Just a question
How does a dark space become light? Exactly! This isn't rocket science and yet we've made it into this impossible game of hide and seek. I've been so guilty of hiding in the church, waiting for people to find me. "If you come to me, my pastor will get you saved and maybe (if you're lucky) I'll tell you how to live a good Christian life by showing you the formula for successful Christian living" (Read your bible, pray everyday - that doesn't work for you?) It really sucks when I think of all the years I wasted thinking that going to church on Sunday was the answer. I think it's an important part...but it's not the whole anymore. It just doesn't work.
I had a conversation with someone today and asked him how church was going. He said fine but that they needed more young people. He then told me that it all started to decline when prayer was removed from the schools. I'm not sure I was alive when that happened or not so it may be true. But this was my comment back to him.
I said that may be true, but the problem is that all of these people that have abandoned prayer in schools have kept on living their lives and things have changed drastically since that time. But what I think has happened is that the church has sat pretty and wished that prayer was back in schools. So they've been left in the dust...hoping for the day when it returns...while the world keeps moving...leaving us back in whatever year we are stuck in.
Youth don't want to go to a church that is stuck in slo' mo'! I told this guy that I don't have the answer but that we've got to start asking ourselves some really hard questions and honestly seeking out the solutions. And when we think we may have found something, we need to ask ourselves if we are willing to make the necessary changes. If not, we've gotta stop wishing prayer was back in schools (cause it's not), wishing that young people would come to church (cause they're not) and be content with what we've got.
If we're not happy with what we've got...well...you know what needs to happen.
Git 'er done!
I had a conversation with someone today and asked him how church was going. He said fine but that they needed more young people. He then told me that it all started to decline when prayer was removed from the schools. I'm not sure I was alive when that happened or not so it may be true. But this was my comment back to him.
I said that may be true, but the problem is that all of these people that have abandoned prayer in schools have kept on living their lives and things have changed drastically since that time. But what I think has happened is that the church has sat pretty and wished that prayer was back in schools. So they've been left in the dust...hoping for the day when it returns...while the world keeps moving...leaving us back in whatever year we are stuck in.
Youth don't want to go to a church that is stuck in slo' mo'! I told this guy that I don't have the answer but that we've got to start asking ourselves some really hard questions and honestly seeking out the solutions. And when we think we may have found something, we need to ask ourselves if we are willing to make the necessary changes. If not, we've gotta stop wishing prayer was back in schools (cause it's not), wishing that young people would come to church (cause they're not) and be content with what we've got.
If we're not happy with what we've got...well...you know what needs to happen.
Git 'er done!
Some would think it's easier to be used to lead the people to save the lost than be used to save the lost. Perhaps that isn't the case?
Kori
Posted by
Anonymous |
9:58 PM
I'm not totally clear as to what you are saying but my interpretation of it is that you are saying it's easier to equip people to save the lost than it is to actually save the lost yourself.
Even if that were true, I don't think it's biblical. It IS biblical to train people to connect people to Jesus. It ISN'T biblical to excuse yourself from needing to do it because you train others to. It is a mandate for all of us to be on this mission together, including the leadership of the church.
Let me know if I'm way off track here
Posted by
Dan Richardson |
10:10 PM
One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and getting the same results. Does the definition fit this post?
Posted by
Anonymous |
6:41 AM
I think you've you got it!
Visionaries must be Missionaries. We must get our hands dirty.
I think you have come to an awesome realization!
Kori
Posted by
Kori's House |
9:07 AM
Oh ya, and I thought it would be nice to see people posting comments on your blog!
Posted by
Kori's House |
9:08 AM
Yes...insanity is doing the same thing but expecting different results. That's what I told him too. So the question is why do we still do the same things over and over?
I believe it's because we are comfortable doing the same thing because we know how to do it. Somewhere along the line we've bought the lie that Jesus wants us to be comfortable.
We're comfortable doing the same thing because we've been doing it for 30 years this way. And then we ask why there aren't any young people showing up?
Is this really even a question that is hard to answer?
Posted by
Dan Richardson |
11:03 AM