Honestly, I am all "wrote" out.  I just finished our church newsletter, and I began some paperwork that I need for internship, and hopefully commissioning.  So, I have no idea what I want to write for this post.  It is the end of the month, which means a recap of the top posts of August.  Maybe I will just leave it at that for now, and expect your forgiveness. 

Top 5 posts of the month:

1. The Lord's What?
2. Pastors Says F you
3. Sermon Series: Family Matters
4. The dead cow lecture
5. Taking one for the team

Since I have nothing to say today, how about I introduce you to others who do.  These sites brought a bunch of people over to the blog this month.  Show them some love:

• FrankViola.org
• ChurchMag
• LisaDelay.com

You have seen the commercials, and, I hope, have laughed along. The Dos Equis market genius The Most Interesting Man in the World is loved by many people. And what is not to love?

• He’s won trophies for his game face alone.
• He is the life of parties he has never attended
• If he were to punch you in the face, you’d have to fight off the urge to thank him.

This man's claims to fame are so outrageous, they are too funny not to appreciate. How in the world could anyone fit such a description? I find myself trying to imagine someone doing what is being described: How would someone bowl overhand?

That is, though, why he is the most interesting man in the world. And, according to yesterday's sermon, that is why we, as the church, are the most interesting people in the world. As Christians, we are called to live a life that would make most people scratch their heads. That whole loving, feeding and caring for your enemies thing is pretty outrageous. Yet, that is what we are called to do and to be.

When Peter's idea of what Jesus' ministry and life should look like did not correspond to such a calling, Jesus told him to, "Get behind me, Satan." So, the question for us, then, is: In what ways does our life not correspond to the gospel of Christ?  Yesterday we used Paul's list in Romans 12 as a basis for what constitutes our interesting lives.

Have a listen and tell me what you think:
++If you are reading by email, click here to listen to the sermon.++

Hopefully, your religion is a lot more than this!

Honestly, as many of you know, I started going to church during high school so I could hang out with some girl. Occasionally, growing up, there were church services sprinkled here and there. It was not that we did not believe in God. I never heard that—although I doubted for a while. No, church just was not something we did. What a turn of events; it seems like now all I do is church!

Having no religious background has its advantages, at least that is what I gather from many people. Now, our family is prepared to make church the center of its life for a very long time. Still, there are many people who feel the church has burned them. That is to say, that their church experiences proved little about God and much about the hypocrisy and wiles of the people they grew up with. Maybe it was a warlord Sunday school teacher, an over-the-top preacher or the finger-pointing, plank in their eye neighbor who was always more than willing to admit your faults. Whoever it was, many people have been turned away by the church’s short comings. And many of those many have made it for good.

The stories all sound remarkably similar. Were people in other generations reading different Bibles? What led people to act in such ways? How did such a powerful message of hope and salvation mutate into something so hurtful? There I go; I realize I may be judging a whole cohort of brothers and sisters with a single keystroke. Yeah, that is how I roll. I do try to mindful of how I might be doing the same thing, but it is a lot easier to see where we have already been. Plus it seems like Jesus did the same thing to many of the Pharisees—so there!

All this talk stems from my reading of Up From Methodism: A Memoir of a Man Gone to the Devil. This is a short reliving of some of Herbert Asbury’s sooo-religious childhood. Any good United Methodist recognizes the Asbury name. Herbert happened to be the great-great-nephew of America’s first Methodist bishop, Francis Asbury.

There. I just made you a better United Methodist.

Herbert grew up in a small town, full of religious zealots, bigots and finger pointers. If you thought church was all fun, all day, then this book might rattle your Jesus cage. It mirrors many of the stories you might hear from someone today explaining why they do not go to church. Essentially, it is a story of a community of faith that seems to get it all wrong. Of course, Herbert's way of calling them out is a little more stronger than that.

If you read it, you might feel differently about the way you see some people who do not go to church. Think about it: Weren’t we taught that if you burn your hand on the stove, do not put your hand back there again. In that light, it makes perfect sense to think about why some people would never want to step foot in a church again, some people.  With that in mind, it is a fairly easy read that might help you understand others better.  It was written in 1926; so, be prepared for some antiquated references.

If you cannot remember a day you were not in church, you might want to read this book.
Go ahead; take a walk on the wild side.

If your story sounds like some of what I have already described, you may not want to read this 
book. Why bring all that back right now?

What I took away from this reading is the reminder that who we are on Sunday should be just that…who we are. What I do on Sunday morning at church is a part of who I am every other day of the week. The world does not need more Sunday Christians, those whose life only has room for God on Sunday morning. Although there is forgiveness, let's not go about our faith that way.  And no, I had no idea there was a wiki page for the term "Sunday Christians."

God is too good and has done too much for us to respond in any other way than learning to live a life "worthy of our calling." When we do not want to carry our faith throughout the week we discount what God is doing. Also, we just might be turning someone else away for good.

Do you have a story like Herbert's?  How much have you ever considered the real reason(s) why someone did not go to church?  I would be interested to hear your experiences.

Gloria loves a deal.  And really, who does not? 

You have probably heard about websites such as Groupon or Living Social.  You can find all kinds of deals on these sites.  There seems to be no end to what you can find.  What you need to know right now is that eating and the name Fletcher seem to go well together.  So, Gloria is always looking for a good restaurant deal, including buy one get one and half-off offers. 

We have been able to try out different kinds of food without paying full price.  That way in case we do not like something we do not feel terribly bad about.  There was this one restaurant we went to that really paid off, but it is even too bad to talk about now.  So, that is how we use Groupon.  You might want to take time to look around. 

Now that you know that scoop about us, this next cartoon will make more sense.  

 Of course, I want you to know that your giving produces mission.  In The UMC our apportionments, which each congregation pays, ensure that our church is in mission across the globe.  From your local church to the other side of the world, our connectional giving is a faithful response to God's calling for each of us.  Think of
it this way: When you faithfully give, as United Methodists, you are in ministry throughout the world.

This week I will begin to share Ministry Celebrations to the worship time at our church.  This is not a novel idea, nor an original idea.  Someone I served with introduced it to me.  I carried it with me, and have been amazed at how people have responded.  Typically, their response is something like, "I never knew our church do so much."  The one-minute segments also have been considered what "has taught me the most about The UMC." 

Needless to say, I am excited about sharing this time with Oak Haven.  I will let you know if they have different responses. 

anotherjohn dot com has met Facebook, and the two of them are playing well together. 

My timing was off.  Right before we went on vacation, I made a Facebook page for the blog.  About a dozen people were able to "Like" the page.  And then we left.  The number of "Likes" has stayed put, which is both good and bad.  Good because no one decided to leave.  Bad because no one else came on board.

Blog experts talk a lot about setting goals for your blog.  I have done that somewhat and have met my first goal.  It was pretty simple: Increase pageviews.  Although I should have, I did not put a number on that goal; it was simply to increase.  The pageviews lords must have heard me because we did increase in that area.  This is still a small-time blog.  However, before we averaged 20-30 pageviews a day.  Now, since I first set out to increase readership, we are a probably at 60-70. 

Good job, everyone!

Every post you forwarded or told someone else about helped us get there.  I will set a new goal soon, but in the mean time let's just soak this victory in.

So, what does this have to do with our Facebook page?  Well, developing the page would expose the blog to others who had not seen it yet, it was supposed.  Going on vacation, though, kept me from getting the word out more.  So, here we are. 

I'll be making an effort to clean up my mess.  Over the next several weeks I will find avenues to share the blog and its Facebook page.  Here is what you can do:

1) Keep reading.  It is a blessing to share with those of you who are already here.

2 Check out the Facebook page: Another John Dot Com.  While you are there, do not forget to select the "Like" button. 

3) Consider yourself thanked.

And that's it.  We'll keep doing our work together.  Thank you. 




P.S.  For an added bonus you could use one of your status updates to share the link.

All you need in your life right now is another weekly email, and that is exactly what I am giving you.  Beginning in September our church will send out a weekly email update. It will include important reminders and information about Oak Haven's upcoming events.

You'll notice the emails do not say they are coming from the church.  At least for now, I thought it would be important for me to send these out.  The goal is to share these updates with more of our new people and those outside the church.  Obviously, you do not have to be new to receive them or get anything out of them.  I think there is something about having the pastor, which in the case is me, personally write these emails that will go a long way in making positive connections.

So, if you are in the Irving area, or just like to keep up with random churches, why not sign up today?  

As a side note, this mailing list is totally separate from the blog.  I used the Another aspect of the blog because people from our congregation know about that.  This list is to inform people about what our church is doing, not to say I will not throw an anotherjohn.com link in every now and then.

Finally, would you be willing to help us by passing this on?  I would appreciate feedback.  Answers to questions like: What kind of information should be included?  What should not be included?  How clear are the updates?  What is the likelihood someone from outside the church might read and be interested in participating.  Thank you in advance, and I look forward to hearing from you.

++If you are reading by email or reader, please click here to register for our church's mailing list.++

Some thought it was a wonderful sermon.  Others thought, "It wasn't your best."  What a wonderful mix.  And to think it was the sermon I almost did not preach.  On my calendar I had scheduled a guest preacher.  That is my calendar, and not necessarily the calendar of others, apparently.

I had not been in contact with said guest preacher all week, but assumed everything was in order.  Just to be sure, I did not include specific information for the bulletin.  Also, just to be sure, I went in a little early Sunday morning and wrote out a few things.

Well, the guest preacher, as it turned out, was me.  And here is that sermon. It's about forgiveness and stuff--so, I can understand if you do not want to listen.

++If you are reading by email, click here to listen to the sermon.++

This reporter reminded me of something.  He is showing us the ease with which a car thief can work.  Watch and see.

++If you are reading by email, click here to view the video.++



Well, that is not what he reminded me of.  No, thankfully he brought to light a terrorizing issue.  You see, we have all heard them.  Some of us are guilty of using them.  You know what I am talking about: The sermon illustration that didn't work.  You may want to sit down and have this talk with your children.

What you have to realize is the preacher thought it sounded good.  It worked on paper.  Not only that, the illustration book promised, guaranteed it would rock the house and bring the gospel to the hearts of the congregation.  That is not how it worked out, is it?

Sometimes illustrations just do not connect.  They fall through, or say something different than what was implied.  It happens.  Thankfully, though, most illustrations work well.  So, comment your experience with bad sermon illustrations and/or sermon illustrations that actually worked.

You all know I would never take pleasure in anything like what I am about to post. Brittani passed this on to me, and almost died laughing. So, this is all her fault.

THE DEAD COW LECTURE

This is the best example for paying attention that I have ever heard.
First-year students at the Purdue Vet School were attending their first
anatomy class with a real dead cow. They all gathered around the surgery
table with the body covered with a white sheet.


The professor started the class by telling them, "In Veterinary medicine it
is necessary to have two important qualities as a doctor. The first is that
you not be disgusted by anything involving the animal's body." For an
example, the professor pulled back the sheet, stuck his finger in the butt
of the cow, withdrew it, and stuck his finger in his mouth. "Go ahead and do
the same thing," he told his students.


The students freaked out, hesitated for several minutes, but eventually took
turns sticking a finger in the butt of the dead cow and sucking on it.


When everyone finished, the Professor looked a them and said, "The second
most important quality is observation. I stuck in my middle finger and
sucked on my index finger. Now learn to pay attention. Life's tough but it's
even tougher if you're stupid."

Children and their immaturity. Hehe.

Recently I attended a worship service I felt relied too much on its technology.  I am sure the people who attended appreciated the technology, and it is probably a big reason why they are there.  And, the church seemed to specifically target a populace that would normally not find itself at church.  So, I do not knock the participants, and not even the technology, necessarily.  I have a lot of questions for the church leadership, though, because it seems like the push for thematic worship "experiences" creates a dependence on technology to foster an experience. 


The service, though, got me wondering--as did this link on "10 hobbies destroyed by technology."  I had not thought of the 9th hobby. 

People talk a lot about technology's place in worship and church life.  This is nothing new.  We have seen, however, more and more churches seeking ways to incorporate technology.  If your church has or is trying to do that: Are there areas that have been negatively impacted?  In what ways has technology hindered the spiritual life of the church, if it has?  Or, in what ways is technology used in beneficial ways in your church? 

Some pastors talk about money all the time. Others tend to shy away from it. Still others claim to have a decent balance when it comes to money talk. Me? I probably do not address it enough in my sermons. My concentration is on showing people the joy of living like God wants. So, I talk about giving in more general terms, giving of time, self, etc. Of course, money is a part of that too and I do my best to remind our congregation of that.


But that is just it. Money is only a part of it. I understand you need financial resources to do ministry. Money keeps the A/C running; cash buys office supplies; checks even help pastors live. Obviously, or then again maybe it is not so obvious, there are many other more rewarding things churches do with money, but you know what I am getting at.

I appreciate our United Methodist membership vows.  When someone becomes a member of our church they vow to support the church by their prayers, presence, gifts (money), service and witness to Christ.  That pretty much covers all areas of life.  Now, not everyone who attends church is a member.  So, it becomes even more important to emphasize those.  And that is what I try to do.  In my perfect world I never have to prepare a stewardship sermon.

Still, giving is a topic that needs to be addressed.  Jim, I think, helps us look at some important aspects of giving.  Watch the video below and tell me what you think.


++Click here to view the video if you are reading by email.++


+another shout out

Our church is small.  We have gone with the mantra: We can't do everything; so do something.  With that said, I believe it is important for all of us to understand why we fulfill our ministry obligations.  I do not want our church to be filled with busy work or programs that are designed to make the designers feel good about themselves.  I want ministry groups and activities to be about the gospel.  And I think the congregation wants that as well.  More work just for the sake of doing something is not ministry.

So, I would like us to think about some of the things we do and ask ourselves why we do them.  If we cannot find an answer that involves the gospel, it might be time to do some retiring.  That is hard work, but I think intriguing, rewarding and, most of all, faithful work.  That is also helpful in determining what we do next as a church--not just asking what we can do, but why we would want to do it.  Again, we are looking for gospel answers here.

What ministries in your church relate most to the gospel?  Are there any you think need to reconsider their purpose?  Maybe that is your homework for today.

Our family visited two different churches the Sundays we were away on vacation.  What?  You did not think vacation time meant time away from God's people, did you? This past Sunday we joined our usual congregation.  It felt like we had been away for an eternity.  We did miss everyone. 

As I had prepared for our first worship service back home I figured I had thought of everything: My welcome was done; the children's sermon, and the big children's sermon (/grin) was done; bulletins were fine--well, except for a couple of wrong dates.  As for the service, everything seemed set.

It was toward the end of the service I realized I had forgotten something.  We were ready to celebrate Holy Communion.  We followed the liturgy with ease and were about to spend a few moments in prayer together.  Our church has a booklet available for people to write in prayer requests each week that we include in our ongoing prayer list; we are small enough to still do that.  We call each name out, and then give the people who have gathered an opportunity to voice any other prayers.  Once those have been spoken I give a pastoral prayer that we conclude with the Lord's Prayer.  And that is what we did this past Sunday.  Then?

Whoops. 

First, let's get something straight.  I did not forget the Lord's Prayer.  It seems that two short weeks, though, can throw you off your rhythm.  Reciting the Lord's Prayer in church entails rhythm.  I had not thought of that at all.  Now, come to think of it the two churches we visited on vacation did not incorporate the Lord's Prayer into their worship services.  So, I went two weeks without speaking aloud those familiar words, and when the congregation around me began to pass me up I was glad I am in the habit of lowering my voice during the Lord's Prayer.  Actually, that is exactly why I do that.  If I mess up--and you know me--it seems like I would mess a lot more people up as well.

Who knows if anyone noticed my bumbling of Jesus' life plan.  Most are probably too nice to mention it.  Needless to say, the next time I am away I will remember to think about the Lord's Prayer before I come back.

What about you?  Does your church include the Lord's Prayer in its services?  How meaningful is that prayer to you?  Finally, have you ever messed up the Lord's Prayer in church, heathen?

Yea, I knew that!

Once upon a time, before Gloria and I were married, one of my sisters went with us to church on Sunday morning.  I cannot remember exactly how old she was, but I am sure she was younger than any of my children now,  six-years-old.  We sat through the service, and it went along like it normally did.  This Sunday, though, was Communion Sunday.  The minister, Ms. Alewine, led us through the liturgy and reminded us that Jesus told his disciples to "eat" and "drink" and that as we do so do it "in remembrance of me."  So, we were offered the body of blood of Christ.

You have probably heard that our early Christian peeps were accused of being atheists because they did not follow the religion of Rome.  They were also considered to be cannibals because they regularly ate the body of Jesus, and who wants to do that?  Well, I can tell you my younger sister did not.  As Ms. Alewine approached us, of course, she offered us the body and the blood.  My unnamed sister trembled and repeatedly said, "I don't wanna eat Jesus' body!" and "I don't wanna drink his blood!"  We did not make her take Communion that day, but figured it was a good idea to explain our understanding of the experience beforehand.  It was a funny story for us, and has always helped me appreciate what we do as God's people at the Communion table.

Fast forward a decade or so.  It is another Communion Sunday.  Gloria and I are married, and now I am the one leading people through the liturgy and offering the elements of Communion, the body and blood of Christ.  Yes, God does strange things.  On this occasion our church is celebrating Communion with someone we had just welcomed as a new member.  We try our best to welcome new members on Communion Sunday so that the first thing we do together as Christ's church is to share in God's holy meal. 

I will admit, for our bunch, the service was going into overtime.  Since I work one day a week it did not bother me, but I am mindful that some people do get anxious.  Understand that some days we are just too legit to quit, hey! hey!  Hear me as I reverently appeal to you: Get over it.  Sweet Jesus, did I just type that out loud? 

Still, I am not convinced many people felt the time difference; it was an exciting time. We had finished the liturgy.  We had prayed together.  Now, I stood in front of the congregation and raised the body of Christ for all to see.  Sure, the bread had been prepped for me with a small slit to help me begin the breaking of the bread.  But I still try to make it apparent I am breaking the bread apart.  So, with hands raised high, I slowly broke apart the body of our Lord.  It is something I have done many times.  This time was a bit more meaningful, and another young child helped it to be so.

Everyone else, I suppose, probably knew what I was doing and even, perhaps, appreciated it.  It was the soft voice of a young boy that made this difference.  Only a few of us heard him.  Crumbs fell from the loaf as I slowly turned to make sure everyone saw the broken bread.  Everyone saw, but it was the young boy who had wonder and amazement in his voice and said, "Wow!"

When we consider what God has done for us, and all that God's love does within us, it seems like "Wow!" can be an appropriate response.  Look out your window--wow!  Think about your family--wow!  In the name of Jesus Christ, you have been forgiven--wow!  Prayers have been answered--wow! That Sunday many of us received the elements of Communion like we usually do.  This time, however, we replaced our "Amen" with "Wow!"  Thanks be to God!



I want more wow moments.  It seems like that means that I need to pay attention more and more.  And you?  What about God makes you say, "Wow!" today? 

It was the final inning.  Tie game. Bases loaded with a full count and two outs.


How would you feel if your oldest child were at bat?  Nervous? Confident? Are your eyes closed, or are you screaming with excitement?  Gloria and I were a little bit of all those.  We watched Brittani's every swing with a little bit of anxiousness and a lot of pride.  Then she took the final ball. Now, we all know what it means to take one for the team.  If Brittani did not know before, she does now.  The final pitch of the game hit her in the back and she painfully and, don't tell her I told you, tearfully walked to First Base.  Whew!  Game over.  Way to go, Britt!  We'll take a win any way we can get it.


That was that game; the next day brought another.  Details change slightly depending on who she is telling the story to.  The version you get might be different than what the cute guy in the ER heard.  However it happened Brittani fell and hurt her ankle pretty bad..  She did not get to play at all.  We took her to the ER since she has had issues with this ankle several times before.  Longer story short, she wore a boot for over a month; she got it off right before she went to camp a couple of weeks ago.  It was more a precautionary measure than anything, especially considering her prior bouts with ankle sprains.  She is fine and laughs about the experience.


There was something about that night I remember well.  Brittani had two friends join her for that game she never played.  They wanted to watch Britt play.  Of course, they did not get to and I was more than ready to drive them home as soon as we got Britt situated in the ER.  They, however, were not interested in going home; they stayed with Britt until late that night.  These girls laughed, texted, prank called and enjoyed the time with each other.  It was a great reminder for me.

Ministry can be busy.  Life can be busy.  We should not, however, get so busy that we cannot be there for those people who might need us.  Perhaps that means a few late nights in the ER, or maybe just a phone call every other day.  Emails, visits and lunch plans can all be ways we can spend life together.  And those moments might be exactly what another needs the most.  I have no good excuse when I wait too long to call my parents or grandparents, other than than the lousy busy excuse.  My friends who are hurting and mourning should be able to depend on me, and I hope that they do.  Life can be as painful as a softball to the back or a fractured ankle.  Of course, it can be much worse, too.

Brittani's friends were happy to be there in the cold ER.  That is just another observation to be thankful for.  I want friends like that in my life.  More importantly, I want to be that kind of friend.  How many of us are willing to help if it is convenient to do so?  What if an email or Facebook shout out is not enough?  What about when helping messes up our plans?  Friends, let's try to be there for each other, all the while thanking God for the people we have to share life with.

July is full of heat, ice-cold lemonade and family vacations.  I am sure there are other nice things about July--like this.  If you live in DFW, however, you will remember the 30+ days of above 100 degrees!  And, if you are a reader of this blog you might remember some of what I am about to tell you. 

After celebrating 10,000 hits last month, we are now pushing 13,000.  Great job, everyone!  Again, your reward will be in heaven.  I am glad you are reading, and hope you will continue. 

So, in the month of Julighter (get it?  hot? flame?), here are the posts that the mosts hits:

5) In three plus years of sermon recording at Oak Haven, we have only had a few digital mishaps.  July had one of them.  All that happened was a file was not loaded correctly.  Consequently, the second sermon in our Family Matters series is a bit truncated.  That did not stop it from coming in at #5--Family Matters: Trust What God Provides. 

4) There is no word if the participants from our next post are still aching a bit.  Who could blame them if they were.  The residents of the Clark Retirement Community impressed us all with their moves last month.  And, they came in as our fourth post. 

3) Mommas don't let your babies grow up to be pastors.  'Nuff said.

2) This post dates back a few months, but received some renewed attention in July.  You remember the pastor who told his congregation, "F you."  Well, that is not exactly how the story goes.  He encouraged his congregation to tell each other, "F you."  Oh, please watch the video and remember well with me.

1)  Sure, tell me it was about the kids.  Tell me you just wanted to see their bright faces.  I am sure you did, and I am sure the final part of our VBS video did not bother you either!  The post that received the most views in July was our VBS finale.  It included a video of our last day at VBS, which included a joyous celebration that included the July heat, a trashbag, a willing pastor and a chocolate-cream pie.  First place?  I bet you are proud of yourself.


Okay, we shall see what happens in August.  So cool, my friends. 

Normally, some song gets stuck in my head and I want to make sure it gets stuck in yours, too.  That is just the kind of guy I am.  So, I look for a video and post it Monday morning.  Or, sometimes I come across something I want you to check out, something I think you will enjoy or appreciate.  Today we have a little bit of both.

Who am I to make you choose what to listen to today?  You should be able to decide which song you want to hear over and over.  You are all growed up.

So, for our Music Monday selection I offer you this: Guitar Heroes--Legendary Craftsmen from Italy to New York.

Click on the link and you have at least your next 30 minutes of music all lined up.  There is a little something we all can get in to.  Oh, and do you know which one of the selections is actually part of our United Methodist Hymnal?  The first person to figure it out chooses are next Music Monday selection.