in this story are the Lutheran Pastor, who made the reported telephone call about towing cars from the wedding, and the two men who knew so little about mainline Christian churches that neither really understood 'Christian church' and 'Lutheran Church' could be one in the same. Yet, the deeper incongruity lies, not in the story as it is told, but in the heart and soul of nearly everyone else on the steps: for in our nervous laughter at the expense of others is the quiet, undeniable realization of our own culpability in such behaviors. Every one of us has 'ordered cars to be moved' and every one of us has asked the question or given the answer which, in making no sense, told a significant truth about ourselves.
You don't see yourself in this? Remember you are Baptized in the name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. You are named as a child of God, a disciple of Christ, and a member of the Church universal. Then, remember too . . .
• the times you haven't been charitable about 'that person' who sat in your seat in church;
• the times you haven't been understanding of the child who makes noise in worship;
• the times you didn't like the new hymns;
• the times you gossiped about your neighbor;
• the times you could have offered your hand to a stranger, but turned the other way;
• the times you might have welcomed someone to your table, but didn't;
• the times you said, "I'm sure glad we don't do that here!";
• the times you could have offered forgiveness, but instead held the grudge;
• the times you could have given a few bucks to one in need, but chose not to;
• the times you said, "We have never done it that way before.";
• the times you might have guided the visitor to the sanctuary for worship, but figured they find their own way . . . after all, there are signs everywhere;
• the times you complained about all the hand shaking and hugging in worship;
• the times when you thought 'passing the peace' was just that: passing it on to someone else so it would be their problem now;
• the times you could have offered a ride to your neighbor's children or even your own grandchildren to get to Sunday School, then thought, "Well, it's not my job.";
• the times you thought, "They aren't really in financial need, they just need to plan better";
• the times you could have walked with someone through their tears, but didn't want to deal with the emotions;
• the times you could have stood with Christ in the garden, but ran away from your fears of talking about faith issues;
• the times you could have offered understanding to another, but chose to give them a crown of thorns;
• the times you might have loved the lost, but claimed you didn't have time;
• the times . . . . well, you get it . . . the list if fairly inexhaustible.
At one time or another, we have been either the Lutheran Pastor or the two men on the steps OR in the crowd who stood nearby nervously laughing and said nothing at all about the injustice of any of it. Sometimes, the harshest words spoken are those which are never spoken at all.
"Is that a Christian church?" is right up there with, "Are they really Christian?", "Do Christians really behave that way?", "Is that how Christians really talk?" and "If that's what it means to be a member of the Church or be Christian, then I don't want anything to do with any of it!" It is all a part of the language of the world as it regards the community of the Baptized: Do our words defile or glorify? Do our hearts embrace or reject? Do our actions reflect Presence or absence? And, as Pilate stands before Jesus in the Praetorium once more, with the crowds shouting, "Crucify him! Crucify him!", will you be found at His side or hiding behind the comfort of your closed doors, closed minds, and convenient traditions? Will you order the stranger off the parking lot of your existence? Or, maybe, like I did, laugh at the joke which was never meant to be a joke, and walk away thinking yourself above the fray of another's spiritual wonderment?
A funny thing happened on the way to a wedding a few weeks ago . . .
And Jesus said,
• "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?)
• Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
And early on the first day of the week, the women went to the tomb and found it empty. God has declared the Truth of God's Word through Christ and the Spirit. What is the truth we declare to the world concerning the Lord of our faith? The words we live reveal the truth in our soul. Somehow, it's not so funny anymore.

In Christ's service, Pastor Don

God vs the Sheen's of the World

"I want you to go to your window, I want you to open it ... I want you to join our chant: winning, winning, winning ..."

copied from MSN.com, 03-29-11: Charlie Sheen regarding recent allegations leading to being fired from CBS

In twenty-two years of ministry, I could never have imagined leading a newsletter article with a quote from Charlie Sheen yet, here it is. Self-proclaimed as 'clean' and 'never more in charge of his faculties', possessing 'tiger's blood' in his veins and a 'vision for the future' in his mind, Sheen is taking on CBS and anyone else who dares to challenge his persona, his wealth, his position, or his life choices. Sheen perceives himself as being 'more' than an ordinary person, he perceives himself as something of a god, with god-like qualities, never-to-be-questioned, never-to-be-doubted, always-to-be-admired. For Charlie Sheen, and all of the other Charlie Sheen's of the world, the world is their tromping ground, their place of pleasure and provision with other 'mere mortals' scrambling to meet their every need, whim and desire. 'Responsibility to others' is little more than a catch-phrase of vocabulary words spewed upon backside-kissing hangers-on who desire to service the position more than the man, the sum of whom, once the money or the fame - or both, run out, will move on to the next 'up-and-coming, rising star' who will care for them, more than they care for themselves.

Seem harsh? Maybe, yet such are the qualities continuing to be possessed by, and possessing, those who treasure themselves above all and at the cost of all. Such was Caiaphas, the high priest, and Annas, his father-in-law. Such was Pilate and Herod of Rome. Such were those who worshipped them and those who tended them. Such were those who incited the crowds in Jerusalem in those fateful days and such were those who drove nails through hands and feet. Such were those who ordered the door of the tomb be sealed and guarded and such were those who persecuted the Apostles who remained.

Identifying threads of commonality between Sheen's behavior in current times with that of folks who lived at the time of Jesus might be something of a stretch, but then again, is it so hard to see those same threads of commonality coming out in the Church itself throughout the ages? In the names of the Inquisition, the Crusades, and the dogmatic controversies which have polarized generations of believers, even into the current generation regarding sexual orientation, AIDS, and birth control, those who proclaim " . . . winning, winning, winning . . ." are united with those who say, "In the name of Christ, death to the heathen." In one way or another, the goodness of God's creation present in each one of us is distorted beyond recognition by the emergence of a narcissistic bent, requiring the world to bow at the feet of those who deem themselves to be god, while countless souls suffer and die like Lazarus, with dogs licking their wounds, or like Jesus, with guards casting lots for his cloak. Where does it stop?

The boorish behavior of the powerful, the rich, the deluded and the self-absorbed stops, not where humanity can stop it, but where God says it will stop: at the door of an empty tomb. When, according to the Gospel of John, Mary Magdalene, herself scorned and reviled by many, yet loved of Jesus, came to the tomb of Jesus early on the third day and saw the angels sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, what she witnessed first-hand is what crystallizes hope and faith in the heart of the believer. In the Risen Christ, God announces God's power, even over death, subjecting the tyrants of every age to a judgment they could never pronounce: LIFE! Easter is God's gift of grace to the world, that all who fear and despair might run to the window and shout to the world, "He lives! He lives! He lives!" and know the true meaning of 'winning'.

Birdie Believes She Can Fly

Birdie believes she can fly. Never mind that she is a 9 month old, 50 pound Black Labrador Retriever, she believes she can fly! If only there was a way for her to get up enough speed and improve her leaping ability! That she has yet to catch one of those pesky robins on the power lines hasn't deterred her from trying, making a walk with her something of an adventure in holding onto her leash. There is no problem with her running away, it is just a matter of holding her on the ground while she constantly jumps for the heavens above . . . and maybe there is something to be learned from her.

How often are we reminded of our limitations rather than encouraged by our possibilities? How many times have we had our own leash yanked on by someone who was telling us how stupid we were for trying to fly? How many times have we done it to others? How many times have we told our children or grandchildren, "Oh, you can be anything you like (as long as it is something of which we approve)." How many times in the Church have we made the wonder of God inapproachable to children by the weight of our sinful behaviors? How many times have we kept others down in the pew when all they wanted to do was stand up in the Lord?

"Oh, we don't do that here." "No laughing or giggling in church." "I haven't seen them here before, and they certainly don't look like they belong here." "They want to what, in church?" "A woman preach?" "Communion for children?" "We're conservative here (which is code for, 'You would never catch me doing that!')" "The preacher really should have a talk with them (which is code for 'I can't explain why I don't like it, but I don't and I don't have the brass to say it myself!)" And the list goes on and on.

We just pull on the leash and hold down the hands of the Spirit hoping upon hope that the Church doesn't get out of control and find a way to fly in new directions 'on our watch'! God save us all if Birdie would catch a robin on the wire! Next thing you know, she'd be trying for red-tailed hawks out over the pasture!

Hmmmmmmm. Maybe I need to spend a little less time holding onto Birdie's leash and a little more time building a trampoline to aid her quest. Maybe there is something for all of us to learn in the trying.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Don

Church Meetings

'For God so loved that world that God did not create the world by committee.'

I have spent the better part of an afternoon, a Sunday afternoon, in church meetings. I attended a region-wide event, which was a great time for renewing and enjoying friendships helpful for the soul, yet, that the intent of the day was 'meeting' and not particularly 'visiting' dampened the effects of our time together. Hmmmmm.

Having been in ministry for something over twenty years now, it occurs to me that often, maybe too often, religion gets in the way of faith. 'Officialdom' becomes the standard bearer of 'what needs to be done in the name of the Church', rather than faith guiding and directing our steps. What Jesus strove, literally, to accomplish in walking and talking with his companions along the road becomes mutated by meetings to set up meetings which inform the content of meetings that address the issues raised in meetings . . . ad nauseum. Is it any wonder that the current generation is skeptical of what relevance the Church has in the current culture? While taking on the trappings of technology and espousing the language of the world-wide web in all of its many names, the Church is losing touch with its own inherent mission and language of being the handmaiden of Christ. Christ has become a sales tool, spirituality a fix for the desperate, and service projects the antidote for misplaced guilt and anxiety.

God has birthed creation and, by extension, all of humankind to be in relationship, with God and with each other. Christ fulfills the covenantal nature of that relationship by overcoming in faith all that would separate us from God and each other. The Holy Spirit hearkens our souls to trust, love and obey in building bridges of faith over the chasms of this world's darkness's which would hide the Light of God from the eyes of those most in need. The Church is birthed in the Spirit to live into Missio Dei, God's mission of reconciliation of the entire world. The Church was never intended to be the master of its destiny, nor was it birthed to enslave God's children to lives of butt-tiring, brain-numbing meetings.

The Church is the Body of Christ called, still, to walk with all God's children . . . or it is not the Church. Though no-one ever said the Church is to be perfect, that should not become an excuse for not striving to walk in Christ's perfection. Meetings should never take precedence over relationships. May God save us all from the next meeting which will be set to discuss this 'pertinent and timely issue'.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Don

Shrove Tuesday

Televised clips of the Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans fill the airwaves of local newscasts as the culture embraces Shrove, or Fat, Tuesday and all the pageantry it entails. 'Dance today for tomorrow we shall be mourning', is given a whole new meaning as beads are thrown, gaudy and brash costumes swirl through the streets, and food and liquor are consumed in vast quantities, all because tomorrow Lent begins. Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday and a 40 day season (not including Sundays) of penance, reflection, fasting, and prayer begins. Quite contrary to what many newscasts will articulate tomorrow in referring to Lent as a 'Catholic holy season', the entire Christian community, the entire catholic community of Christians, will intentionally, even reverentially, join with Jesus on His journey towards Jerusalem. For many, this journey, this liturgical season of Lent, is the grounding point of faith for all that is the rest of the Christian year and, for many, contrary to what 'Fat Tuesday' may tend to indicate about Ash Wednesday, Lent is anything but 'lean'.

Lent is rich with meaning and fragrant with faithful living. Lent is flavorful in the Story and pungent with Love. Lent stirs the soul and pours out the heart of God. Lent feeds the masses with mercy and grace from the Hand of the Creator God.

The culture may love the 'fatness' of Shrove Tuesday, but I embrace passionate essence of Lent, that beautifully contemplative expression of God's meaningful faith in humanity. God Is With Us . . . and I pray we are responsive to Christ's Presence on the road ahead.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Don

Lessons on the Road

Has it ever happened to you when you were driving along, minding your own business, cruise control set, your window open, the music playing just the right song at just the right volume, that some 'lunatic' pulls out onto the road right in front of you, seemingly waiting until you were just close enough to know there wasn't enough room to safely make it, but choosing that time to pull out anyway? Then, as though putting your heart into cardiac arrest wasn't enough, and giving your reflexes a chance to prove whether or not they still work wasn't enough, and testing the drive-ability of your car with brakes fully locked wasn't enough, the person who caused all of this, seemingly, chooses to drive about ten miles an hour below the speed limit, with oncoming traffic eliminating any chance of passing for miles to come? Then, when an opportunity to pass finally makes itself available, you put on the blinker, pull out to pass, hit the gas, and begin to overtake the lunatic, only to, again . . . seemingly . . . wake them up out of their fog and have them also 'step on it' to keep you from passing, forcing you to either really get on the gas or back off and fall behind them again?

It has happened to me more than once, but it happened most recently last evening on my way back home from the farm. It was only as I finally got around the 'driver' (and I use that term very, very loosely) going about 75 miles an hour, after following them at 45 miles an hour for several miles, that I realized that the person had a cell phone to their head and was in deep conversation and driving, not with intention, but by instinct. My passing him, and it was a 'him', reminded him that he wasn't going fast enough, but it was clear in my passing him that he wasn't paying attention to his own speed either: he was talking on the phone, deeply engaged in life somewhere beyond the wheel of his own vehicle.

Once around him, he backed off his speed in direct proportion to mine and, gradually, fell farther behind as the miles clicked under our tires. At first, I was angry, then resentful, then, finally, just appalled, especially when I began to think of this encounter in terms of the church: How often is it that a person or congregation goes about the mundane nature of their living in the same old way, in the same old patterns, day after day, daring anyone to try to change them, even pulling out in front of others to make sure everyone else stayed in line behind them, regardless of how out of touch with the rest of the world they are? And, how many times have or will those same people suddenly pick up the pace when someone tired of following them pulls out to pass, putting them in a position to either go twice as fast and twice as hard or fall back in line and accept the inevitability of their own mundane place in life?

It is a paradigm which gets played out far too often in far too many places of worship over far too many things which, in the scheme of all things heavenly, really have very little affect in all things earthly. It was a part of Jesus' ministry as the various scribes, Pharisees, lawyers, Sadducee's, and political hacks, took their shots at the building momentum of Jesus' ministry as it passed through the local country side. It was a part of Jesus' teaching as He taught the thousands in the text which is commonly known as the Sermon on the Mount in' the Gospel of Matthew. It was a part of the betrayal, trial, beating, and crucifixion of Jesus recorded in all of the Gospels. And, finally, it was a part of the resurrection story recorded in all of the Gospels, as well. It took Jesus' death to gain enough momentum to pass the lethargy of power, pomp and circumstances imposed on humanity by those determined to make themselves into gods. It took a rolling stone theology to crush the self-centered, self-serving ideology of 'me-first' at everyone elses expense. It took 'Peace be with you' Christology to break down the barriers of fear which shackled even the best intentioned of disciples to 'fall in line' behaviors.

Now, I am not extolling a 'step on it no matter what the consequences' response to every 'lunatic' who pulls out in front of you, but I would suggest that you and I are not the first ones to whom it has happened, nor will we be the last. So, the essential question before each of us on the road and all of us in the church is this: Before God and all of humankind, what is to be gained by not letting up? At 75 miles an hour last night, I should have backed down and didn't . . . proving exactly what, I'm not sure. But at the speed of life, Jesus couldn't back down and didn't . . . proving we have nothing to fear in proclaiming the nearness of God's Kingdom, regardless of the 'lunatics' which pull out in front of us along the way.

Jesus makes a much better point than I do, He always does. I just hope I learn from it - and the guy on the cell phone gets the message.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Don

Back in the Days of the Two Bottom Plows

"Back in the days of the two-bottom plows, this kind of weather didn't make much difference. Farmers didn't farm so much that a late Spring planting would break them and seed corn was 7 or 8 dollars a bag. Now they pay $150 to $175 a bag and farm so much they're not even farming. We need to get back to two-bottom plow days."

These are the words of an old farmer who spoke with me yesterday and, clearly, he remembers two-bottom plow farming . . . and can't remember a Spring that was ever quite so wet, which is going a piece when you think on his age. He remembers not being quite so pushed or quite so financially extended. He remembers when, even if you weren't a farmer, your neighbor was likely to be one or, at the very least, you knew one. He remembers the time it took with a two bottom plow to turn a field over in preparation for planting - and he remembers the time it took so well that he equates it with not being able to farm as many acres as farmers do today. He remembers . . . and he longs for what has been parked in fence rows and forgotten, or recovered and set in the front yard like a trophy, for the two bottom plow way of farming no longer exists any more than $7 a bushel seed corn.

My heart ached for this farmer as he spoke his piece for, in my heart of hearts, I have thought the same sort of thought: 'Why don't we all just slow down, do a little less, be willing to live on a little less, put in a little more effort, and recover the life we know once was ours to claim.' There is a part of me, too, that knows he is right . . . and that, I think, is what makes my heart heavy, because I know we can never go back to two bottom plows. Too many people depend on too few farmers for the consumable goods which grace the tables of homes all over the world.

Improved genetics have pushed the price of seed skyward. Intensive marketing has made the sweat of the farmers brow worth more - in more places - than ever before. And, the variables of petroleum costs, herbicide and insecticide costs, fertilizer costs, machinery costs, product development and marketing costs, educational costs, home costs, etc . . . all add weight to an industry that has a hard time holding young farmers on the farm anyway, thus even more dramatically reducing the number of farms, while increasing the size of those remaining. There is such an inevitability to this cycle that, in the name of soil conservation in many of our most heavily farmed areas, farmers no longer plow at all . . . and no-till farming is on the rise. Reduce cost, increase the potential for profitability. Put the two bottom plow at the bottom of the ravine and hope it slows down the erosion of our nation's greatness.

Some might say the church should take a lesson from all of this, but I wonder who folks thought taught the farmers this approach in the first place. So well have those lessons of progress and 'utilizing the most up to date practices and approaches to life' been preached from the pulpits, that the very parishioners who once has time to listen to the messages are nowhere to be found in the pews anymore. The two bottom plows of family time, prayer time, congregational fellowship time, youth ministries that don't require 'youth specialists', worship that doesn't require a 'technology minister', and evangelism that doesn't rely on a marketing and communications degree, have been left in the bulldozed tree lines of our lives, buried with the very soil that once had been its pride to work. And, when times get hard, the economy slumps, the Springtime of our life is wet, and folks aren't sure which way to turn, what they are left with somehow doesn't measure up to what they know their soul really needs . . . and the oldest among us quietly says, "Back in the days of the two bottom plows . . . ."

It is something to think about in our 'bigger is better' culture, with our 'we deserve more and should pay less' attitudes, that smirk in the faces of those in other lands that 'just don't seem to get it'. It's something to think about before we just dismiss the quiet words of an old farmer as he reflects on our current condition from the context he continues to live. Maybe, in the name of Jesus Christ, there is still something to be learned from two bottom plow living . . . maybe . . . if we haven't buried the possibility too deeply or rolled the stone into place too tightly.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Don