This message was shared at Centerville UMC on Sunday, May 10, 2015. The Scripture used to launch this message came from 2 Timothy 1:1-5. The message began with a short video by the Skit Guys called “I’m Sorry, Mom”. You can view a preview of the video on their website. 

After that video, I hope all of us will take the time today to give thanks for our mothers. And, if your mother is still with us, be sure to let her know you love her. So, make that sweet little vegetarian mommy of yours the best salad she’s ever had!

The thing with Mother’s Day is that it can be a joyous celebration. But, for some it can be a painful reminder…a reminder that your mother is no longer with us; a reminder of a painful relationship; another reminder that though you may desperately desire to be, you are not a mother; a reminder of loneliness, hurt, and pain. So, while we celebrate Mother’s Day, we also need to be mindful of the fact that Mother’s Day isn’t all flowers, fancy brunches, and dressed up kids for everyone.

Now, I’m about to make a statement that will blow your mind. What I’m about to say just might knock you out of your pews. What I’m about to say is so deep, so profound, so heavy…I’m not sure if we can handle it.. But, it has to be said. Are you ready to hear it? Okay, here it is:

None of us would be here today if it weren’t for our mothers!

I know, that’s a shocking statement. It just might have made some of you uncomfortable. Of course we all know that we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for our mothers (or our fathers for that matter, but they get their own day next month, so that’s enough about fathers). You see, our parents played a pretty big part in our creation. No matter how great or how lousy your relationship with your mother may be (or may have been), you wouldn’t be here without her.

But beyond that, there are some of us here this day that wouldn’t be in worship this morning if it weren’t for our mothers. Whether we were willing participants or dragged kicking and screaming, some of us learned the importance of faith and church from the leading, example, and sometimes the pushing, shoving, and dragging of a faithful mother. Some of us may still be learning from that example too.

So, what’s the underlying theme and motivation for these faithful mothers? One word…LOVE. This morning, we will look at motherly love through the power and example of Gods great love.

We heard a short passage from 2 Timothy that tells the story of how Timothy’s faith was passed down…from his grandmother to his mother, and from the mother to the son. This passage sets a great example.

One of the best things we can do is pray for the children in our families, church, and community. How many mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts and uncles are constantly remembering their children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews in prayers? Our prayers for the members of our families are incredibly powerful. We need to be praying for our children. If you don’t have any children, you can be praying for the children you know. (Story of returning to Center Chapel and having people say, “A lot of us were praying for you when you were in high school and college.”)

Timothy’s faith was handed down from his grandmother to his mother and from the mother to the son. The way we live out our faith and the priority we give to it speaks loudly to our children and others around us.

The importance we give to drawing near to God through passionate worship, intentional faith development, extravagant generosity, radical hospitality and risk-taking mission and service communicates so much to those in our lives.

For the adults in the room, we have a great responsibility to live our lives in such a way that others will be drawn to Christ. Our lives should be lived in a way that they add to and enrich the faith of those around us. If participation in church, Sunday school, Bible study isn’t a priority for us, we shouldn’t be surprised when our kids don’t make it a priority.

For the young people in the room, you have a responsibility to live your lives in such a way that others will be drawn to Christ too! In 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul encouraged Timothy and said, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” So, young people, you’re not off the hook.

So, we need to ask ourselves, are the people in our lives developing a sincere faith because of our example? What are we handing down to younger generations? What are we passing on to the people around us?

In John 13:34-35, Jesus says, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

“Love one another as I have loved you.” That’s a great description of motherly love. Some of us have had the great pleasure of having mothers that have lavishly poured out their love on us throughout all the various stages of our lives. I’m positive that our mothers desire is that we would then share and give that same kind of love to those around us. It’s that unconditional love…the kind of love that is love for love’s sake…not a give and take kind of love (I’ll share my love with you if you do “this” for me). It’s the unselfish giving of ourselves for others.

But yet, the love that a mother has for her children doesn’t even begin to measure up to the kind of love that God has for each of us. His love goes above and beyond. And yet, this is the love that Jesus calls us to…a love marked by sacrifice, humility, service, peace, mercy, forgiveness, joy, the list could go on and on and would still fall short in trying to describe the kind of love that Jesus has for us and calls us to have for one another.

We are told in this passage that people will know we are with Jesus by our….bumper stickers? Listen, if you are going to put Christian bumper stickers on your car, make sure that you drive the speed limit and don’t cut people off!

One of our local police officers shared a story with me earlier in the week. He said he noticed a female driver tailgating another vehicle on 40 near Round Barn Road. Suddenly, the light turned yellow. The first did the right thing, stopping at the light, even though he probably could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection. The tailgating woman slammed on the brakes, and the horn, screaming in frustration as she missed her chance to get through the intersection.  As she was still in mid-rant, the police officer went and tapped on her window. She looked up with surprise and concern. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up. He took her to the police station where she was searched, finger-printed, photographed, and then placed in a holding cell.  After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal possessions.  He said, “I’m very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the ‘Choose Life’ license plate holder, the ‘What Would Jesus Do?’ bumper sticker, the ‘Follow Me to Sunday School’ bumper sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. Naturally, I assumed you had stolen the car!”

So, Jesus didn’t say they will know us by our bumper stickers. Oh, I know, Jesus said they will know us by our t-shirts! That’s it, right? No! Many of the Christian t-shirts in the Christian bookstores are most likely violating all kinds of trademarks and copyright laws.

Did Jesus say they will know us by our words? No. Think about some of our Christian words and how they don’t make sense to those outside the church. Not only do we have words like chancel, narthex, substitutionary atonement, hermeneutics and exegesis, we love to use “code words” for various rooms and classes. When I was growing up, I used to hear announcements like “MYF will meet in the JOY room”. What the heck does that even mean? You want to know why new people don’t participate in MYF in the JOY room? They have no clue what that means! Why can’t we just have classroom numbers and say “The high school youth will meet in room 4, also known as the old folk’s room”? People who haven’t been around for 5, 10, 20, 50 years won’t understand our code words!

Oh, I know, Jesus said they will know us by our songs? No! Let’s be honest, many of our Christian songs leave something to be desired…lyrically, musically. Some of our Christian music is the worst music ever. And, it should be the best. Christian music and art should be the best. Yet, we often settle for mediocre or worse.

It’s not by our bumper stickers, t-shirts, words or songs. It’s by our love.

If you couldn’t speak, if there weren’t t-shirts that said “Jesus Freak” or “Come at me, bro”, how would people know that you’re with Jesus? Do people see God because of the way you love?

If we Christians took seriously the call of Jesus to love one another, this world might be a lot different from what it looks like today. Can you imagine what a world led by and focused on love rather than greed, lust, power, and money would be like? It’s hard to imagine a world free of war, free of hunger, free of pollution, free of injustice, free of hatred, free of judgment…Maybe that’s why love is so important. Maybe love, real love, gives us a glimpse of what God originally intended for us. Maybe love gives us a glimpse of what the Kingdom will be like. Maybe love is the basis to make the Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven a reality.

John 14:23-29- This passage starts off with a call to obedience. If we truly love God…If we truly desire to follow Him we will obey His teachings. As children, we’re called to honor and obey our parents. Why? Because they just might have our best interest in mind. As followers of Christ, we’re called to honor and obey Him. Why? Because He does have our best interest in mind. His ways our better than our ways. If we would only be obedient…

It also tells us in this passage that if we are obedient as His followers that He will dwell within us. We’re not on our own here. God’s not only with us, He is making His home deep within us. Why does God give us the Spirit? To teach us. To guide us. To lead us. To remind us.

God’s desire is that we would show our love for Him by following His ways. We have a call from Jesus to love and to obey his ways. We do this by leading lives of passionate worship, intentional faith development, extravagant generosity, radical hospitality, and risk-taking mission and service. We love and obey by making a commitment to grow, give, and go together.

But we’re not out on our own. The Spirit is with us to develop our strength, to lead us to faith, to bring us peace and to help us find freedom from fear.

If people will know that we are Christians by our love, then we have a responsibility to live out lives of love. Are you doing all you can to show love? What are people learning from the way we live? Do people see Jesus in and through us as a result of the way we live, work, play, talk, and set our priorities? What are our lives communicating to the world around us? Love, faith, peace, freedom, or something else?

Max Lucado in his book “Come Thirsty” took some passages of Scripture to put together some thoughts on what it might look like if God wrote us a letter. This is one I really enjoyed: “I throw my arms around you, lavish attention on you, and guard you as the apple of my eye. I rejoice over you with great gladness. My thoughts of you cannot be counted; they outnumber the grains of sand! Nothing can ever separate you from my love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Your fears for today, your worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep my love away.”

This is the kind of love the Father has for us and calls for us to have for one another. Are you living out a life of love?

On Sunday afternoon, a friend and I visited a local “soda fountain”. It was a beautiful afternoon. So, after getting our “Diet Coke”, we made our way to the outdoor seating area.

The outdoor seating overlooks a small pond surrounded by beautiful trees. It truly is gorgeous, especially this time of the year. Who would have imagined a “soda fountain” would be surrounded by such beauty?

Before we could find a seat, an older gentleman seated with a younger gentleman waved us over and offered an invitation to join them. He immediately struck up a conversation.

After some interesting small talk, he said, “Well, if you have the time, I’d like to buy you another ‘Diet Coke’.” We didn’t want to be rude, so we accepted the offer.

The conversation continued. The older gentleman has led a pretty intriguing life. He is a retired businessman and splits his time between Indiana and California. I love California! So, I’m thinking I need to become close friends with this guy so I can have a free place to stay!

We talked about how the “soda fountain” wasn’t very busy. He talked about the lack of advertising and creative marketing. We talked about how it was a shame because the “soda fountain” truly is one of the gems of this area.

He asked what I did for a living and I told him that I’m the pastor at Centerville United Methodist Church.

He responded, “I don’t go to church. But, hey, the Church has great advertising. People are always talking about churches and trying to get other people to go.”

Before we left, he said, “Hey, we’re here most Sunday’s. So, maybe we’ll see you next week.” Then he invited us to join his “losers club” that meets at the “soda fountain” on Thursday’s. I think I’ll stop by!

The whole interaction was a great display of radical hospitality. Here are some things I learned that are good food for thought for the Church:

– Radical hospitality starts with an invitation. The gentleman saw two guys looking for a place to sit and invited us over. How many in the church are inviting others to come and sit for a while? When we see people looking around, do we invite them to join us?

– Radical hospitality isn’t a one-way street. The gentleman didn’t have an agenda. He didn’t monopolize the conversation. But, it wasn’t all about us either. He asked us questions and shared about himself and we left the conversation intrigued by the most interesting man at the “soda fountain”. How many of our conversations with our guests are one-way streets (trying to get their information, trying to get them into the next group study, trying to get them to come back, trying to sell our church)?

– Radical hospitality is sacrificial. The gentleman, as a way of indicating that he had enjoyed visiting with us and a way to extend our visit, offered to buy the next round of “Diet Coke”. He didn’t have to do that. But, we were humbled and honored that this stranger wanted to keep us around long enough to enjoy another “soda”. How often in the church are we thinking more about what our guests have to offer us than what we have to offer them? How do we view our guests…as potential friends or as potential contributors to our budget? Do we make a sacrifice (of our time and resources) in extending hospitality?

– Radical hospitality ends with an invitation. The gentleman made two invitations. He indicated that we were welcome to join him on Thursday’s or Sunday’s…anytime. I left the “soda fountain” with the impression that the guy really would be open and welcome to another visit.

– Radical hospitality can’t be faked. The gentleman was genuine and sincere. He wasn’t going through the steps of some program a consultant taught him. He was simply being a warm and friendly individual. How often are we simply going through the motions or checking off the steps we were giving in our hospitality training seminar?

– Radical hospitality happens in many environments. This lesson on radical hospitality took place at the “soda fountain”. Honestly, the most impressive displays of radical hospitality I’ve experienced have taken place in coffee shops, bars, homes, and “soda fountains”. While radical hospitality can happen in the church building on Sunday morning, it needs to happen outside the walls of the church too!

Where have you experienced radical hospitality recently?

The following message was shared at Centerville UMC in Centerville, IN on Sunday, May 3, 2015. The Scripture for the morning was John 15:1-8.

In this morning’s passage of Scripture Jesus paints a glorious picture that his Jewish audience would have been able to fully understand. Jesus proclaims to be the true vine, God is the vine-grower, and we are the branches.

Speaking about vineyards, vines, and branches had a deeper meaning for the Jewish people than we might realize. The idea of vines, branches, and vineyards were woven into the religious heritage of the Jewish people. A quick walk through the Hebrew Scriptures reveals that Israel is often referred to as the vine or vineyard of God. Isaiah 5 refers to Israel as the vineyard of the Lord. Jeremiah 2 says that God planted Israel as a choice vine. Ezekiel 15 & 19 makes references to Israel being the vine. Hosea 10 calls Israel a luxuriant vine. Psalm 80 also refers to Israel as a vine. These references actually led to the vine becoming one of the symbols of the nation of Israel. In this passage, Jesus calls himself the true vine. In the Old Testament, many of the references to the vine have to do with the vine running wild. When Jesus refers to himself as the true vine, he is proclaiming to be the perfect image of the perfect vine. Also, in this passage, he makes it clear that it is not their Jewish heritage that will save them, but their faith in Jesus. The Jews of Jesus day were heavily leaning on their bloodline to save them. Jesus indicates that only faith in Him and remaining in Him has the power to save.

So, Jesus talks about caring for the branches:

• We should prune branches producing fruit so they will flourish and bear more fruit.
• The branches not producing fruit are drastically cut back so that they will not drain away any of the plant’s strength.
• What about from a personal account? Where do you need to be pruned? What needs cut off?

Those branches that need to be cut off and thrown into the fire, remember at one time they were fruitful. However, they have run their course and it’s time for new branches to emerge.

We have to be careful not to confuse a young branch that has yet to produce fruit and an old branch that has run its course. A young vine is generally not allowed to fruit for the first three years and each year is cut drastically back to develop and conserve its life and energy. It has to be given time to mature.

That’s why we don’t just try something new one time and determine whether or not it’s fruitful. We have to give it some time to mature. Of course, some things in the church and our personal lives have been given more than enough time to mature and just need to be cut off!

There are times when the pruning process is about finding new ways to do old things. When we talk about this process in the church, we often say “the message stays the same, but the methods change.” (think about technological advances that have changed how we communicate; think about how aging bodies & aging facilities have caused us to find new ways to communicate)

This summer, we’re going to be doing VBS in a new way. Summer Camp Saturdays is an exciting new program to reach young people and families in our community. It will take every single one of us doing our part to help this ministry succeed. We need you to pray, to give your time, talents, and treasures to support the ministry, and we’ll need your presence to lend a helping hand. Everyone can help because, at the very least, everyone can pray! Last week, Melinda gave us a quick overview and an opportunity to start prayerfully considering how you can help. She asked for 40 people. I’m asking for every single person who calls this their church home to step up to the plate.

After the summer, we’ll review the program. We’ll do some pruning so that next summer it will bear even more fruit. Melinda’s goal for this summer is that we have the opportunity to interact and share Jesus with 100 students. Maybe we should be planning for 200 next year! Even if we only have 20 kids, that will be a success because last year we didn’t have VBS. Even if we only have 20 kids, we will still need every single person to get behind this ministry.

How many of you are familiar with the story of Medway, Ohio UMC. (You can learn more about Medway at: http://www.medwaychurch.org/)

Now, in churches, we have the tendency to attempt to prune branches that need to be cut off and thrown in the fire. Some of you might be asking, “why did they throw them into the fire?” The branches aren’t good for anything else…not strong enough to build with, so fuel the fire.

Let’s be honest, there are times when we are too attached to old branches. There are times our attachment to old branches is unhealthy. It’s difficult because we remember these old vines in their glory days. They used to be fruitful, but no longer bear fruit. Deep down, we know pruning will end up being a waste of time. Cutting them off and throwing them into the fire is the only option.

If a branch has not produced fruit for 5, 10, 15, 30, 50 years…cut it off!  When something has run its course, we need to give it an appropriate send off! Celebrate what it accomplished when it was bearing fruit. But do the hard work of making the cut!

It’s like my hair. That hair cut had run its course and it was time for some pruning. Let’s all pray that the pruning process will lead to more fruit!

How many of us would be willing to honestly admit that we are often all too excited to point out where others need to be pruned, but not so willing to prune ourselves?

Some of us are afraid to take the risk of pruning. We are fearful to take the risk of giving up what is for what could be. So, we’ll hold onto things that aren’t working because we don’t want to face the uncertainty of the unknown.

Jesus gives us the path towards fruitfulness. In this passage, He tells us the secret to bearing fruit is abiding in Him. To abide = to keep contact with; constant communion with Christ. We do this through:

• Intentional faith development (SS, BS, devotions, small groups, etc)
• Wesley’s Three Simple Rules:
  • Do good
  • Do no harm
  • Stay in love with God (or as Wesley put it “attending upon all the ordinances of God”)

Abiding in Christ isn’t just about getting closer to Jesus. Sure, that’s part of it. But, here, Jesus tells us the practice of abiding in Him will develop us into healthy, fruit-bearing branches. So, where’s our fruit?

John Wesley encouraged a number of practices that would help us abide or “attend upon all the ordinances of God”. Sometimes, we refer to these as spiritual disciplines.

1. The public worship of God;
2. The ministry of the Word, either read or expounded;
3. Communion: The Supper of the Lord;
4. Family and private prayer;
5. Searching the Scriptures;
6. Fasting or abstinence.

The public worship of God refers to worship in your local congregation. The ministry of the Word refers to the Word being read and expounded upon through preaching. The Supper of the Lord refers to Holy Communion. Wesley encouraged regular participation in Communion. Pastor Mark Gough – Every time you eat or drink, give thanks and remember. Family and private prayer is the time you commit to praying when you are not at church. Searching the Scriptures might happen at home, in Sunday school, or other small group studies. . And fasting or abstinence was a personal practice of refraining from certain practices in order to focus more fully on God.

In reference to Wesley’s ordinances, Bishop Rueben Job wrote that, “We may name our spiritual disciplines differently, but we too must find our way of living and practicing those disciplines that will keep us in love with God – practices that will help keep us positioned in a way that we may hear and be responsive to God’s slightest whisper of direction and receive God’s promised presence and power every day and in every situation.” (Job, “Three Simple Rules”, page 55)

In the UMC, our members make a commitment to uphold the church through our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness. By attending to these ordinances, these spiritual disciplines and practices, we find the strength, courage, and direction to faithfully follow Jesus. The result will be fruit! (Do numbers matter? Absolutely! They are evidence of our fruit! What we measure matters!)

Maybe we have made previous attempts to attend to these ordinances. Maybe we have attempted to make good on our commitment to Jesus and His church and have failed. The good news is that we call have the opportunity to start again. No matter how many times we fail, we can get back up and start all over again. Our past failures can be forgiven. God’s love never fails and never gives up! God loves you, no matter what!

Biblical scholar William Barclay, in his reflections on John 15:1-8 wrote that, “The secret of the life of Jesus was his contact with God; again and again he withdrew into a solitary place to meet him. We must keep constant contact with Jesus. We cannot do that unless we deliberately take steps to do it.” (Barclay, “Daily Study Bible Series: The Gospel of John: Volume 2”, page 176)

At CUMC, our mission is to “make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world”. We believe that a disciple is a follower of Jesus who is committed to grow, give, and go together. The steps we take to grow, give, and go are the keys to abiding in Christ. We grow through intentional faith development and passionate worship. We give through radical hospitality and extravagant generosity. We go through risk-taking mission and service.

As we take deliberate and proactive steps to grow, give, and go, we will abide in Christ and bear fruit. We take these steps in order to grow in our love for God and for one another. By abiding in Him, we will develop the strength and courage necessary to share God’s love with the world around us and “make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”

As we abide in Christ, we will view our church as a mission station, view ourselves as missionaries, and view our surrounding community as our mission field. May we be fruit-bearing missionaries!

Disclaimer/Warning: If you are prone to take things personally and get defensive, this blog is probably not the place for you! When I write, I am simply sharing my thoughts and ideas. I do not write with certain people or congregations in mind. This site is simply an outlet for reflection. Okay, you’ve been warned!

Earlier this year, Carey Nieuwhof blogged about “5 Signs of Spiritual Maturity…That Actually Show You Lack It.“After reading the article, I found myself thinking about the various ways I discern whether or not a person truly is a spiritual giant.

As a pastor, I’m often told who the “spiritual giants” are in a given congregation or community. At every church I have served (as lay staff and under pastoral appointment), I have been told as soon as I get my feet on the ground, “You should meet ______. He/she is a real ‘spiritual giant’.” Referring to one as a “spiritual giant” is another way of talking about spiritual maturity.

Too often, I believe we define “spiritual giants” as those who have a great deal of Biblical knowledge. These are folks who study the Scriptures, read books about the Bible, attend multiple Bible studies throughout the week, pray before every meal, and probably lead a small group of some sort.

Sometimes we define a “spiritual giant” as the person who gives a great deal of time to a particular ministry or mission of the church or within the community. This person doesn’t necessarily attend a lot of church events or small groups. He/she doesn’t necessarily have a lot of Biblical knowledge, but they are actively involved in missional service.

I’m not necessarily opposed to these definitions of “spiritual giants”. I think each contain glimpses of what it means to be a “spiritual giant”.

Throughout my years in ministry, I have found a few ways to discover whether an individual is spiritually mature. Here is my three-step process:

1. Do they live out their commitment to the church? In the United Methodist church, our members commit to upholding our church through their prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. So, a “spiritual giant” will be committed to these practices.

2. For a quick discovery of whether or not one is a “spiritual giant”, one can examine the persons financial giving. I know, I know…pastors are all about the money, aren’t they? But, let’s be honest…how we use our finances says a lot about our commitment to Jesus and the church. I’m pretty sure Jesus said something about our hearts and our treasures, but I could be wrong.

There are many times I’ve encountered “spiritual giants” who know a lot about the Bible. However, their giving habits would indicate that they don’t really understand much about the Bible. Sometimes our giving habits indicated that we are not as committed to the church as we believe ourselves to be.

3. Do they practice Biblical conflict resolution? In Matthew 18:15-17, Jesus gives us a pretty solid example of how to practice Biblical conflict resolution.  So, when it comes to “spiritual giants”, do they talk to the person they disagree with or do they talk about the person they disagree with? Do they follow Jesus’ pattern for handling conflict?

In previous appointments, I served as an associate pastor. Associate pastors, much like pastors spouses, are often “used” to “get at” the senior pastor. People lobby their complaints about or suggestions for the pastor to the associate pastor (or pastors spouse) in hopes that the associate (or pastors spouse) will relay the message.

When people would come to me with complaints or “constructive criticism” for the senior pastor, I would stop them and ask this simple question, “Have you talked about this with the senior pastor?”

9 times out of ten the answer was “no”. When they would answer “no”, I would tell them that before I would entertain any more of their conversation, they would need to talk with the senior pastor. More often than not, the person would not go talk to the senior pastor and stopped coming to me with their “helpful insights”.

Unfortunately, they would often find another person to entertain their complaints and criticism.

If the person had talked with the senior pastor and the issue had not been resolved, I would invite them to set up an appointment for the three of us to meet together. In all of my years as an associate pastor, I think it actually made it this point one time.

Many times, if the person had talked with the senior pastor, the issue truly had been resolved. They just didn’t like the outcome. So, they would come to the associate pastor in hopes to sway the pastor to see things their way. If a resolution had been reached, I would take the simple step of supporting the senior pastor!

So, an easy way for you to determine whether or not you are a “spiritual giant” is to ask this question: When someone begins to complain about another, do I entertain the conversation or do I stop them and ask them if they have talked with the offending party?

That’s a great way to find out if someone truly is a “spiritual giant”. If a person is unwilling to practice Biblical conflict resolution, they probably aren’t the spiritual giant we believe them to be (or that they desire us to believe). If we start, spread, or entertain gossip, we probably aren’t “spiritual giants”.

My guess is that a “spiritual giant” probably doesn’t have much time to gossip or entertain gossip because they are too busy getting the plank out of their own eye!

Now, I want to warn those who desire to be spiritually mature (spiritual giants)! When you begin to practice Biblical conflict resolution, there is a good chance you will be referred to as a troublemaker.

When I think about spiritual giants, I think back to a gentleman who was often labeled as a troublemaker. He drove people crazy! And, I think it’s because he took the Bible and the words of Jesus seriously. If he had a problem, a suggestion, or a question, he actually went directly to the other person. Crazy, right? He didn’t beat around the bush. He didn’t gossip. He didn’t get others worked up. He just addressed issues head on. And, I loved him for it!

The real troublemakers are those “spiritual giants” who start, entertain, and spread gossip. The real troublemakers are those who fail to practice Biblical conflict resolution.

So, where are you? Are you spiritually mature? Are you giving the impression of being spiritually mature? Are you striving towards spiritual maturity?

*Disclaimer- When I refer to “just friendly” churches, I do not have any particular churches in mind. I am simply sharing my thoughts spurred on by a random conversation.

This morning, I stopped off at a coffee shop on my way to a district meeting. I had some extra time, so I decided to sit down to enjoy my coffee and do some reading. While I was reading, a gentleman about my age started up a conversation. In our small talk, I learned that he was only in the area for a few days. He is in the area helping his parents move.

He said, “My parents are moving to Indianapolis in an effort to find their place in a community. They moved to this area in retirement hoping to connect with others and get actively involved. When they were searching places to retire, this seemed like a friendly area. They’ve been here for just over five years. They continually talk about how people are friendly, but they have yet to make any friends. It’s been difficult for them to find their place and make friends in this tightly knit, well-established community. They are moving in the hopes that in a larger and more transient community, people will be more inviting and welcoming.”

As I drove to my meeting, I found myself wondering if the Church is “just friendly” or a place where people develop lasting friendships and community? Is the Church “just friendly” or are we actively seeking to help others find their place in our community while they develop meaningful relationships with God and others? Is the Church a “just friendly” place that people can exist in for a number of years and still not feel as if they have developed meaningful relationships?

It simply isn’t enough for the Church to be “just friendly”.

This is why the practice of radical hospitality is crucial. The Church should be a place where all people, regardless of age, race, gender, socio-economic status, sexual preference, education level, political affiliation are openly invited, welcomed, accepted, wanted, connected, cared for, supported, encouraged, and have a clear path for involvement. Again, it simply isn’t enough for a church to be “just friendly.”

If a church is “just friendly”, new people who happen to visit the church will have a “nice” experience. However, they will not necessarily feel warmly welcomed, accepted, wanted or find connections with caring, supportive, encouraging friends that desire to involve all people in the life and ministry of the church. People will stick around “just friendly” churches for a while. However, if they don’t get connected to the church community in meaningful ways, they will move on in search of something “more”.

So, tell me about your church…Is it a church that practices radical hospitality and is developing Christian community? Or is it “just friendly”?