ChurchApplied

Grow Your Own Ministry

Do you feel the tug to embark on a new mission for God? Our fulfillment in life is directly related to our willingness to venture out and respond to the promptings and ideas God sends our way. 

The problem is, so many of us are on auto pilot with our unending to-do lists, we seldom have time to hear God’s invitation to adventure though service! A unique kind of joy awaits each one who is ready to accept God’s challenge!

Small Group - Photo by Lisa F. Young. All rights reserved.

Here are some tips to help you listen, identify and follow God’s call: 

1). Be still. Read Psalm 46:10 and allow it to permeate your heart. Make a list of the things in your life that presently give you a sense of unrest. Conclude your meditation by reading Mark 4:39.  

2). Listen carefully. Read Luke 9:28-35. Listen for signals from God. For a period of time, avoid television, radio and Internet media outlets so you can clear your mind. As you go through the day, pause to jot down your thoughts. Listen more carefully to the people around you. At the end of your prayer times, be quite for a while before you finish. 

"Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long" (Psalm 25:4,5, NIV).

3). Look at the trend of your life. What areas of interests do you have? How has God led in your past? Make a list of the things you like to do. 

4). Seek input from a friend. Ask a friend to give their perspective on your strengths as they relate to starting a ministry.  

5). Make a decision. Starting a ministry need not be frightening or permanent. Don’t be afraid to experiment. You may go through several ideas before you find one that fits you. You may also want to establish a particular time frame for your efforts.  

6). Think big, start small. One man decided to start a ministry of encouragement by sending out cards and notes to people in need. If there are others who share a similar interest this could be expanded to a team effort. An academy chaplain and some students decided to send letters of encouragement to local church leaders throughout their conference. The ripple effect from such efforts is unending. 

7). Give it Time. Whether you’re starting a small group, sharing your music in a coffee house setting, creating uplifting graphics for a web page, or visiting shut-ins, give it time. Ask yourself, “what am I expecting to get out of this?” Ultimately, ministries are about touching lives to share grace. Bath your life and ministry in God’s grace and give it time to grow.

By Rich DuBose, Director, Pacific Union Conference Church Support Services

Losing Control

Have you ever lost your temper to the point you went "bananas?" Maybe you put your fist through a door, or said something you didn't realize you were saying. It wasn't until later when someone told you that you found out. Then you were embarrassed.

Angry Man - Photo by Dunca Danie. All rights reserved.

Some people never experience this kind of anger. They are so laid back nothing ever seems to rial them. Everyone's fuse is not the same length. If yours is short, does that mean you're destined to go through life hot headed and quick-tempered? Maybe. The answer really depends on how you choose to deal with your anger.

The Old Testament tells a story about a time when King David poorly handled his anger to the point that he almost killed a man named Nabal. While he was hiding from King Saul, David and his men protected Nabal from marauding robbers. But Nabal brushed it off as no big deal and treated David as a runaway slave (1 Samuel 25:2-13).

When David realized how ungrateful Nabal was, he and some of his men set out to kill him. And he would have if Nabal's wife Abigal hadn't intervened.

Proverbs 14:17 says, "A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, and a man of evil devices is hated."

Instead of it being a sign of strength, a quick temper is actually a sign of weakness. It's an indication that a person has lost control of their emotions. Unfortunately people are maimed and killed everyday because others allow their emotions to dictate their behavior. No wonder violence and abuse is so prevalent.

May God's Spirit free us from the debilitating effects of uncontrolled anger.

By Rich DuBose, Director, Pacific Union Conference Church Support Services

In His Hands

The old negro spiritual says, "He's got the whole world in His hands." It's a great song, but sometimes I question whether it's really true. If God has the whole world in His hands, why does He allow suffering to continue so long? At times it looks like the Devil is the one who is really in charge.

Photo by Stockxpert. All rights reserved.

I recently read about a homeless prostitute in San Francisco who was attacked by two women because her boyfriend owed one of them some money. They beat her, dragged her into a parking lot, stripped off her clothes and set her on fire. Did God have that incident in His hands, or did the Devil? This same question can be applied to every act of violence, evil, and injustice that has been committed from the beginning of time. Who's in charge here?

I guess the truth is both God and the Devil have dibs on us. The Devil's claim goes way back to the Garden of Eden when Eve stood before the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and ate the forbidden fruit. God's claim goes back before the creation of earth to a time when He and Jesus agreed upon an ambitious plan to save humans from their failure to trust in Him.1

Right now the Devil's fingerprints are everywhere. You'd be stupid to say he isn't exerting control throughout the world. But the end-game is what ultimately matters. In Superbowl XLI many were certain the Chicago Bears would ultimately win. They were quick to put points on the board and had some definitive moments of glory. But in the end the Colts walked away with the Superbowl trophy.

God has the world in His hands--at least that's what Scripture says about the final score. He will walk away with the prize! But that's hard to believe when the score is 21-7 at the top of the 4th quarter with God's team getting killed. 

Sometimes we just have to trust the Coach. We have to believe He knows what he's doing, even if we don't. Paul says, "For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known."2 As much as I would like to, I cannot see the whole picture. Some vital parts appear to be missing, and at times because of this the negro spiritual is hard to sing.

Dear God, I believe my life is in your hands today. Show me how to be your hands to those who aren't so sure.

By Rich DuBose, Director, Pacific Union Conference Church Support Services

1. Revelation 13:8
2. 1 Corinthians 13:12

When Royalty Dies

Fairy tale princesses aren’t supposed to die, at least not in their prime. But on August 31, 1997 the world was shocked with the tragic death of Princess Diana. The reaction was enormous! People expressed their grief with candle light vigils, flowers and photographs pinned to fences and walls. Britain practically came to a standstill. Suddenly the world seemed much darker, which prompted singer Elton John to dedicate his song “Candle in the Wind” to Diana. The funeral, fitting for any head of state, provided an opportunity for millions to mourn and remember the Princess that everyone loved, but very few really knew.

Princess Diana - Photo by Ken Brown. All rights reserved.

Why was she so popular? Aside from being an attractive woman, she was a princess who demonstrated concern for “little” people; children and adults in poverty. She cared about people with AIDS and spoke against the use of land mines (which usually end up killing and maiming civilians). She recognized she was in a position of power, but didn’t seem to grasp for recognition or political gain. But of course Diana’s life and situation were far from perfect. Those who were closest to her now say that from the very beginning she had a rival who caught Prince Charles’ eye. Eventually her and Charles parted ways and pursued their own interests and friendships.

Princess Diana’s death was the final chapter of a story that started with such a promising introduction. Who could have guessed that it would end the way it did?

On this planet, the story always seems to end with a sob and a whimper. As much as we want to hang onto the memories of those we have lost, time erases more than we want to forget. Life is too intense; too overwhelming; too all consuming for us to dwell very long on the past. We are propelled into the future with a multitude of decisions and things to do.

Good News

According to God's promise, better days are coming. Jesus guaranteed this when He died some two thousand years ago. Paul says, “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive " (1 Corinthians 15:22).

Our memories fade and dim with the passage of time, but God’s promises never do. Soon this chapter of earth's history will end in an eternal celebration of joy! (See Revelation 21:4).

By Rich DuBose, Director, Pacific Union Conference Church Support Services

Killing Words

Most of us have heard a sermon or two we didn’t care for, but on March 12, 2005, some believe Terry Ratzman's dislike for a sermon may have resulted in the worst mass killing in Wisconsin's history. When Ratzmann entered the sanctuary that day, some of his fellow members immediately knew that something was wrong. Instead of sitting in his usual spot, he remained standing and was agitated. When the sermon begin, Ratzman pulled out a 22 caliber pistol and let loose.

Photo by Vadim Tikhonov. All rights reserved.

Twenty-two shots later when the mayhem ended, pastor Gregory, his son and five other members, including Ratzman, were dead. This is not exactly what you'd expect to experience while sitting in a church pew.

Some believe the sermon Ratzman disliked was actually preached two weeks earlier. It reportedly focused on how bad fortune comes to those who make ungodly choices. Many believe other factors, including Ratzman’s difficulty finding a job, may have brought him to the breaking point. We’ll never know for sure. What we do know is that making ungodly choices always leads to tragic consequences.

On more than one occasion, the sermons Paul preached resulted in violence and physical abuse. Many did not want to hear what he had to say. While working in the city of Lystra Paul and Barnabas preached Christ to the people and they were responsive. At first they thought they were gods because Paul had healed a man who had been lame from birth. So Paul shared the truth about God and Christ, and many believed. But then "Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead." (Acts 14:19)

Not all sermons are worth hearing or preaching. But none are so bad that pastors should either be shot or stoned for preaching them. After all, a sermon is supposedly a message from the very God who says, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love." (1 John 4:7, 8)

By Rich DuBose, Director, Pacific Union Conference Church Support Services

The Gift of Ears

The difference between writers who are able to fill pages with words and those who are able to fill readers' hearts with passion is that the latter have learned to write with their ears.

Those who write only with their eyes may produce copy that is mechanically correct, content rich and helpful, but such writing often fails to touch our hearts.

Listening - Photo by Nikolay Mamluke. All rights reserved.

Writers who write with their ears squeeze tears from our eyes, elicit exclamations of shock and delight, and strike chords deep within our souls!

We know Jesus had the gift of ears because he heard people's inner cries and responded to their needs. When Jesus spied Zacchaeus outside the city of Jericho in a sycamore tree, he knew Zachaeus desired to be in harmony with God and that he longed for a better life. So Jesus said, "Zacchaeus, hurry down. Today is my day to be a guest in your home." (Luke 19:5)

We have the gift of ears when we understand what people say and mean. Although this kind of hearing is a gift, we receive it when we choose to become engaged in the listening process. Joe Landsberger says, "Active listening intentionally focuses on who you are listening to, whether in a group or one-on-one, in order to understand what he or she is saying. As the listener, you should then be able to repeat back in your own words what they have said to their satisfaction. This does not mean you agree with, but rather understand, what they are saying."1

Listening to God

Learning to be good listeners not only helps us better relate to what people are saying, but it helps us tune into what God is saying through Scripture and prayer. Solomon said, "Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days. Many plans are in a man's heart, but the counsel of the Lord will stand" (Proverbs 19:19-21). In other words, regardless of what we think, or plan, there is wisdom in prayerfully listening for God's counsel.

1. Joe Landsberger, Study Guides and Strategies, Active Listening

Find Your Purpose

Life's biggest challenge is to find out why you were born. Whether you realize it or not you are here for a reason! Even if your birth was an "accident," God has a mission for your life that no one else can fill. Some of the most miserable people in the world are those who either don't believe this, or who have not yet discovered their purpose. Living without purpose leads to all manner of evils that people inflict upon themselves and others.

Recently, as I struggled to understand my journey, I tried to articulate what I believed God wanted me to be and do. What resulted is a series of statements that helped me focus on how to find and fulfill my life purpose, one day at a time.

Today, as I seek to understand God's purpose for my life, I will . . .

1. Listen for His voice, respond to His desires and praise His name.

2. Use my gifts and possessions to make life a little easier for someone else.

3. Be authentic, reject mediocrity and pursue creativity.

4. Demand more of myself than I do of others.

5. Learn something new and pass it on.

6. Challenge the status quo, question the rules, and take time to dream.

7. Plan for tomorrow, but understand that "life" happens today.

8. Find a tangible way to express gratitude to a family member or friend.

9. Take care of myself.

10. Be self-forgiving when I fail to measure up to my own expectations.

God is eager for you to test His promise: "I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you." (Psalm 32:8)

Prescription: Create some space for reflective thought and ask God to help you understand your life purpose. Make a list of your gifts and abilities. Jot down a series of short life statements that reflect your convictions and ideals. Assemble these into a statement of purpose for daily reference. Be open to change and make adjustments as God leads.

Photo: Hemera

Defending God

We've heard it said that we live in a secular age with a godless agenda. Humanistic and atheistic thinking permeate our society. A rash of new books denounce God and religion as irrelevant, divisive and destructive. What's a Christian to do?

Fighter - Photo By Rui Vale De Sousa. All rights reserved.

As believers, shouldn't we try to counter these attacks with unflinching faith and persuasive arguments? Some even suggest that we should legislate our Christian values to preserve our country. They say we are in a culture war and the only way to win is to use the tools and methods of the enemy. As noble and "holy" as this sounds, God doesn't need our defense. He was here before we came along, and He'll be here long after we're gone.

God Patrol

One Sabbath when Jesus was attending a religious service, a group of "God-defenders" we're in the congregation monitoring His words and actions. They were certain that God had appointed them to be His defenders of truth.

"In the congregation was a man who had a deformed right hand. The religious scholars and Pharisees watched Jesus; they suspected that He might try to perform a healing on that day, which they would use as evidence to convict Him of Sabbath-breaking."¹

Earlier, when asked by the Pharisees why His disciples were breaking the Sabbath day eating kernels of wheat, Jesus countered their question with one of His own: "Haven't you ever read about the time when David and his companions were hungry? Don't you remember how they went into the house of God and took the sacred bread of the presence--which, you may recall, only the priest were lawfully permitted to eat? Remember that he not only ate it, but he also gave it to his companions? Likewise, the Son of Man has authority over the Sabbath."²

In essence, Jesus said, "The Sabbath is not about rules, regulations or restrictions, rather it is a day of celebration; a day of liberation and joy. The Sabbath is a means to an end. It is not the end. The Sabbath is a day to discover origins, purpose and meaning. It is not an institution that we must be subservient to. It is the gateway to a deeper relationship with God and His creation."

This discovery cannot be mandated and defended in an institutional way as a doctrine of faith, but rather it can only be experienced and embraced on a personal level. We are not defending God as much as we are reveling in His goodness--which becomes a positive incentive for non-believers to want to know more about the God we love.

Back to the man with the deformed hand. As he stood there in the synagogue, Jesus decided to use him to illustrate the broader intent of the Sabbath laws.

Jesus told the man to "stand in front of everyone. The man did so. Then Jesus spoke directly to the religious scholars and Pharisees."

"Here's a question for you: On the Sabbath Day, is it lawful to do good or to do harm? Is it lawful to save life or to destroy it?"

"He turned his gaze to each of them, one at a time. Then He spoke to the man."

"Stretch your hand out."

"As the man did, his deformed hand was made normal again. This made the Pharisees and religious scholars furious. They began discussing together what they would do to Jesus."³

Amazing! The religious leaders were bent on defending God's truth (their interpretation of it), even if it meant killing God. Of course, they didn't believe Jesus was God. But they reached the point were their convictions took prominence over their ability to reason and believe. Personal faith morphed into a creed that could not be questioned or examined.   

^{May God deliver us from the urge to purge the world of everything we don't agree with or understand. Let us humbly follow on to know the Lord, and let God be God!}

1. Luke 6:6-7 (The Voice)
2. Luke 6:3-5 (The Voice)
3. Luke 6:8-11 (The Voice)

Getting Side-Tracked

When I was around 10 or 11 years-old, my grandparents invited my younger brother and me to go on a short vacation with them. While driving through a desolate part of central Florida, the trip reached its climax when grandad pulled over to the side of the road and offered to let me drive the car. I couldn't believe my ears.

Young Driver - Photo by Sergey Lavrentev - Copyright © 2009

As I slid behind the wheel he said, "Its simple! Just keep your eye on the road and check the rear-view mirror." But as I looked at the brake, gas pedal, and all the knobs and lights on the dash, I was sure he had left something out.

I inched slowly onto the pavement and cautiously picked up speed. My heart beat frantically as my eyes raced from the speedometer to the brake, then back to the steering wheel and the dash. "What was I missing? Oh yes, the rear-view mirror!" To my horror, when I looked in the mirror I saw another car quickly approaching from behind. Suddenly, I was so worried about the other car I forgot to watch where I was going and veered right off the road. After this happened several times, my grandad decided it wasn't such a good idea. So, my first driving episode ended as abruptly as it started.

I was so overwhelmed with the process of driving that I couldn't drive. My main concern should have been to stay on the road, but I was more concerned with whether or not I was doing it right, and because of this I wasn't doing it at all.

Getting side-tracked

As Christians, our main concern should be to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. But too often we end up "looking in the rear-view mirror," worrying about the other guy.

When I began my journey with Christ, He said, "Look to me, and be saved." (Isaiah 45:22) But as I looked at my Bible that contained 1,119 pages of spiritual instructions I was sure He had left something out. So, I inched slowly onto the Christian path and cautiously picked up speed. My heart beat frantically as my eyes raced from text to text:

"You are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48)

"If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor." (Matthew 19:21)

"Cursed is he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them." (Deuteronomy 27:26)

And I thought, "What am I missing? Oh yes, the rear-view mirror." Then I began to worry about the performance of those around me and I ended up in the ditch, side-tracked.

In Hebrews Paul describes how we are to spend our energies:

"Let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1, 2)

Today let us make it our steady purpose to keep Jesus, and Him alone, in our sights!

By Rich DuBose, Director, Pacific Union Conference Church Support Services

A Reason to Live

Dennis and Jamie Winegar were in the right place at the wrong time. The visitors from Houston, Texas, were among the survivors of the bridge collapse near downtown Minneapolis. Their car landed on top of a smaller car. You can imagine the terror they felt when they realized the road beneath their car had literally dropped out from under them.

Minneapolis, Minn. - Photo by Aliaksandr Nikitsin

Dennis said, "I slammed on my brakes and saw something in front of me disappear and then my car pointed straight down and we fell." He estimated they dropped about 50 feet.1

Immediately, everyone who could, got out of their cars and started helping each other off the bridge. Jamie Winegar said, "There were a bunch of people right around there helping everyone. Angels is what I call them."2

When a disaster occurs it is amazing how people rally to help one another. We saw this with the 911 terrorist attacks and we see it locally when tragedy strikes. During such times, we realize how dependent we are upon one another for survival.

The same is true in the spiritual realm. We need each other!

Search and Rescue

There is no reason to live except to fulfill God's purpose for your life. Pursuing any other agenda will eventually lead to disillusionment and despair. Jesus said it best when he said, "what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul."

The broken condition of the earth and its inhabitants provides little hope for tomorrow. Science and technology cannot solve all of our problems. Certainly, medical technology has added more years to our lives, but what good does it do if people still have no clue why they exists? Living longer without a sense of purpose only prolongs the misery. Eventually, everyone still dies.

When I realize that God's ultimate plan for humanity never included death, and that currently Heaven is in a search-and-rescue mode that feverishly seeks to reclaim people from sin's deadly effects, then I begin to understand what I am needed for. God wants my assistance to help others find their way to safety. Sin is an on-going disaster. Over the years it has claimed millions of lives. At times, it seems there is no solution to its deadly effects, yet God says there is.

"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again..."3

"For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."4

The rescue efforts continue to this day. Many still haven't been told there is a way out, or at least they haven't heard it explained with any credibility.

That's where you and I come in. God is asking those who have heard and accepted the "good news" to simply share it with those who haven't. This gives purpose to our lives while we wait. When we neglect to share what we know with others, we not only call into question our own acceptance of God's offer, but we also lose our sense of purpose and reason to live. We're simply taking up space and waiting to die.

Saved by Grace

Every day we need a fresh dose of God's grace to be reminded of how fortunate we are to have Jesus. This is what energizes us to live and love as Jesus did.

In Minneapolis, Jeremy Hernandez was grateful the school bus he and dozens of children were in did not get crushed under the falling debri of the bridge.

"If it would have been a second later, any second before, we would have been in the water or under the pavement, because the pavement crushed another car that was in front of us," he said.5

When you survive a disaster of this magnitude and realize you were only seconds away from being killed, you are filled with a sense of gratitude for every moment that follows.

Hernandez is credited with helping the children on the bus escape to safety. You can be sure that each parent knows their child was saved by grace!

May we understand how fortunate we are, and may that inspire us to do what we can to help others.

1. www.cnn.com, August 2, 2007
2. ibid., August 2, 2007
3. John 3:16-17 (The Message)
4. Colossians 1:13-14. (NASB)
5. www.cnn.com, August 2, 2007