Well, I probably should check in just in case anyone is reading this on a regular basis...
Our Tour of Churches took us to the Tomball Bible Church, in Tomball, Texas. A young man (Skeet Alderson) who was in our youth group in El Campo will soon become their Senior Pastor. A very nice, surburban church in transition from a standard, typical church into a contemporary, more cutting edge church as their community becomes more contemporary and more cutting edge.
Skeet appears to be the man for the job! I think he'll do fine!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Our Tour of Congregations
So far our "Tour of Churches" has taken us to: Lakewood, Sagemont, First Colony C of Ct, First Colony Christian, River Pointe, Central Christian in Austin, Faith United Methodist, and Family Life Christian Fellowship... A different congregation each week!
Lots of ideas to consider when our next ministry opportunity knocks!
Where will we wind up next week?
Any suggestions?
Check back next Sunday!
Lots of ideas to consider when our next ministry opportunity knocks!
Where will we wind up next week?
Any suggestions?
Check back next Sunday!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
The Passing of a Friend
My friend Ron Thomas died last Thursday afternoon at the Veterans Hospital in Houston. I talked with Ron on Wednesday and knew that he had an appointment on Thursday. We were to talk again on Friday, but I did not hear from him. His sister in Oregon called today and told me that security at the VA found him dead outside the clinic Thursday afternoon. Ron had survived numerous strokes and heart attacks the last few years and had a family history of early deaths. An autopsy was preformed and showed that to be the case. He will be cremated and his ashes transported to his mother in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Ron was a loner, a rebel and an outcast. Some of that was of his own choosing and some due to his decision to be and live as he wished. When he was discharged from the Air Force (interestingly, he was stationed at Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis, New Mexico, my hometown while I was in high school!) he determined that he would not live according to anyone’s expectations or be concerned with what others thought of him.
Ron began attending the church I pastored simply because I decided to be his friend and because he wasn’t rejected by the people he met at there. He knew there were some who did not care for his appearance, hair, smell, etc…, but thankfully comments were not made to him directly. He was extremely grateful that he had some friends and was back in church!
Ron was certainly one of those to whom Jesus referred to as “the least of these.” Ron taught me that it is ok to be friends with those no one else wants to be friends with. I consider ministry to Ron the past couple of years some of the most important in my career. On a related note, Chuck Thornton, another of those “least of these” died Thursday, as well. I never got Chuck to come to church, but he at least let me pray for him before he was transferred to the VA in Houston a couple of weeks ago.
Because of Ron, I have a renewed sense of purpose to see the world with the eyes of Jesus and to seek to be his hands and feet in service to “the least of these.” As my friend Jesus said: “Go, thou and do likewise.”
Pressing on!
Rev. Elvis
Ron was a loner, a rebel and an outcast. Some of that was of his own choosing and some due to his decision to be and live as he wished. When he was discharged from the Air Force (interestingly, he was stationed at Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis, New Mexico, my hometown while I was in high school!) he determined that he would not live according to anyone’s expectations or be concerned with what others thought of him.
Ron began attending the church I pastored simply because I decided to be his friend and because he wasn’t rejected by the people he met at there. He knew there were some who did not care for his appearance, hair, smell, etc…, but thankfully comments were not made to him directly. He was extremely grateful that he had some friends and was back in church!
Ron was certainly one of those to whom Jesus referred to as “the least of these.” Ron taught me that it is ok to be friends with those no one else wants to be friends with. I consider ministry to Ron the past couple of years some of the most important in my career. On a related note, Chuck Thornton, another of those “least of these” died Thursday, as well. I never got Chuck to come to church, but he at least let me pray for him before he was transferred to the VA in Houston a couple of weeks ago.
Because of Ron, I have a renewed sense of purpose to see the world with the eyes of Jesus and to seek to be his hands and feet in service to “the least of these.” As my friend Jesus said: “Go, thou and do likewise.”
Pressing on!
Rev. Elvis
Monday, March 8, 2010
Church Dysfunction
H. B. London of Focus on the Family writes in today's Shepherd's Covenant Encourager:
I had an opportunity recently to see what some of you do "up close and personal." I spent time with a pastor of a dysfunctional church. The chances that he will survive there are slim.
It was my privilege to stand alongside this pastor in helping to lead his congregation back to unity and into a deeper walk with the Lord. Only time will tell if our mission, assisted by the Holy Spirit, will be successful.
I had a pastor say one time, "If I was not the pastor of this church, I know for sure I wouldn't attend it." The truth is there are a lot of clergypersons out there who would echo that pastor's sentiments. Question: What are we going to do to turn that trend around?
Some say it will take a revival. Can you define revival? For me, revival is the Body of Christ in renewed obedience to the will of God.
Others say we need to change the church's polity (government). In other words, let the pastor's fate be in the hands of fewer people rather than a whole congregation.
Still, there are some who say the problem in the church today is that we have a tendency to mirror society rather than society mirroring the church. I do know that our consumer-driven society does carry over to the church.
I hear from my colleagues who say that, in a small-to-medium-size church, you will always be dealing with the power structure — and, most of the time, that base is resistant to change. And most of the churches in America are small-to-medium in size.
So what is the answer? I am no expert on this, but after reading Paul's first and second letters to the Thessalonians, I am convinced that the Body of Christ must respect its clergy, live in peace with one another, feed the flock of God, avoid evil, be joyous, and be careful not to put out the Spirit's fire (quench His workings).
I challenge you to reread the Thessalonian letters, and then feed that truth to your people. It can't help but make a difference. And, as the Apostle Paul would say, "Now may the Lord of Peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you" (2 Thess. 3:16).
Thanks H. B. for the message and the encouragement!
I had an opportunity recently to see what some of you do "up close and personal." I spent time with a pastor of a dysfunctional church. The chances that he will survive there are slim.
It was my privilege to stand alongside this pastor in helping to lead his congregation back to unity and into a deeper walk with the Lord. Only time will tell if our mission, assisted by the Holy Spirit, will be successful.
I had a pastor say one time, "If I was not the pastor of this church, I know for sure I wouldn't attend it." The truth is there are a lot of clergypersons out there who would echo that pastor's sentiments. Question: What are we going to do to turn that trend around?
Some say it will take a revival. Can you define revival? For me, revival is the Body of Christ in renewed obedience to the will of God.
Others say we need to change the church's polity (government). In other words, let the pastor's fate be in the hands of fewer people rather than a whole congregation.
Still, there are some who say the problem in the church today is that we have a tendency to mirror society rather than society mirroring the church. I do know that our consumer-driven society does carry over to the church.
I hear from my colleagues who say that, in a small-to-medium-size church, you will always be dealing with the power structure — and, most of the time, that base is resistant to change. And most of the churches in America are small-to-medium in size.
So what is the answer? I am no expert on this, but after reading Paul's first and second letters to the Thessalonians, I am convinced that the Body of Christ must respect its clergy, live in peace with one another, feed the flock of God, avoid evil, be joyous, and be careful not to put out the Spirit's fire (quench His workings).
I challenge you to reread the Thessalonian letters, and then feed that truth to your people. It can't help but make a difference. And, as the Apostle Paul would say, "Now may the Lord of Peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you" (2 Thess. 3:16).
Thanks H. B. for the message and the encouragement!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
From an e-mail received from my friend, Max Hickerson...
Every day, 400 million Microsoft Windows users across the world double click icons on their desktops to launch applications, and open files. I began to wonder why Windows requires a double-click rather than a single-click.
A quick search for “double-click” in Wikipedia revealed the answer. Double-clicking allows two different actions to be associated with the same mouse button, so, In general, the first click highlights the icon and the second click executes it. The only catch is that the second click cannot be delayed longer than the time set in the control panel under mouse properties or the desired effect will not be realized.
Every day 2.1 billion Christians across the world are challenged to double-click the applications of their faith without delays so that the desired effects of our Heavenly Father can be fully realized. Double click your faith every day!
Click 1- Pray… Click 2 …without ceasing
Click 1 Rejoice… Click 2 …in the Lord always
Click 1 Let your “yes” be “yes”… Click 2 …and your “no” be “no”
Click 1 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and soul … Click 2 …and your neighbor as your self
and something else to think about... The first click is to select the action, the second click is to execute the action.
The apostles seemed to often be stuck between the two clicks. They click once and then stop. It seems that many Christians today are still stuck in between the 2 clicks.
Click 1- Pray without ceasing......But never get to click 2 and pray.
Click 1-Rejoice in the Lord always.....but still negative.
Click 1-Watch your language...But do not be a part of "NO CUSSING WEEK" in CA.
Click 2- Love your neighbor..but you throw trash over the fence at night.
CLICK TWICE EVERY DAY!!!!!
Every day, 400 million Microsoft Windows users across the world double click icons on their desktops to launch applications, and open files. I began to wonder why Windows requires a double-click rather than a single-click.
A quick search for “double-click” in Wikipedia revealed the answer. Double-clicking allows two different actions to be associated with the same mouse button, so, In general, the first click highlights the icon and the second click executes it. The only catch is that the second click cannot be delayed longer than the time set in the control panel under mouse properties or the desired effect will not be realized.
Every day 2.1 billion Christians across the world are challenged to double-click the applications of their faith without delays so that the desired effects of our Heavenly Father can be fully realized. Double click your faith every day!
Click 1- Pray… Click 2 …without ceasing
Click 1 Rejoice… Click 2 …in the Lord always
Click 1 Let your “yes” be “yes”… Click 2 …and your “no” be “no”
Click 1 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and soul … Click 2 …and your neighbor as your self
and something else to think about... The first click is to select the action, the second click is to execute the action.
The apostles seemed to often be stuck between the two clicks. They click once and then stop. It seems that many Christians today are still stuck in between the 2 clicks.
Click 1- Pray without ceasing......But never get to click 2 and pray.
Click 1-Rejoice in the Lord always.....but still negative.
Click 1-Watch your language...But do not be a part of "NO CUSSING WEEK" in CA.
Click 2- Love your neighbor..but you throw trash over the fence at night.
CLICK TWICE EVERY DAY!!!!!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Notice to my friends
Friends,
Just a note to fill you in on some changes taking place in our lives. If you are one of my “Facebook” friends or following me on “Twitter” you probably know about this, but I have haven’t sent out anything to those I consider friends and whom I know will support us in prayer. I’ll do my best to give you the abbreviated version.
We’ve had a situation with our church that we have been dealing with for some time. I felt that we were getting past it and felt confident that it was handled in a proper way. Apparently it wasn’t. It originates back a couple of years ago when I proposed beginning a new educational program for the church and took my sabbatical. Apparently, the power brokers in the church really didn’t think too highly of those proposals (even though they approved them!) and were waiting their time to get even.
Not to go into many of the specifics, there was a secret, invitation only meeting to discuss me and ask our leadership to discuss my future with the church in El Campo. As a result, I have resigned and am in the search and call process of for our denomination. I have taken a part-time job with our local mental health provider doing public relations and counseling. There is a possibility that I might be able to teach at our local Junior College in their Continuing – Basic Education department.
I have met with our Area Minister and he is very encouraging about us being able to make a move that will be to our advantage. The reality is that I have been well below average in salary and benefits for some time now. I have stayed here because of my commitment to working with small, struggling churches. While that may be a noble cause, it hasn’t been good in regards to retirement and especially the goal of being able to purchase a home of our own. So we are hopeful that the Lord will lead us to something and someplace really special.
We ask for your prayers for us. We would also ask for prayer for the church. They have had close to 50 different pastors in their 106 year old history and I had been there almost 13 years! We didn’t know that until we began compiling the history of the church for the centennial celebration. We honestly thought that had broken the revolving door! Apparently not.
We will keep you informed as to how the Lord is leading us!
Thanks!
Rev. Elvis
Just a note to fill you in on some changes taking place in our lives. If you are one of my “Facebook” friends or following me on “Twitter” you probably know about this, but I have haven’t sent out anything to those I consider friends and whom I know will support us in prayer. I’ll do my best to give you the abbreviated version.
We’ve had a situation with our church that we have been dealing with for some time. I felt that we were getting past it and felt confident that it was handled in a proper way. Apparently it wasn’t. It originates back a couple of years ago when I proposed beginning a new educational program for the church and took my sabbatical. Apparently, the power brokers in the church really didn’t think too highly of those proposals (even though they approved them!) and were waiting their time to get even.
Not to go into many of the specifics, there was a secret, invitation only meeting to discuss me and ask our leadership to discuss my future with the church in El Campo. As a result, I have resigned and am in the search and call process of for our denomination. I have taken a part-time job with our local mental health provider doing public relations and counseling. There is a possibility that I might be able to teach at our local Junior College in their Continuing – Basic Education department.
I have met with our Area Minister and he is very encouraging about us being able to make a move that will be to our advantage. The reality is that I have been well below average in salary and benefits for some time now. I have stayed here because of my commitment to working with small, struggling churches. While that may be a noble cause, it hasn’t been good in regards to retirement and especially the goal of being able to purchase a home of our own. So we are hopeful that the Lord will lead us to something and someplace really special.
We ask for your prayers for us. We would also ask for prayer for the church. They have had close to 50 different pastors in their 106 year old history and I had been there almost 13 years! We didn’t know that until we began compiling the history of the church for the centennial celebration. We honestly thought that had broken the revolving door! Apparently not.
We will keep you informed as to how the Lord is leading us!
Thanks!
Rev. Elvis
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