Rev Bill

Noel Anderson at Andersonspeak is posting answers to points that people are making about why churches should leave the Presbyterian Church (USA). The first point he answers is the one that we should leave because we are ticked off. The second he answers is the one that we should leave because we can. The third reason he answers is that we should leave because we are afraid.

He now answers the fourth reason he sees folks giving — that Churches could attract new, younger people if they were not in the denomination. To this, he responds:

Frustrated with a lack of growth, evangelicals need someplace to assign the blame (other than ourselves, of course). The denomination is an easy target: a large, fat, dirty target with a bullseye as big as the side of a barn. It is only too easy to blame our local troubles on Louisville, GA, etc. The embarrassment is enough to make some churches pull the word “Presbyterian” off their name because (pick all that apply):

A. It is embarrassment by association.

B. Young people see the word and think: Beware! OLD!

C. Most people don’t know what it means or care.

D. Denominational loyalty is passé.

E. Denominational identity is largely irrelevant and otherwise ill-defined.

F. Denominations are relics of the Great Generation, like Lions or Shriners.

Go here to read his entire response to the “it will attract new, younger people” argument for leaving the PC (USA).

I have posted my sermon from last Sunday on my sermon blog. It’s based on Mark 1:1-8 — and entitled “Getting Into The Christmas Spirit”.

Here’s a portion of it:

If we are going to truly understand the spirit of Christmas – if we are going to get into the Christmas spirit — if we are going to be able to truly understand and get into the Christian spirit and the Christian life – we are going to have learn to be humble before God – servants of God – people filled with God’s Spirit and used by God – ready for God’s work in our lives and willing to listen to God – and open to God’s Spirit and willing to change.
Do you want more of the Christmas sprit?
Do you want more of the Christian spirit?
Learn to be humble before God.
Learn to be a servant of God.
Let God fill you with His spirit and let yourself be sued by God.
Be ready for God’s work in your life and be willing to listen to God.
Be open to God’s Spirit in your life.
Be willing to let God change you.
Doing these things – and letting God do these things in your life – will not only help you get into the Christmas spirit – but it will also help you get into the Christian spirit!

You can read the sermon here.

Today’s Advent Devotion from the Goshen College Advent Devotional site is based on Mark 1:1-8 and deals with the Season of Advent being a season of preparation, purpose, and peace.

Here’s a portion of it:

Sometimes I wonder, “Am I allowing my circumstances to determine my availability to serve God?” For example, I often say to God: “Well, God, I’m just a college student [or insert your own applicable word], what great things can I possibly do here, at this place, at this time? I’ll just wait, then I’ll do something great for You.” In Zechariah 4, there seems to be the idea of: “God is not so much concerned with my capabilities to serve Him as He is with my availability.” It makes me wonder, am I available, now? Not later, but right here, right now? What is holding me back?

Indeed, we need to be prepared — and find our purpose in God’s will for our lives.

You can read the entire devotion here – go here to read all the devotions posted so far — or go here to have the Advent devotionals e-mailed to you.

Tody Brown has some good advice for bloggers. He gives what he calls come “simple rules for blogging”. These are:

1. How you present yourself in your writing is how people will see you.

2. What you choose to address in your writing, the issues and people, will affect how people react to you.

3. Your manner of presentation, if you want people to read on a regular basis, must be brief.

4. Humor is the sine qua non of blogging. Use it on a regular basis or choose another format for your public writing.

5. Your blogging must be almost brutally personal. People can sniff out a gimmick or a frustrated author a mile away. If they get any hint of that, they will not continue reading you.

6. Post regularly! Distance is death, absence is lethal.

7. People who comment on other blogs will have their own blog read. What goes around, comes around.

I like his “rules”. You can read them all here.

Noel Anderson at Andersonspeak is posting answers to points that people are making about why churches should leave the Presbyterian Church (USA). The first point he answers is the one that we should leave because we are ticked off. The second he answers is the one that we should leave because we can. Now — the third he answers is the one that we should leave because we are afraid.

Here’s part of what he has to say:

Fear is never okay; it is always a kind of spiritual sickness. It is an inappropriate motive for anything we’re talking about here.

Fear is cast out by love. If you say (or think) “I have no love for the PCUSA and its people,” then that is your spiritual problem, not the denomination’s.

You and I are responsible for choosing the kind of love that leaves no room for fear.

If love can lead you out of the PCUSA, and you can clearly articulate how this is so, then that would be a most excellent rationale for seeking dismissal.

YOu can read the rest of his post on this topic here.