#ChurchWORDS - Church

We started a new sermon series at Renovate (our Saturday Evening Contemporary Service you can read about here) entitled #ChurchWORDS (which you can read about here) a couple weeks ago. Here is my sermon outline from the second sermon in this series from 8/28.

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#ChurchWORDS - Church

Let's start with a question: What comes to mind when you hear the word 'church'?

Building?
Denomination?
Worship?
A specific time on a specific day?
Obligation?

Ephesians 4:1-6
Here Paul speaks of the unity of the Church (notice the capital 'C' which signifies the universal Christian church) that is found in the Oneness of the Triune God...Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Sometimes, however, people mistake Jesus for the Church, which can lead to hurt and frustration because Jesus is perfect and well, since the Church is made up of you and me, it is not perfect. We saw this mistake most recently with author Anne Rice who declared that she had "quit Christianity" because of her struggles with the Church.

This leads me to point out a couple things the Church IS and IS NOT.
Acts 2:42-47

1. Church IS NOT a building
Church IS where the lives of individuals intersect
*In order to be the Church, we must be intentional about coming together to worship, study and pray
*I like to think of it as living the life of a disciple of Jesus together

2. Church IS NOT a place to consume
Church IS a place of shared passion and purpose
*This leads to a willingness and desire to serve others
*In a culture that reminds us on a daily basis we are the consumer, this mindset can slip into the way we live out the Church
*Church has to be more than a social club, something must made us different

3. Church IS NOT about the individual
Church IS a family
*“Where 2 or 3 are gathered” (Matthew 18:20)
*You cannot be the Church in isolation, or a Christian for that matter
*I believe Jesus intends his Church to be a place of support, encouragement and community; a place where one can share the highs and the lows of life knowing there is love to be found in this family

The Launch of 'Renovate'

We officially launched our Saturday Evening Contemporary Service under the name of Renovate. It took us a while to come up with a name but I'm glad it did because we are liking the one we've got. We received lots of different ideas and suggestions, which we are very grateful for but eventually decided on this one. On August 14th we launched (still with little to no outside marketing at this point due to trying to nail down a logo) our service with a free concert from 1000 Generations to follow. Numbers were OK for the service, 150 showed up so that's not awful. Here is a little of my sermon from that evening.

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"Renovate"
faith :: community :: culture

The word renovate means:
1 : to restore to a former better state (as by cleaning, repairing, or rebuilding)
2 : to restore to life, vigor, or activity : revive, renew

This process of renovation is just that, a process. Similar to how our faith is a process. Constantly being restored and renewed and maybe even revived when it feels like its been dead for a while. Like the writer of Hebrews talks about "running the race with perseverance" (Heb. 12:1-3).

This is what we're hoping for through this service, that the process of renovation might either begin or be encouraged to continue on to completion (Philippians 1:6). To the point where it begins to impact not only one's faith, but community and culture as well. Like the wise man who built his house on rock (Matthew 7:24-27), we hope that Renovate is just one way in which individuals might build a solid foundation of faith as they find additional ways to connect with the community of Castleton UMC. It's more than simply attending a service, it's about allowing the Spirit to work in you and through you to bring about renewal. If you haven't already, this might be something worth checking out.

Confusing Christ with the Church

I have never really heard of author Anne Rice (@AnneRiceAuthor) before this week and must admit that I have never read any of her writings but I have talked to plenty of people who feel the same way she does. On Wednesday she wrote on her Facebook fan page that as a Roman Catholic she was "quitting Christianity" because she was troubled by the scandals that have plagued the Church and its response to such abuse, as well as issues of being anti-birth control and anti-feminism (CBS News article here).

A blog post from friend Andrew Schleincher (@AJSchlei) about Anne's decision got me thinking...Is it possible that people confuse Christ with the Church?

Here's what I mean, people think that the Church and Jesus are the same thing and as a result, wrongly associate things like hypocrisy, being judgmental and hate-filled with Christ. The Church, which is made up of imperfect humans like you and me, is striving to be like the perfect person of Jesus and unfortunately falls short on a regular basis. This fact does not negate the love of Christ or the significance of being a Christian, it does however, remind us that only He is perfect and we are merely trying to be and because of this, the Church is not perfect and won't be until in Him all things are made complete. I hope and pray that people can and will find the perfect Christ through and despite of, the imperfect Church and realize that when the one fails miserably, He never does.

Do I think we, as the Church, unfairly give Jesus a bad rap sometimes...Yes.
Do I think that regardless, He not only loves but uses the Church...Yes.
Do I think this adds a weight of responsibility to the Church today and that we must continue to strive to become more like Jesus...Yes.

The Launch of a Saturday Evening Contemporary Service Part III

It's been almost 9 weeks since the "soft" launch of our Saturday Evening Contemporary Service here at Castleton UMC and so far, so good. The worship band continues to get better as the weeks go by, especially in regards to transitions. They have been introducing new worship songs for our congregation and they seem to enjoy most of them.

The inconsistency of our schedule has certainly hurt us a little over the past few weeks. Due to a previously scheduled wedding, the service started an hour later that weekend at 7pm. We have another late start coming up on the 31st due to another wedding that has been on the books for awhile. There is no Saturday Service this Saturday due to the "Celebrate Our Church" service happening at 10am Sunday. We are combining all 6 of our weekend services from 2 campuses into this 1 service on Sunday morning. I am looking forward to the consistency the Fall calendar will provide in a few weeks.

As we prepare for a consistent Fall schedule, we are working on a marketing strategy for the "hard" launch set for August 14th. Part of this marketing plan involves developing a name for the service, which is proving harder than I had anticipated (any suggestions let me know). Once we settle on a name, we will begin designing a logo and tagline. This will be followed with targeted mailers, online advertising, radio spots, visiting local college campuses, and large banners in front of the church. I'm anticipating the initial marketing cost being roughly $3k-$5k.

One other aspect I have been working on is our online presence via live streaming of the service and podcasts. Neither are great right now but I don't think we're too far from making these happen on a consistent, quality basis.

After meeting for 8 weeks we are averaging 68 in attendance.

Let's Talk Appointments Part III

I believe the implications of changing shall to may as it relates to "guaranteed appointments" will have a lot to with the way in which "good standing" is defined/measured and the relationship it has with effective ministry. John Meunier mentions on his blog that there has been conversation lately on using numbers as a way to measure clergy effectiveness. Some like it, some don't. I can almost guarantee that ineffective clergy do not like the idea of attendance, new members, confessions of faith, and baptisms as measuring sticks.

Maybe I'm way off on this but aren't those the signs of effective clergy and ministry? Numbers aren't everything but they certainly aren't nothing. I think numbers can be one of the easiest and most obvious signals of ministry impact and to disregard them with the mindset of "quality over quantity" is simply misguided. It seems difficult to me to read through the New Testament and not see how life changing discipleship is not related to the spread of the Gospel which in turn adds to the numbers.

If at least one of the measuring sticks for effective clergy is not tangible and there are not conferences/districts willing to address ineffective clergy then getting rid of "guaranteed appointments" is going to upset a lot of people for no reason.

And so I'm left wondering...Do "good standing" and effective mean the same thing?

The Launch of a Saturday Evening Contemporary Service Part II

It's been almost a week since the launch of our new Saturday Evening Contemporary Service, with tomorrow night being week two. The feedback I received from the launch has been overwhelmingly positive, especially in regards to the music and band.

I know for some of you, the thought of launching a new service on Memorial Day weekend sounds absurd but let me give you a little context. Castleton UMC is located in Indianapolis, IN which happens to be the home of the Indianapolis 500. The race takes place on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, which draws tens of thousands of people, including people from our congregation. So every year, on this weekend, we have held a Saturday night worship service as an option for racegoers but this year, we used that time as the launching point for our new Saturday service that will continue throughout the year. For us, the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend made sense and the numbers spoke to this. We had 130 in attendance for our first Saturday Evening Contemporary Service, which ended up being more than our 8:30 & 11am services the following Sunday morning. This is the impact of the Indy 500.

Overall, I was really happy with the launch as I had no idea what to expect. I believe weeks 2, 3 and 4 will be telling but regardless of how many attend or what happens, we are excited to see how God will use this service on Saturday nights.

I will be posting my sermons here on my blog, podcasts are available here and the services will be streamed live online here on Saturday evenings at 6pm. All sorts of different ways to check it out and connect.

Let's Talk Appointments: Part II

One thing I find interesting about "guaranteed appointments" is that the United Methodist Church would choose to enter into a lifetime "contractual" (or covenant if you prefer) relationship with an individual. When an elder is ordained, the UMC commits to a relationship that will last the individual's lifetime. Guaranteed. I'm not sure I can think of any other profession where this is the case. It almost seems as though this effectively ties the hands of the denomination when dealing with elders that are less than good but remain in "good standing".

I have been working on staff at the same church for 8yrs and to think about the changes that have taken place in my understanding and thoughts on theology, ministry, leadership, etc. in that short time is significant. I have a hard time trying to imagine what some of those thoughts will be in the next 5yrs let alone 35yrs. I wonder if "guaranteed appointments" is the best practice for the UMC as it tries to maintain a standard both theologically and doctrinally, as well as on social issues across the denomination and its clergy. What happens when a pastor's theology changes over the years? Or his/her views on various social issues (i.e. homosexuality) becomes different than the denominational position on said issues? It seems like shall suggests that the denomination has to figure out a way to keep him/her around while struggling to figure out in which role. May seems to suggest that the denomination has another option, a sort of no-appointment probation or even a very nice goodbye letter.

As the conversation continues, feel free to jump in and share your thoughts. Be on the lookout for Part III.

Let's Talk Appointments: Part I

There has been a lot of talk over the past few weeks about the topic of "guaranteed appointments" within the United Methodist Church as the result of a recent commission group study. You can read two of the articles here and here. You can also see a couple blog posts from: Mark Beeson, John Meunier, Bandits No More, Overstatement.

The main issue revolves around the understanding that while "All elders who are in good standing and continue to fulfill their professional responsibilities (¶340) shall be continued under appointment unless they are on leave and are assured equitable compensation for their ministry (¶342)" (online source), this commission is recommending the word shall be changed to may. What this does in effect, is remove the "guarantee" of an appointment for an ordained elder in good standing.

The main argument against this change seems to be around the idea that if an individual is willing to go through the lengthy (and I would suggest convoluted) ordination process, be willing to be itinerant (which is a model I still struggle with for today) and remain in good standing, the denomination should take care of the individual by always providing an appointment.

One of the problems I see with this is how "good standing" is defined. Is this measured by the number of baptisms or confessions of faith? The reach of a pastor's discipling ministry? Or the fact that s/he didn't steal any money or failed to run worship attendance down to zero? If we have a hard time understanding what "good standing" really means, then changing one word might not make that much of a difference.

Being a 31yr old full-time licensed local pastor and certified candidate I can only begin to understand the impact of may on an individual yet I am also beginning to see the impact shall has had on the Church. I am certainly not naive enough to think that job security is not important or cannot provide a sense of security for one's family but I also wonder how it impacts the ministries of the Church, and the UMC in particular when ineffectiveness is simply moved from one appointment to another.

I'm anticipating this will be an ongoing conversation, feel free to join in. Look for Part II of the discussion in the next few days.

The Launch of a Saturday Evening Contemporary Service Part I

The church that I am currently appointed to, Castleton UMC, is getting ready to launch a contemporary worship service that will take place on Saturday nights at 6pm in the sanctuary on our Castleton campus. I have been given the opportunity to be the lead pastor for this service which I have been working toward making happen for over 3yrs now. With plenty of prayer and dreaming, I got the word to launch on Saturday, May 29th about 5 weeks ago.

A little background info on our church...We have 2 campuses with a total average Sunday morning attendance of around 750. We have 3 services (8:30 & 9:40 traditional, 11 blended/contemporary) on the Castleton campus and 2 services (9 traditional, 10:30 contemporary) on the Sunrise campus. We have not had a consistent evening service option and as a result, it will be interesting to see the response to a Saturday evening service that happens each week.

I've received plenty of support along the way from fellow staff, members of the congregation and especially Joe Garrison (@JoeGGarrison). In the past 5 weeks, here's what we've done so far:

*Solely through social media we were able to find a solid worship leader (@matthewedilley), drummer (@jdcogswell) and strong female vocalist (@zanbone) to accompany 3 of our own musicians.

*The only promotion of this service has been through in-house publications (church bulletin, newsletter, e-bulletin, website), word of mouth and social media.

*We have most of our volunteer positions filled (greeters, welcome center, ushers) but have a few A/V spots (sound, lights, video, slides) that are still open.

*I decided on Saturdays at 6pm because I believe this time will lend itself to reaching a wide range of individuals for various reasons. I also believe it will provide countless opportunities for fellowship (and eventually study & small groups) to take place after the service.

*We will be podcasting & video archiving the sermons and live streaming the entire service online (find that stuff here) each week.

Needless to say this is going to be a work-in-progress as we move forward but should be fun to witness how it all comes together, as so much of it has already. I look forward to hearing any questions or thoughts you have about launching a new service and sharing this experience with you.

Let Freedom Ring...(for me)

As Americans we love our freedom. The freedom to do what we want, say what we want, live where we want, act how we want...as well as to tell others what they should do or say, where they can live or how they should act.

Sometimes I wonder if the Church is much different.

As Christians we love to hear about, talk about and be reminded of the freedom we have in Christ...when I'm the one being set free. When it comes to the idea that Christ gave everyone else access to that same type of freedom, well, I'm just not sure how I feel about that. We want to tell others what to think, believe, how to vote, etc. if they are going to be truly "free" in Christ.

Is confined freedom still freedom?

Please don't misunderstand me. I am speaking only of the freedom that is found in and through the person of Jesus Christ and is to be lived out in his body called the Church. It is within this context and community that I wonder if we give others the freedom to be free in Christ. Paul's words in I Corinthians 13:12 remind me that we don't quite have this freedom thing figured out...yet. I hope my freedom isn't keeping someone else from being free.

Ways to Follow and Connect

I know it has been a few days since my last post, for that I apologize. I am currently taking an Inductive Bible Study class through the Gospel of Matthew that is eating up a decent chunk of my time. I always have delusions of grandeur that I will post more often, which is still my goal but it has suffered lately. There are a couple ways that will make it easier for you to follow what's happening here:

• You can subscribe to the RSS feed of posts and comments (which you can find to the left or click here) and get updates automatically of new content
  
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• If you want to get "old school" you can email me: matt.lipan@gmail.com
  
• If you are a blogger, you can share comments so I might connect with your blog

I hope to be posting more often and to be connecting with you soon. Thanks to all of you that take some time to check out A Journeyman's Catalog!

Don't Miss Out

If you are a Christian, in exactly 34 days you will have an opportunity that you really don't want to miss out on. It's as if every year the calendar lays in our laps the chance to tell someone about the Easter story. I know for many of us sharing our faith is not something that comes easily but I mean...at what other point in the year is the story laid out so simply for us to share with others? Don't get me wrong, Christmas is important (and certainly one of my favorite times of year) but we have to fight with credit cards, presents and consumerism to share our part of the story. Not as much with Easter.

My challenge for you is to begin preparing now in order to take advantage of the opportunity that will present itself in just a few short weeks. Ask God for opportunities to share the Easter Story and not to miss them when they come. If you've been looking for an "excuse" to invite someone to church, Easter just might be it.

Dinner Guests

It is probably the combination of my 'Sacramental Theology' class at Asbury Theological Seminary taught by Dr. Stamps (@bobstamps) a few weeks ago, my final paper on the 'Openness of the Table' and having celebrated the sacrament of Communion this past Sunday that got me thinking. But before I jump in, I have to mention that 1) I would be incredibly surprised if this thought hasn't already been shared somewhere (I know John Wesley talked about the power of the Eucharist to transform people) and 2) I have not spent a lot of time studying this particular idea (yet). So, having said all of that, here we go...

Each Gospel has an account of the Last Supper (Matthew 26:17-30, Mark 14:12-26, Luke 22:7-23, John 13:18-30) and in each account Jesus mentions that the one who would betray him was dining at the table with him. I think this is significant for us today. In Jewish culture, the community and fellowship that took place around a meal was quite significant and the fact that this was a Passover Meal that Jesus and his disciples were sharing took it to an even deeper level of intimacy. This also happens to be the meal we model the sacrament of Communion after, as Paul mentions in his first letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

Now, not only did Jesus know that Judas Iscariot was going to betray him, I think he knew he already had and Jesus still welcomed him to the table! Notice in John's account (John 13:18-30) that Jesus doesn't tell Judas Iscariot to leave before the breaking of the bread but rather Judas Iscariot leaves after he received it, on his own accord. It seems as though Jesus is demonstrating an open invitation to the table of the Last Supper, even for those who would betray and deny him, that could be a powerful reminder for our Communion celebrations today.

Clipping the Religious Wings

There are a number of different political groups or labels we hear about in the news as the presidential primaries keep rolling on and if I may, I'd like to share some thoughts surrounding two of the more popular labels that are used to describe the Left Wing and Right Wing as they relate to faith and religion.

The "Evangelical" "Right"
evangelical: "1: of, relating to, or being in agreement with the Christian gospel especially as it is presented in the four Gospels 2: Protestant 3: emphasizing salvation by faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ through personal conversion, the authority of Scripture, and the importance of preaching as contrasted with ritual 4 a capitalized : of or relating to the Evangelical Church in Germany b often capitalized : of, adhering to, or marked by fundamentalism 5: marked by militant or crusading zeal". (definition from Merriam-Webster online)

Right or Right Wing: "7 often capitalized a: the part of a legislative chamber located to the right of the presiding officer b: the members of a continental European legislative body occupying the right as a result of holding more conservative political views than other members 8 a often capitalized : individuals professing support of the established order and favoring traditional attitudes and practices and conservative governmental policies b often capitalized : a conservative position". (definition from Merriam-Webster online)

Looking at definitions 1, 2, and 3 I see myself as being described as evangelical but what is scary is how often this group of people can seem rather fundamentalist and I'm not sure I want that guilt by association. In our country, the Right is associated with the Republican party as it is known as the more conservative of the two major political parties but does the label "evangelical right" mean that there aren't or can't be evangelical democrats? Is it a conflict of interests to be a conservative Christian but not a Republican?


The "Religious" "Left"
religious: 1: relating to or manifesting faithful devotion to an acknowledged ultimate reality or deity 2: of, relating to, or devoted to religious beliefs or observances 3 a: scrupulously and conscientiously faithful b: fervent , zealous". (definition from Merriam-Webster online)

Left or Left Wing: 3 often capitalized a: the part of a legislative chamber located to the left of the presiding officer b: the members of a continental European legislative body occupying the left as a result of holding more radical political views than other members 4 often capitalized a: those professing views usually characterized by desire to reform or overthrow the established order especially in politics and usually advocating change in the name of the greater freedom or well-being of the common man b: a radical as distinguished from a conservative position". (definition from Merriam-Webster online)

I can see myself as being described as religious though I would like to think I have some zeal about my faith I certainly wouldn't call myself, good or bad, a zealot. The Left Wing is considered to be the "wing" of the Democratic party and would be considered liberal compared to the Right. The Religious Left focuses on social issues that concern the poor and oppressed, which as I understand the Gospel, should be the concern of Christians regardless of which "wing" we use to fly our politics with. Does this mean that the "Evangelical Right" doesn't care about the poor or oppressed or social issues that may impact both or either? Is there a difference between being "evangelical" and being "religious"? Are evangelicals not considered religious or vice versa?

I think these are important questions to ask and think about before we claim to favor one "wing" over the other or even worse, claim that the "other wing" has it all wrong, stands for nothing good and shouldn't even consider themselves Christians. Maybe that's why there is so much imbalance in the Church, because we find ourselves trying to fly with only one "wing" and can't figure out why we keep going in circles.

Out From Amongst The Tombs

I was reading through Mark's account of Jesus' ministry around the Sea of Galilee (3:7-6:29) for our church's Lenten Devotional and the story of Jesus healing a demon-possessed man in 5:1-20 really struck me in a couple of different ways as I think about the Church in general, and the United Methodist Church specifically.

1. Jesus intentionally went to the place where the unchurched and de-churched (the word "Gentiles" is used here) resided. He was willing to go where few others were willing to go, places that "traditional church-people" might call unclean. We talk about being willing to serve the least and the lost but are we? Are we willing to adapt and change our approaches to ministry in order to engage the unchurched and de-churched?

2. When you spend time around death and decay, their stench begins to stick to you. Here we see a man who was cast out by his society and left to live among the dead. This could really mess with a person's head and I would imagine easily create a sense of worry, fear and despair. Is it possible that the Church has lived among the dead long enough and now it's time to come out from amongst the tombs? I wonder what difference it could make if we stopped looking at all the ways we are dying and focused instead on new ways to convey the message of Life.

3. Having an experience with Jesus changes people. After his experience with Jesus, this man would never be the same. Not only had Jesus brought him from death to life but Jesus gave him life with purpose. Notice how the man went into the "Ten Cities" telling others about his life changing experience with Jesus. I know and agree that the Church must move and adapt with culture but not at the expense of experiencing the One who makes life transformation possible. 'Jesus' seems like a decent marketing plan to me. Eventually it goes viral because as people see their lives changed, they can't help but tell others about their experience with Him.

"Learning To Play"

This is the text outline from my sermon this past Sunday at our Sunrise Campus. It was the 3rd of a 5 part series entitled "It All Goes Back In The Box" (inspired by the book from John Ortberg entitled "When The Game Is Over It All Goes Back In The Box").

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Joshua 1:6-9

Play By The Rules:
-Play with integrity

-Integrity is not the same as reputation or "sin avoidance"

-Matthew 18:8-9

-Be aware of sins of commission and sins of omission (so often we get focused on not committing sin that we sin by neglecting the things we should do, remember these words from James 4:17)

Play With Gratitude:
-The events of recent days in Haiti should serve as a poignant reminder of our need to do this

-Please checkout UMCORHaiti.org for more ways to help

-Luke 17:11-19 (live as the one that gave thanks)

Play With Your Mission In Mind:
-Your mission starts where you are

-Your mission is not about you

-Your mission will use your strengths (Exodus 4:1-5...God used Moses staff, the very thing he knew and drew strength from)

-Your mission will be connected to a deeper need
*Frederick Buechner writes that "generally the kind of work God calls you to is work a) that you need to do and b) that the world needs to have done. The place God calls you is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet."

-Your mission means that God wants to use you
*Don't forget that Jesus chose a couple raggedy fishermen and a couple tax collectors as his closest disciples, he not only can but wants to use you

Some Thoughts on Multi-Site Ministry

The context for some of my thoughts on multi-site church ministry comes from being an associate pastor at Castleton UMC that currently has 2 campuses located in Indianapolis about 6mi apart. I also had the chance to attend a mini-conference our church hosted this past Saturday for other multi-site UMC's in the area and hear their experiences doing multi-site.

The Pros
-multi-site provides additional space when the main site is full
-multi-site provides a venue for a different style of worship than what takes place on the main campus
-multi-site provides the opportunity to reach more and different people
-multi-site can provide the opportunity for churches that are growing, vibrant and effective to duplicate themselves and their ministry

The Cons
-multi-site can be extremely expensive (ideally look for a space that a current church member owns and will allow the church to use rent/lease free)
-multi-site can stretch church staff extremely thin
-multi-site can cause tension within the main campus congregation because they are not on board with the vision or ministry of the 2nd site
-multi-site can become misguided when the focus becomes a building and not a ministry

Thinking about this a bit more after our mini-conference on Saturday and working at a church that has been multi-site for about 5yrs now I've realized I still have some questions about the best way to make multi-site work. Of course I know there are some great churches that are doing the multi-site thing almost to perfection (Community Christian Church in Chicago or The Village Church in Dallas for example) but I think I'm questioning the process by which most churches become multi-site. It seems to me that the upfront planning and visioning is crucial to a successful launch of a 2nd site especially but also for a 3rd, 4th or 5th as well. One of the big hang-ups for me is the endgame of an additional campus, what is its purpose or goal? The more I wrestle with this the more certain or uncertain I become depending on the specific site. I will be sharing more thoughts on this idea and its relationship with the UMC specifically in an upcoming post.

Care to share your thoughts and/or experiences of multi-site ministry? Are you a church leader with a multi-sites? Do you attend a church that has multiple sites? Do you move between them? Why or why not? I'd love to hear any thoughts on this topic you have to share.

"Getting Things Set Up"

This is the text outline from my sermon this morning at our Sunrise Campus. It was the 2nd of a 5 part series entitled "It All Goes Back In The Box" (inspired by the book from John Ortberg entitled "When The Game Is Over It All Goes Back In The Box").

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Philippians 2:1-11 will serve as the groundwork for our conversation this morning. From here we'll talk about 3 different things to keep in mind as we look at getting things set up in this game we call life.

One of the first things we want to know when setting up a game is How To Keep Score:
-We are by nature scorekeepers

-Our sense of the score influences the decisions we make, the attitudes we keep, and the perception of ourselves

-Examples of score keeping from scripture include: Cain & Abel; Leah, Rachel & Jacob; Saul & David

-We tend to keep score by comparing, competing and climbing

-Ortberg writes, "The problem with spending your life climbing up the ladder is that you will go right past Jesus, for he's climbing down" (p 45).

The Game Pieces:
-The two main pieces consist of the outer you (physical body, reputation, etc) and the inner you (character, spirit, soul)

-The outer is temporary, the inner is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:7-12, 16-18)

-Ortberg writes, “You look down at your hands one day and realize you’re looking at your parents’ hands” (48).

-There are plenty of ways to measure the development of the outer you, we must find ways to develop the inner you. A couple suggestions...
*self-examination and confession
*find friends that love you enough to speak truth into your life (in Christianese we call this an accountability partner, which I wrote about here)
*find time to be alone and listen to God
*examine your calendar and your checkbook

-A practical place to start is by spending as much time caring for the inner you as you spend on the outer you being reminded that the inner you is going to be around for a long time (Romans 8:35-39)

When It's Your Turn:
-Remember you don't control the game
*The story of Joseph & his brothers is a great example of not being in control (Genesis 37:12-36)
*When we not only recognize but embrace this, we can truly experience the freedom to love, to hope, and even relief from anxiety
*Galatians 5:1

-Remember that what you did in the past doesn’t determine the outcome of the game
*whether you won or lost the last game doesn’t matter
*free yourself from the guilt, habits, past mistakes or failures that are weighing you down
*”Sometimes we would rather complain about our ropes than untie them.” (56)
*the action doesn’t have to be amazing, just a concrete action

-Remember you can’t pass
*like Daniel, you and I have freedom to make choices though we don’t always get to choose the situation
*avoid falling into the “would haves” of regret: I would have loved more deeply, laughed more often, given more generously, lived more bodly
*Evaluate your convictions and your commitments, ideally where you commitments are is where your convictions lie
*Jesus makes it very clear that God and people are what matter

The Wisdom of the Wise Men

The second chapter of Matthew's gospel tells us the story of the visit of the Magi (Wise Men) from the east to see the child Jesus (Matthew 2:1-12). Taking a closer look at the story shows us how wise the Wise Men really were and gives us some things we should be thinking about in the year 2010...

1. They were paying attention.
a. The Magi had clearly been watching the sky because they not only noticed the star but knew there was something special about it.
b. The first thing they did when they arrived in Jerusalem was to start asking questions, not just any questions but being aware of what was happening, they were able to ask the right questions.
c. They stayed focused on what mattered, recognizing that Jesus was worthy of being worshiped. Is Jesus your center?

2. They remained persistent.
a. King Herod was a well known tyrant and murderer but any fear the Magi might have felt when he asked to meet with them privately did not deter them from seeking and finding Jesus.
b. They continued to trust the star of Christ as their guide and were not swayed by the wisdom of the world. Are you allowing Christ to guide and direct your steps?

3. They worshiped with joy.
a. They allowed themselves to experience the joy that comes from worshiping Christ.
b. These men of great stature and prominence approached Jesus, as a baby, with humility and awe. How often do we do that today?
c. They did not leave their encounter with God incarnate unchanged. The fear of King Herod's wrath did not have a hold on them, they were overjoyed by this experience and nothing could take that from them. When we encounter the Spirit of Christ, do we come expecting to leave different? How often do you allow the joy that is yours through Christ be taken away by the cares of this world?

Something To Look Forward To

Not only have we started a new year but I happen to be turning 31 tomorrow. Now, I've been hearing lots of excitement and expectation about 2010 and while I can't explain it, I am finding myself feeling the same way.

A couple things I am looking forward to in this new year:

*I am looking forward to getting that much closer to finishing up my studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in pursuit of my Master of Divinity. It is a 96 credit hour graduate degree that I'm estimating after this new year I will have completed 83 of the 96 required. The light at the end of the academic tunnel is getting brighter and brighter.

*I am looking forward to another year of ministry as a pastor in the UMC. I believe that this year holds a lot of potential for the local congregation I serve, the Indiana Conference, the UMC as a denomination and the Church as a whole. I believe this year could serve as a point of reference. If we fail to step up to the challenges that face us and do not look for new ways of addressing these issues we will remember this new year as the year we missed it. The time is ripe for change, and not simply change for change sake but change that will bring about renewal, rejuvenation, and revival. We, as leaders in the Church, must recognize the need for new approaches, ideas, and styles in our ministries as well as our leadership. I'm looking forward to being a part of this exciting time of growth and change...or not?

*I am looking forward to meeting and connecting with you and others through my blog and different forms of social media. Connect with me on my Twitter account so I can follow your tweets. On Facebook? Shoot me a friend request. Riding the Google Wave? Hit me up at matt.lipan@googlewave.com. I am also working on putting together a live online streaming Bible study and discussion group called "Outside the Walls". I would love to have you join in on the study and discussion. I'm really hoping to get into a regular blogging routine because I think 2010 will be all about making connections.

Of course there are other things I am looking forward to in the year 2010 as a 31yr old but these were a couple that came to mind. What about you? What are you looking forward to in this new year?