WALKING THE VIA DOLOROSO

By Penny Zettler

A few years ago I served as a co-pastor during a week of family camp at our denominational campgrounds. We decided to structure our daily worship by celebrating a different holiday each day.

To observe Easter we took a life-size wooden cross and, as a group, walked it down from the chapel to a peninsula on the lake. Families traveled together, children held the hands of their fathers, and young mothers carried their infants. We had formed our own Via Dolorosa procession.

Because the cross was heavy, several men were forced to take turns carrying it. Watching my own father bear the cross for a portion of the journey moved me powerfully.
When we reached the point overlooking the shimmering lake, we stood the cross up so, from the campgrounds across the water, its reflection could be seen clearly. Then I handed everyone a dark ribbon to nail to the cross.

As the sound of the hammer reverberated across the lake, I was moved by thoughts of how sad and expensive the crucifixion truly was. We watched as children approached the cross with their parents, holding their ribbons and nails. Tears flowed down our faces. It all became personal. Even the children seemed to understand something of salvation's great price.
The next morning we met at the cross for devotions. But during the night, the dark ribbons had been replaced with white ones. Everyone seemed thrilled to see the cross now ...

More!

“All he ever really wanted in life was more. He wanted more money, so he parlayed inherited wealth into a billion-dollar pile of assets. He wanted more fame, so he broke into the Hollywood scene and soon became a filmmaker and star. He wanted more sensual pleasures, so he paid handsome sums to indulge his every sexual urge. He wanted more thrills, so he designed, built, and piloted the fastest aircraft in the world. He wanted more power, so he secretly dealt political favors so skillfully that two U.S. presidents became his pawns. All he ever wanted was more. He was absolutely convinced that more would bring him true satisfaction. Unfortunately, history shows otherwise.”
Then I went on to describe how this man concluded his life—emaciated; colorless; sunken chest; fingernails in grotesque, inches-long corkscrews; rotting, black teeth; tumors; innumerable needle marks from his drug addiction. “Howard Hughes died,” I said, “believing the myth of more. He died a billionaire junkie, insane by all reasonable standards.”
Bill Hybels, D. Stuart Briscoe and Haddon W. Robinson, Mastering Contemporary Preaching (Portland, Or.: Multnomah, 1990], c1989), 119.

The big guy behind you

From Ron Hutchcraft:

Roger was assistant manager of a buffet restaurant. He's on our ministry team,
and the other day he was telling me about a special memory from that job early
in his working career. It seems there was a male customer who had been really
abusive to the waitress. So Roger, being the ranking officer in the restaurant
at the time, had the joy of trying to confront this gentleman - well, this man
anyway.
Unfortunately, this abusive customer was young, strong, all muscular
and bulked up. And Roger's like me; he's not exactly Goliath. But he walked into
the lion's jaws and he bravely asked that man to leave. Initially, the customer
was ready for a fight. Then suddenly, unexplainably, he raised the white flag
and he just left, leaving Roger a little baffled as to why this man had suddenly
given up. That's when my friend turned around and saw one of the chefs who had
been - unbeknownst to Roger - standing behind him all that time. The chef was a
Goliath! Roger said, "Suddenly I understood that it was the big guy behind me
that made the difference!"

Mission Websites

http://www.askamissionary.com/
http://www.christianmissions.net/
http://www.gmi.org/ow
http://www.joshuaproject.net/
http://www.missionaryresources.org/
http://www.missionfinder.org/
http://www.mnnonline.org/
http://www.shorttermmissions.com/
http://www.urbana.org/
http://www.uscwm.org/

Care for pastors websites

http://www.parsonage.org/
http://www.pastorsretreatnetwork.org/
http://www.cciusa.org/

Church Outreach Websites

http://www.churchinitiative.org/
http://www.churchinitiative.org/
http://www.faithhighway.com/
http://www.ibs.org/
http://www.off-the-map.org/
http://www.operationinasmuch.com/
http://www.outreachmagazine.com/
http://www.servantevangelism.com/

How to create a church budget

I like these ideas so much:

Compile the budget—The process of compiling a church budget can put the skills of your people into practice. Form a budget team from those who have finance backgrounds or finance skills. Then add members to the team who may not have as much experience. They’ll not only learn about the budget they’ll also be more focused on the financial needs of the church.

Promote the budget— Secret budgets will never gain public approval. Form a stewardship team to advertise and explain the budget. It may include members of the finance committee, but appoint additional members as well—especially people who have skills in graphic arts or communication. Remember the principle, “Informed givers are happy givers.”
Once again, the participation of these members will not only facilitate the process but also provide an opportunity for them to a) learn about stewardship, b) use their God-given gifts, and c) create enthusiasm for approving the budget.
The creation of PowerPoint presentations, pie charts, financial reports, and so on broadens the web of understanding and acceptance of the church’s financial goals.

Pass the budget—By involving a wider number of skilled members in compiling the church budget you’ll cause a wider number of congregants to take ownership. Members of the team can present various components of the budget. While a pastor may have difficulty in adding a budget line for automobile expenses into the salary package, a committee member may be able to utilize communication skills to put the need in perspective—especially if that member has been embarrassed to ride in the pastor’s old car!

Track the budget—churches often have their own “geek squad.” Members of your congregation may have specialized computer skills that can be utilized to keep the congregation on track in meeting its financial goals. Some of those same members may only speak “computer” and be fearful of teaching a small group. But they may shine behind the monitor screen in compiling tracking reports. Think of it, someone in your congregation is waiting to help you compile and present a winning budget—and learn how to be a good steward at the same time.

I can still feel him...

I read a post about India today that made me remember some things I think I'd been trying to forget.

I was on my second Tsunami relief trip in the south. My heart had already broken for the victims of this incredible tragedy, and I had even thanked God that I had been in India when it happened, not back home watching it all on TV with my friends and family. I was glad that I'd been in the country long enough that nothing shocked me anymore, long enough to know how to handle the heat.

In the nearly month and a half since I'd been there, the makeshift village had come to life. There were little playground plots, rooms designated for school and nursery. That's where I found him. In the nursery. Most of the children laughed and sang with us, offered shy smiles and hugs, but not this boy. He looked to be 18-24 months old, old enough to walk. But his mother was holding him in her arms while he looked on, silent. They told us that he had stopped walking and talking after witnessing his big sister's death by tsunami. Something inside me broke. "Oh Lord, oh Lord". I don't know how I looked just then, but something must have shown on my face, because the mother came closer and offered to let me hold him.

I love babies, kids too, but especially the terrible twos and younger. I usually smile and sometimes wave when I see little ones in passing. But this one I had to hold. He fit perfectly, like he'd been made for me, but I knew he hadn't. He was rather light for his age, I think. A skinny kid, but I wasn't surprised. I looked at him seriously, sadly. And for a while he looked at me with those big black eyes, but then he looked past me. "Lord this one, help this one"

I wanted to keep him forever. To fix his life, make everything all better. But I couldn't. I couldn't give him back what he had lost; his father, his sister, his childhood. I couldn't teach him to walk again, talk again. I couldn't refer him to a doctor who might be able to. I couldn't do anything for his spiritual needs either, because I don't speak Tamil, and he probably wouldn't have understood anyway. I'd helped build him a temporary shelter that will serve as his home for perhaps years to come. I could offer a fan and maybe a trunk full of food and supplies, and that was it. It wasn't nearly enough, but it was all.

I thought about him every day for a while, and then I pushed him from my mind. A day or two later I went back my real life from that, and now I'm back in the states, as far from him as I'll ever be. Halfway around the world. He didn't need me, I tell myself, he had a mother. But the fact of the matter is ...I can still feel him in my arms. Sometimes it makes me shiver, sometimes it makes me cry. It always makes me wish I could've kept him. And I don't even know his name.

"Dear Father, I'll never see that child again. But you are with him, even right now. And you love him more than I ever could. Please, if nothing else, bring him to Yourself. Send someone into his life to do what I couldn't do; lead him to You."

The design of the earth

The Earth . . . its size is perfect. The Earth's size and corresponding gravity holds a thin layer of mostly nitrogen and oxygen gases over the surface of the earth. Only extending about 50 miles above the Earth's surface, our atmosphere contains the right mixture of gases to sustain life. If Earth were smaller, an atmosphere would be impossible, like the planet Mercury. If Earth were larger, its atmosphere would contain free hydrogen, like Jupiter.(4) Earth is the only known planet equipped with an atmosphere appropriate for plant, animal and human life.

The Earth is located exactly the right distance from the sun. Consider the temperature swings we encounter, roughly -30 degrees to +120 degrees. If the Earth were any further away from the sun, we would all freeze. Any closer and we would burn up. Even a fractional variance in the earth's position to the sun and life on Earth would be impossible. The Earth remains at its perfect distance from the sun while it rotates around the sun at a speed of nearly 67,000 mph. And the Earth's rotation on its axis allows the entire surface of the earth to be properly warmed and cooled every day.

Our moon is the right size and distance from the Earth. The moon creates important ocean tides and movement so ocean water does not stagnate, and yet it restrains our massive oceans from spilling over across the continents.(5)

Commitment - Simple as That - Will make a long lasting marriage

During a potluck dinner at my church a few years back, the pastor announced that a couple in attendance had recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Later in the evening, word got around that this elderly couple needed a ride back to their home, which was about 30 minutes away. My wife and I immediately volunteered.

As newlyweds, we were eager to have a conversation with these matrimonial gladiators.As we approached their home, I asked, "So what do you two feel is the secret to a successful marriage?"

"Commitment," they said, both speaking at the same time. "So many people feel like their marriage is failing because they're not happy all the time," the wife continued. "You're never going to be happy all the time. But you can stay committed."

I have to admit, I was a little disappointed by her answer. I was hoping for something like, "Start playing golf together" or "Eat dinner as a family every night." I guess I was hoping for something more concrete—more practical. Yet, as my wife and I celebrate our 3rd anniversary, I've been struck over and over again by the wisdom of her words.

(PreachingToday eNewletter - 6/15/04)