pastorsblog

Playing In A New Ballpark

Okay, okay, I guess this is confession time.  I love the the Twins.  No, I'm not talking about the Olson twins.  I'm talking about the Minnesota Twins.  No, I don't mean I love them in the same way I love Jesus, (argh!).  I suppose I should say "I'm sorry" to any one reading this who follows another Major League team or who just plain ol' doesn't follow baseball at all, but I can't help myself (I trust the Lord will forgive me). 

That being said, it is with great enthusiam that I have followed the plans and proposals for a new, outdoor stadium (the way that baseball was intended to be played) to be completed by the year 2010.  Many Twins fans feel the same way I do about the Twins moving from the Metrodome (an indoor stadium) to the new outdoor ballpark.  Those who talk about it, affectionately pine about how nice it will be to sit out under the stars on warm summer nights as the cool breeze blows through the stadium.  Others anticipate the autumns smells that will waft through as they sit there a little more bundled up toward the season's end.  And so, for the next 3 years, Twins fans will be longing in their heart for that great day.

In the same way, I believe there are many people today who are longing for a new place to worship.  They have tried the old stadiums of dead, dry churches and found them to be anything but fulfilling.  In their hearts, they know there must be something far greater to be experienced, with all the sounds, smells and sights of what life was meant to be.  Someone once said, It is a sin to bore people with the gospel," and churches today need to take that to heart.  Especially when the Gospel of Jesus Christ is so alive and fresh!

Now I am not promoting church hopping here, nor am I suggesting that anyone should leave their present church just for the sake of change.  A person should always be careful when considering a church change.  However, if the denomination or the church you are attending has only a "form of godliness" but "denies the power thereof," it may be time to make that consideration.  One caveat is that this decision should never be done without prayer, fasting, and sufficient counsel with those you look up to spiritually. 

Someone once said that if you find yourself playing in someone's ballpark, and you don't like the way the game is being playing, see what you can do to change the game or change yourself so that you can be happy playing in that ballpark.  However, if after trying both, you still find yourself feeling a sense of frustration, it may be time to find a new ballpark.  Life is to short to spend attending a church that has no vision and thus, no power to deliver.  Don't wait until it is too late to make that realization.

A Little Give And Take

At a conference I attended recently, someone remarked that they had heard that America has become a generation of takers, as opposed to givers.  According to the statement, the post-World War II generation that knew how to sacrifice and save are slowly dying off.  I'm not sure if I entirely agree with this assumption, but can certainly understand how someone might arrive at this conclusion.  The following is an observation that may help demonstrate my point.

I once worked in an office where one of my team members set a candy dish in a visible area on top of the partition between their office and their neighbor's.  This team member would bring bite-sized pieces of candy and put it in the dish and it was common knowledge that it was available to anyone who wanted some.  There was an underlying "assumption" that those who chose to "partake" would also help "provide."  Since I sat across the aisle, I was able to make some observations surrounding this community candy dish...

Interestingly, there were some team members who frequented the candy dish often, almost daily, but never once brought candy to help replenish the bowl.  There were also others who would either contribute money to buy more candy once in a while or that would purchase candy to add to the bowl occasionally.  What was interesting, is that the givers always seemed to be the same givers and the takers also always seemed to be the same takers.  Now I am not saying the people who never brought anything are bad people or that they just "take" all the time.  However, I will say, that sometimes you see the true character of a person in the small things.

Working with people over the years has led me to several conclusions concerning people who give and people who take:

1.  Givers are usually givers most if not all of the time.

2.  It is difficult for a giver to be a taker even when they have the opportunity.

3.  Takers are usually takers most if not all of the time.

4.  It is difficult for a taker to be a giver much of the time.

Givers give all of themselves and then some.  Takers take everything a giver has to give and leaves the giver depleted with little left for themselves.  What amazes me, is that even though givers give all, they are never without, for God blesses them for their gift and as the Psalmist said, their "cup runneth over."

Where are you in the spectrum of give and take?  If you're leaning a little to close to the "take" side, it may be good for you to remember the words of Christ who said, "it is better to give than to receive," and then demonstrated His belief in those words by giving His all on the Cross.

The image above was taken by Sarah Casha, a graphic design student at the California State University, Chico.  Sarah has made this graphic available free of charge for others who may be interested in using this photo.