Thanks Bill...

In one of my earlier post, I had a dream... Bill commented, "Steven's confidence appears to be in that Church invisible, whereas Tony's skepticism appears to be of the visible one. " I thought he articulated this wonderfully.

I spend more time watching the food channel than any other network on TV. I love it. I have my favorites, just as everyone else does. I like the Iron Chef America, Everyday Italian, Nigella Bites, Good Eats, UnWrapped, and a new guy Michael Chiarello. I use to not like Bobby Flay, but I am starting to appreciate his cockiness. Christel and I sit and watch these guys cooking with some incredible ingredients. Basic cooking with some panache is my favorite.

Anyway, you are probably asking if I quit taking my ADD medicine. There is a point to tying the two thoughts together. Watching the show but never cooking the meal is for self entertainment value only and doesn't do anything to fill the belly of others.

The church visible (CV) tends to get an education on how to keep the church visible in control and not allow the church invisible (CI) much place. Authority is rarely transfered from the learned to the fishermen much these days. Apologetics has replaced humility and discernment. Church structures are built for impressing man instead of honoring God. The pastor seeking committee in searching for the best pastor usually listens for the work on his sermons and rarely looks for the work in her parish. Preaching the Word is important but does it drive the listener to do the heart of Christ or to sit entertained on the butt of man. We want cantatas not soup kitchens.

Clichés that sound nice but don't speak the truth of the situation only puts us in make believe that the CV is the CI. There are wonderful churches who struggle with listening for the Truth to lead them but there are far too many who filter out anything which will cause non-uniformity.

Pastor, what training did you get? Who did you read? What intention did you develop? Preaching or reaching? Are you ordained to serve or lead? What is the bottom line in which you measure your success? When you leave your position is it for something up the ladder? Has the neighborhood, not only the congregation, benefited from your servantship?

A couple of years ago, I was on a hike with a pastor friend of mine and we started talking about the emergent wave. He said, "what they want, I wasn't trained to accomplish. This is new territory." My concern is that are we training up people to move with the way of the Spirit or by the parameters of the education. And too often we are limited by the institutional limitations because we get those who know how to work within the institution and have been successful (good grades) in the confines of academia but cannot hear The Voice.

I am thankful for my friends who are pastors, my stones are not to knock you down but to prod you to listen. Now I am showing my arrogance...