Graced Again

Do we do nothing at all for obtaining this righteousness? I answer, Nothing at all. For this is perfect righteousness, to do nothing, to hear nothing, to know nothing of the law or of works, but to know and believe this only, that Christ is gone to the Father not as judge, but made unto us righteousness, holiness, redemption that He is our high priest entreating for us, and reigning over us and in us by grace,in his righteousness and life I have no sin I am indeed a sinner as touching this present life but I have another righteousness and another life which is Christ.

~Martin Luther, Commentary on Galatians

Hunter Education

The boys and I have been getting pretty serious about wanting to go turkey and eventually deer hunting. Well, one of the first things that they had to do was to complete a Hunter Education Course that the State of Tennessee requires for all residents born after 1969 in order for them to hunt. Even though I squeaked by the age limit (Man am I old...lol) I wanted to go through the course with them. We took the online classes and studies, completed the online test and headed down to Bass Pro Shops for more education, another test and a live fire exercise.

I am proud to say that we all passed. I'm not sure what the boys got a bigger kick out of, winning Bass Pro Hats or getting to shoot a .22 rifle.

Anyway, above is a pick of them with there certifications.

Great job, boys!

Light In the Darkness

I'd like to start this post with a question... When is light needed?

Our youngest daughter HAS to have a light on in her hallway. If I forget and accidentally turn it off after saying prayers, she gentle (sometimes not) reminds me, "Daddy...", and I would turn the light on.

I can relate. As a child, nightlights gave me a sense of security. Somehow, just being able to see what was "out there" made me feel better.

When I get up in the middle of the night and have to stumble around the house, one of the first things that I look for is a light switch so I can see where I am and where I am going.

OK, so where am I going with this? Light is needed in places where darkness is. I would ague that this would include "in the world", but also in some churches. Please don't get me wrong. Please hear my heart, here. I am not knocking a person's heart with God. Only He know a man's heart. I will, however, say that we ARE called to bear witness to the light wherever darkness is... even in a church.

It saddens me to even have to say that and in some respects, it looks almost wrong when I read it, but we are called to rebuke whenever that is necessary.

When you get some time, you can read the story of Hymenaeus and Alexander in 1 Timothy and about the shipwreck that happened with their lives; and that was after years of faithful service. Such is the case when people turn from their faith. Now, I am not saying that the people or churches that I write about have turned from their faith, but they HAVE turned from being God-centered to man-centered.

"But", you say, "Who are YOU to judge?" "Can't we just leave them to what they are doing?"

No. Please read on...

In Galatians 2:11-21, we read where Peter was opposed by Paul.

But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, "If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews? "We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles; nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. "But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be! "For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor. "For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. "I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly."

Taking all of this into account, it would seem to be Biblical to take a close look at what is being preached to people under the guise of a Biblical lesson. In my searching and reading of various blogs, websites, etc., unless certain churches websites and sermons are misrepresenting what is going on at these churches, it sure looks like there is a lot of information that I and others could and should use to make informed decisions. Be a Berean. Check everything (even this site) against the Bible.

For example, consider the following...

On various websites and in one Indiana church that got sued, youth have activities where the kids licked peanut butter out of other kids armpits... or been dared to drink what someone has chewed up and spit out.

Less you think this is an isolated incident, churches from Saddleback to Granger, both locally and across the country bow at the alter of relevance.

Elvis impersonators?... check.

U2 "worship" music? ...check.

Movie-themed sermons ... check.

Sex talks... check.

Being a Berean?... check...er...wait! "Don't judge me! This works for us." comes the cry. Yet people who rally around this faux persecution are themselves judging those who are being Bereans and testing everything according to God's Word... hmmm...

Dr. John MacArthur wrote an interesting article on part of this subject called But Does It Work?

You see, when making a determination about churches and Christian programs, the ONLY standard that should be used is the Bible. Early Christians (yes, they called themselves that and proudly) didn't look to marketing, community surveys, etc. They came into town and went to preaching the Word of God. It doesn't matter what I, Rick Warren or Tony Morgan says. The only thing that matters is the Word of God.

Lest you think that I am unfairly categorizing people, let me give you an example. I've tried talking with Tony Morgan via email and on his blog. My emails have gone unanswered and my blog comments deleted. See my post here for that story.

When ministry is public, it becomes exposed to necessary public scrutiny. This is necessary to guard the Truth as well as guard the people sitting under the teaching.

Romans 12:2 tells us "do not be conformed to this world".

James 4:4 says: "You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God".

Colossians 2:8 tells us: "See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ".

See, the Bible, which is our standard is the mirror to which ALL things are held up to. Let me continue...

"As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear." - 1 Timothy 5:20

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness," - 2 Timothy 3:16

"...reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching." - 2 Timothy 4:2b

See? Reproof and rebuke are part of the package.

All of that being said, there are several things which need to be done. Here is the takehome.

1. Man-centered approaches need to be rebuked. See the above Bible verses. (Notice again, that the Bible is the rule, not my opinion.
2. The Bible has to be held up as the ultimate authority, not some marketing book of big ideas.
3. These churches need to be prayed for. Pray for their staffs that they may lead a Christ-centered church with the heart of God. Pray for the people in attendance that their eyes are opened and that they lovingly approach their staff.
4. Pray that the Holy Spirit leads, guides and directs these churches.
5. We need to love these people. Even though they're not Biblically correct, a lot of these type of churches have a real heart for people. Unfortunately, this is evidenced in their man-centered theology.

Again, please hear my heart. My heart breaks when the church tries to take things upon itself instead of relying on God. It causes confusion amongst the sheep, confusion amongst the World and sets up a false dichotomy amongst the body of Christ. It divides when we really need unity.

What an incredible impact we (as the church) would have if we would focus our energies (and tremendous resources) at honoring God, not catering to man.

To God alone be the glory!

Because Truth matters,
George

Mc Churches - I'm NOT Lovin' it

Mc Churches... what???

I've been reading some blogs lately and it seems like an overarching theme is "experience". People need experiences. Worship programming promote experiences.

More and more lately, from what I've been seeing, music is designed for the experience of the "unchurched". Stages (without pulpits) are now elaborate sets designed for culturally relevant, messages trying to convey Truth veiled in worldy themes of secualr movies or television shows.

Bigger, louder, more comfortable, "bring your latte from our food court and socialize" services are "crafted" to make people (man-centered approach) comfortable. I mean, if you don't give people what they want, they won't come to church, right?

I would argue that they are not going to church anyway.

R.C. Sproul once said

"One of the most dangerous things you can do as
a Christian is to determine your theology by your experience"

How then did we as a culture (I'm beginning not to like that word) fall into this trap? I've heard it said over and over again from numerous seeker-sensitive and emergent pastors that we need to be like the world, read worldly magazines, listen to worldly music and talk like the world. Do people know the meaning of "mac daddy"? Google it and see what you find. It's not for the faint of heart.

Wait! Didn't Paul became all things to all men? Shouldn’t we adopt those forms of music and the accompanying behavior to get the Christian message to the lost, er... unchurched?

Ummm... no.

When Paul “became a Jew to the Jews and a Gentile to the Gentiles,” he didn't adopted cultural expressions that were in conflict with principles he himself insisted elsewhere that we follow as a course of life that is pleasing to God. Actually, he commands us not to adopt or continue in unbiblical practices of the pagans, who are in darkness (Ephesians 4:17-20), but to walk in a manner worthy of our high calling (Ephesians 4:1-2). When he commands us to “let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth” (Ephesians 4:29), he makes no exception for “cultural expression” or “contextualization.”

Here are the verses quoted from above...

Ephesians 4:17-20 says,

So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way,

Ephesians 4:1-2 says,

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one anotherin love,

Ephesians 4:29 says,

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

Does your walk and ministry line up with the Bible? All of this leads up to the point that I wanted to make about "church methods". One of the hottest methods for growth is that churches try to clone themselves. Their argument is that people will buy into and trust what they are familiar with. While this may be true in the fast-food ecomony of marketing, it does not fly when you hold it up to the light of scripture which plainly tells us that it is the Lord who grows the church, not the "Director of something or another" at a church.

Yes, a church should be involved in church planting, but there is a difference in listening to the Holy Spirit grow a church from the community than in setting up a cookie-cutter representation of themselves (often with shared staff, worship bands, etc.) in a small form of a papacy with a busy pastor that doesn't know his flock at the top of the power pyramid.

Do we really need multiple "campuses"? with names like "The "[Insert name] Church of [Insert your favorite city here], [Insert another city here] Campus"

I think that sometimes people are well-intentioned and fall into the trap of trying to bring about God's will under their own power or for their own gain. Don't get me wrong, I fall into that trap on occasion. Whenever I go on a job interview, I pray for God's will, but admit that it's easy to fall into the trap of trying to will myself on God. "C'mon, God, this would be good..."

Anyway, it seems that we have become a results-only society. Do the ends justify the means? do numbers equate to God's blessing?

The Mormon's have a huge organization, with many seemingly "Christian" people. They live lives that most of us would be envious of (on the surface) yet unless they repent, they are on the fast track to hell.

Speaking of which, what we need is a more Biblical approach to "doing church". We don't need survey-based, market-driven, "our primary 'target' is people 35 and under", culturally relevant and worldy style churches.

I will say that I do like fast food once in a while, but I also know that I cannot have a steady diet of it, because once going down this route, stale reheated meals have a detrimental affect on the body. Likewise, stale reheated, prepackaged meals and experiences based upon personalities aren't good for the body of Christ, either.

There is enough corporate marketing and self-help mumbo-jumbo in the world that we don;t need it seeping into the church poluting what God wants to be Holy and Christ-honoring. We need an honest call to obedience, beginning with repentance for our man-centered ways, so gentlemen, put away your cigars and stop quoting culture, because I'm NOT loving it.

Because Truth matters,

George

Prophet or Profit?

Well, it's been a while, two weeks, I think, since Rick Warren has been in the news, so I guess that it should come as no surprise that a new article published by the Christian Post informs us of more of the Apostacy Driven movement.

The article that I read begins,

"Megachurch pastor Rick Warren attended a large Reform Jewish gathering last week to share tips on how to build a community. The “Purpose-Driven” pastor spoke to thousands of Jewish leaders Thursday night at the Union for Reform Judaism’s biennial convention in San Diego. With the holiday season in mind, Warren urged clergy to take advantage of crowded events to publicize other programs so people can get involved in the community through smaller groups." "There are some principles that apply regardless of our faith, if it’s Jewish or Christian,” he said at the convention." "One of his principles: “Just be nice to people. Smile.”

umm... What?!?!?! Principles that apply regardless of our faith?!? Just be nice and smile?!?


"The article continues, "After Warren spoke a few minutes at the podium, he sat alongside two popular Southern California rabbis for a casual talk about strengthening congregational life."

I am extremely disheartened by this latest in an ongoing series of revelations about"Pastor" Warren. How can a person who is called to preach the Truth about God's Word go to a house of worship for a different religion and help them deceive people and drive them away from God? Maybe Mr. Warren doesn't take the words of Isaiah 5:20 to heart when it states, "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!"

Further on down in the article, The Christian post reports,

"Other guests at the conference included the Rev. Jim Wallis of Sojourners and Dr. Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of North America."

Great! I guess it really doesn't matter that your helping the kingdom of darkness with this purpose drivel. Please excuse my sarcasm, but sometimes I feel like I am watching these things unfold and am the only one who "gets it" like someone shouting at the movie screen to "Look behind you!" or "Don't trust him!"

To make things worse, there are still many people, including a few churches local to me that STILL follow his techniques.

How does following a worldly formula teach about our sin and God's grace and redemption? It doesn't and it can't. I pray that people will wake up soon before it's too late.

Because Truth matters,
George

Christians and Muslims and Peace... Oh my!

I recently read an article, a response actually by Christian leaders to a Muslim letter calling for peace and unity. This letter was signed by a number of people including Bill Hybels of Willow Creek Community Church, Rick Warren of Saddleback Church and by Brian McLaren.

Jeremiah 6:14 (NASB) states,

"And they have healed the brokenness of My people
superficially, Saying, 'Peace, peace,' But there is no peace."

It saddens my heart to read about "Christian leaders" who are willing to throw away all the essentials of the Christian faith for unity with a false religion citing "common ground", a "love of God", and a "love of neighbor" as the reasons.

A closing quote from the article leaves us with a chilling reminder of what we need to consider.

The future of the world depends on our ability as Christians and Muslims to live together in peace. If we fail to make every effort to make peace and come together in harmony you correctly remind us that “our eternal souls” are at stake as well.

Because Truth matters,
George

Hillary Clinton and Rick Warren

I recently read in the Worldnet Daily News that Hillary Clinton recently spoke at Saddleback Church at the Global Summit on AIDS and the Church.

Mrs. Clinton spoke of her faith and one person interviewed mentioned that she believe that Hillary Clinton has compatible Christian values.

Proverbs 28:4 says that,

“Those that forsake the law, praise the wicked. But such as keep my law contend with them.”

Although Rick Warren explained,

"The first thing is that this is not a church service, and, second, there isn't a pulpit on stage,"

Warren said.

"And it's not a worship service. This is a summit, which does include people from every kind of background."

In response to this, Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association, believes it was

"a mistake to invite [Clinton] to speak at an evangelical Christian church on AIDS or any other issue, because her political stances are contrary to biblical teaching."

"What Saddleback is doing is helping raise her profile as a legitimate presidential candidate in the eyes of evangelical Christians, and I think that is a huge error,"

Wildmon told Reuters.

I would wholeheartedly agree. The church (I know the body of Christ is the church) is not a place of exposing of thoughts on topics contrary to Biblical thinking. Although a disclaimer was made, many still make the connection with the unofficial connection between Saddleback and Mrs. Clinton and with her views on partial birth abortion, this is truely wrong.

Because Truth matters,
George

She is...

She is...

Last night, my mother-in-law, Dawn passed away. I wanted to write about her because she is more than a mother-in-law to me. She treated me like her son and even more so after my own mother passed away.

She is a very special lady, the intellect of which was unrivaled. I used to love talking with her for hours on end. She was conversant on any subject from world affairs to politics to religion.

She is the one who first introduced me to talk radio, sparking my thirst for knowledge. Prior to meeting her, I used to listen to music on the radio constantly. I had to ride with her once and she was listening a local talk radio station. It started a conversation between us and ignited my love for talk radio to this day.

She is the one who help me spread my wings and get a "real" job, although she never put it that way, when I married her daughter.

She is a great grandma that had a tremendous impact on my children, fueling a love for life and challenges. At least one of my children loves puzzles thanks to her.

She is more than this little post or that time can describe.

She is someone that I greatly miss and have the hope of seeing in Heaven.

Because love matters,
George

Slice of Laodicea Is Back!

Slice of Laodicea, which was dealt a really bad blow by it's service provider in the not too distant past is back online. This time, it appears that comments are not allowed.

I for one am glad to see the site, which stands amongst others as a vanguard to the affront of the seeker-sensitive and emergent movements, seeking a return to Biblical values make it's return.

Would You Like to "GIga-size" That?

Who hasn't been through a fast food establishment and after placing your order, asked if you would like to "up-size", "mega-size", "go large" or "king size" the order? What this usually means is an upgrade to a half a gallon of soda and a bucket of french fries. That can't be good for you.

Now, in being honest here, I've gotten the larger portion a time of two, but just found out that, to quote my mom, "my eyes were bigger than my stomach". I usually ended up really full and feeling sick afterwards. Pouring all of that sugar and fried food into my body had an adverse effect.

I was recently reading an article on "Gigachurches". Yes, you read that correctly; not megachurches. Gigachurches. Those who are familiar with computers know that "giga" is a LOT more that a "mega" anything. It means more speed, power, etc. and is better, but is it the same for churches?

The following list of the Top 10 largest churches is from the previously mentioned article.

Top 10 Largest U.S. Churches

1. Lakewood Church, Houston Texas – Joel Osteen (47,000)
2. Willow Creek Community Church, South Barrington, Ill. – Bill Hybels (23,500)
3. Second Baptist Church, Houston – Ed Young Sr. (23,198)
4. Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, Calif. – Rick Warren (22,000)
5. LifeChurch.tv, Edmond, Okla. – Craig Groeschel (19,907)
6. Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, Ky. – Dave Stone (18,013)
7. North Point Church, Alpharetta, Ga. – Andy Stanley (17,700)
8. Thomas Road Baptist Church, Lynchburg, Va. – Jonathan Falwell (17,445)
9. Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – Bob Coy (17,000)
10. The Potter's House, Dallas – T.D. Jakes (17,000)

While I don't discount the hearts or passion of these churches, for me, it raises a red flag... Numbers do not neccessarily mean Christian converts.

Other churches like Elevation Church in Charlotte, N.C., pastored by Steven Furtick have seen their congregations experience viral growth. Elevation has experienced a growth of 444 percent.

To quote from CH Spurgeon,

"It is a serious injury to a person to receive him into the number of the faithful unless there is good reason to believe that he is really regenerate. I am sure it is so, for I speak after careful observation. Some of the most glaring sinners known to me were once members of a church; and were, as I believe, led to make a profession by undue pressure, well-meant but ill-judged. Do not, therefore, consider that soul-winning is or can be secured by the multiplication of baptisms, and the swelling of the size of your church. What mean these despatches from the battle-field? "Last night, fourteen souls were under conviction, fifteen were justified, and eight received full sanctification." I am weary of this public bragging, this counting of unhatched chickens, this exhibition of doubtful spoils. Lay aside such numberings of the people, such idle pretence of certifying in half a minute that which will need the testing of a lifetime. Hope for the best, but in your highest excitements be reasonable. Enquiry-rooms are all very well; but if they lead to idle boastings, they will grieve the Holy Spirit, and work abounding evil"

- Spurgeon, What Is It To Win A Soul, Chapter 1

I'm not saying that large churches are bad, but one has to be very careful of "claiming a number of salvations" as well as making sure that all of these people are properly shepherded and discipled.

Because Truth matters,
George

Gimme that Showtime Religion

I recently came across this article by John MacArthur that I wanted to post. It's a really good one that sums up the frustration that a lot of us are feeling regarding the seeker-sensitive movement.

Can the church fight apathy and materialism by feeding people's appetite for entertainment? Evidently many in the church believe the answer is yes, as church after church jumps on the show-business bandwagon. It is a troubling trend that is luring many otherwise orthodox churches away from biblical priorities.

Church buildings are being constructed like theatres. Instead of a pulpit, the focus is a stage. Some feature massive platforms that revolve or rise and fall, with colored lights and huge sound boards. Shepherds are giving way to media specialists, programming consultants, stage directors, special effects experts, and choreographers.

The idea is to give the audience what they want. Tailor the church service to whatever will draw a crowd. As a result pastors are more like politicians than shepherds, looking to appeal to the public rather than leading and building the flock God gave them.

The congregation is served a slick, professional show, where drama, pop music, and maybe a soft-sell sermon constitute the worship service. But the emphasis isn't on worship, it's on entertainment.

Underlying this trend is the notion that the church must sell the gospel to unbelievers. Churches thus compete for the consumer on the same level as Frosted Flakes or Miller Lite. More and more churches are relying on marketing strategy to sell the church.

That philosophy is the result of bad theology. It assumes that if you package the gospel right, people will get saved. The whole approach is rooted in Arminian theology. It views conversion as nothing more than an act of the human will. Its goal is an instantaneous decision rather than a radical change of the heart.

Moreover, this whole Madison-Avenue corruption of Christianity presumes that church services are primarily for recruiting unbelievers. Many have abandoned worship as such. Others have relegated conventional preaching to some small group setting on a weeknight. But that misses the point of Hebrews 10:24-25: "Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together."

Acts 2:42 shows us the pattern the early church followed when they met: "They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." Note that the early church's priorities clearly were to worship God and to edify the brethren. The church came together for worship and edification; it scattered to evangelize the world.

Our Lord commissioned His disciples for evangelism in this way: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations" (Matt. 28:19). Christ makes it clear that the church is not to wait for or invite the world to come to its meetings, but to go to the world. That is a responsibility for every believer. I fear that an approach emphasizing a palatable gospel presentation within the walls of the church absolves the individual believer from his personal obligation to be a light in the world (Matt. 5:16).

We have a society filled with people who want what they want when they want it. They are into their own lifestyle, recreation, and entertainment. When churches appeal to those selfish desires, they only fuel that fire and hinder true godliness. Some of these churches are growing exponentially while others that don't entertain are struggling. Many church leaders want numerical growth in their churches, so they are buying into the entertainment-first philosophy.

Consider what this philosophy does to the gospel message itself. Some will maintain that if biblical principles are presented, the medium doesn't matter. That is nonsense. Why not have a real carnival? A tattooed knife thrower who juggles chain saws could do his thing while a barker shouts Bible verses. That would draw a crowd. It's a bizarre scenario, but one that illustrates how the medium can cheapen and corrupt the message.

And sadly, it's not terribly different from what is actually being done in some churches. Punk-rockers, ventriloquists' dummies, clowns, and show-business celebrities have taken the place of the preacher--and they are depreciating the gospel. I do believe we can be innovative and creative in how we present the gospel, but we have to be careful to harmonize our methods with the profound spiritual truth we are trying to convey. It is too easy to trivialize the sacred message.

Don't be quick to embrace the trends of the high-tech superchurches. And don't sneer at conventional worship and preaching. We don't need clever approaches to get people saved (1 Cor. 1:21). We simply need to get back to preaching the truth and planting the seed. If we're faithful in that, the soil God has prepared will bear fruit.

P.E.A.C.E. on Earth?

I recently read an article in Christianity Today that included an interview with Rick Warren . I was interested in it because it referrenced the upcoming Saddleback Christmas special, "The Purpose of Christmas with Rick Warren." In sifting through the content, I came across the question...

What's the text you're going to be preaching on during
Christmas services?

Rick Warren's answer was...

This year, I'm going to preach on the purpose of Christmas. The three purposes of Christmas are in the three statements that the angel made at the very first Christmas.

First, he said, "Fear not for I bring you good news of great joy." Then he said, "For unto you is born this day a Savior who is Christ the Lord." Then he said, "And peace on earth, goodwill toward men."

Now that's the three purposes of Christmas. The first purpose is celebration, the second purpose is salvation, and the third purpose is reconciliation. At the end, I'm actually going to talk about the PEACE plan and how to keep Christmas going all year—just do the 5 things Jesus did.

There's peace of God and there's peace with God and then there's peace with Man, once you have the first two.

Hmm... it'll be interesting to see how this plays out, but the all-inclusive P.E.A.C.E plan sends up a red flag for me.

These Are The People In Your Neighborhood

From what I've been reading, it looks like the current Small Group model is having some problems. As a result PD churches are now turning to "neighborhood small groups"

Before, I continue, I would like to say that we used to be involved with a small group for some time, but now I teach adult Sunday School at our church. I love the concept of getting to know a group of believers and "doing life" with them. Heck, our class motto is "Doing Life Together, Not Just Church". We laugh together, cry together, go to birthday parties and baby showers, etc.

One other thing that we also do is learn together. We are a Sunday School class and we have biblically based lessons, not topical conversations based upon the general consensus of "truth". The Bible is the final authority, period.

OK, I'm off my soapbox, but with that being said, here is why they have problems:

Time - In church, there are set times. People that are there are people that can generally be there "at that time" to meet. Outside of church, not everyone gets off work at the same time; then there is extracurricular activities and travel leading people to generally have a group meet at 7:00 or so at night. If a group meets for 2 hours (1 for study and 1 for fellowship), as it gets later, children get fussier, still have to have baths, do homework, etc.

Granted can be made to work during Friday or Saturday evenings or Saturday or Sunday afternoons, but even then, there are the other factors mentioned below.

Space - When we had a small group, we had 20 people with 20 kids. Where can that size of group meet? Our houses were swamped, families rushed to clean house before and after meetings and were left tired after "hosting".

Location - This is actually a combination of things. In drawing people from a large church into a small group environment, people come from all over the city.

Does the small group rotate from member's house to member's house?
Do they live at opposite sides of the town?

A comment from Evanston Vineyard Pastors Blog says a lot...

But think about when the average housegroup takes place: about 7:30 at night, right around when kids need to go to bed. Unless you’re holding a sleeping baby, only one parent can make it to a housegroup with any consistency, while the other one watches the kids. So on a typical night, one or both parents come home from work about 5-6 p.m., dinner is made and served, dishes need to be done and kids need help with homework, and if you have any outside of family hobbies or interests, the only time to pursue them outside of the house is after dinner, and little kids seem to not like their parents being gone several nights a week before they go to bed. Whew!

Who has time for a housegroup where you can’t bring your kids? When would you have a housegroup where you could bring the kids? Not on Saturday afternoon, which is often the only time the whole family can do things together. Not on Sunday afternoon; you already had church in the morning and any errands you didn’t get done on Saturday have to get done.

My two year old is on my lap as I’m writing…our kids like to have us around, go figure. The only way they would tolerate (by tolerate I mean not be in tears when we left) an average housegroup (starting at 7:30 p.m.) was if it were at our house after they went to bed…which for us means ensuring a clean house, having a late night of clean up, nothing loud (no singing!) so they could sleep, and kicking people out at a certain time so we could get to bed to be ready for work (I get up at 4:30 a.m.) and for school (Cindy gets up at 6:00 to get our daughter ready). It’s too much.

A quick word about babysitters: They cost at the very bottom end $5 and hour. So a night with a sitter will cost you $15-20. That’s $45-60 a month for three housegroups. For us, especially when we hardly have any dates as it is, it’s a lot of money.

What we end up doing is what it seems all parents of small kids end up doing wherever we have been going to church: We get together on our own with other parents of small kids, on an irregular basis, with our kids, sometimes the whole family, sometimes just one parent and the kids. We hope the kids play togteher so the grownups can talk. Or we call each other on the phone in hushed tones at night, usually after a few nights of phone tag, and talk and pray together. We email a lot. We DON’T talk at church, which is too crazy. But we do many of the things Steve mentioned above, like celebrate (usually kid) birthdays (or marriage anniversaries!), go on family-oriented outings, eat together.

The answer to this is forming Small Groups amongst the people that are already close to you; the ones in your neighborhood. This brings a whole new set of things to be delt with that I'll discuss in a later post.