A Year’s Worth of Conversation

Merry Christmas!

Wow! Can you believe another year has gone by? It’s been a year full of change, challenge, and the confrontation that is always necessary when you are working towards vision. One of the things that we often have to challenge is our old way of thinking. We can get so comfortable, that we stop thinking, stop evaluating, and stop asking questions. Life just becomes routine and things like church and career slowly lose their meaning. At the beginning of this year, I had to admit to myself, and to you, that personal relationship with Christ had become convoluted. Relationship can quickly become religious with rules and routine. What I had was rules and routine. What I wanted was relationship!

How do you move from religion to relationship? You rethink how you’ve come to that place. You begin by asking questions, confronting old ideas, and having honest conversations. One of the greatest joys of this year has been having this conversation with you. Some have emailed me directly; some shared their opinion on the blog, and yet still some have been offended and have chosen to disengage. It’s all good, real conversation which causes all sorts of reactions and emotions.

So in case you missed it, here are some of the top conversations of the year. Read them for the first time or read them again and rethink your position. Invite others to reevaluate and converse with you, or join the conversation on the blog. Thanks for being there. May the New Year bring you a renewed relationship with Christ and those around you. Here we go . . .

The Pastoral Conversation, I think this generated some hate mail.

Re-thinking Pastoral Authority — 25 comments

Re-thinking Pastoral Accountability — 11 comments

When Preachers Lie On God — 5 comments

Rethinking Who Speaks for God — 2 comments

Who can forget the Tithe Conversation, people get so passionate about money.

Tithe – Not what Malachi 3 is about — 16 comments

Tithe – The Heart of the Matter — 7 comments

Tithe – Support for the poor — 5 comments

Tithe – The original purpose — 4 comments

Tithe — The Eternal Principle — 3 comments

Tithe – The Disconnect — 2 comments

The Church As Is Conversation was very insightful

Questions About Church As-Is — 27 comments

Re-thinking the way we dress for church — 20 comments

When Christians Have Sex — 16 comments

Rethinking What We Sell — 11 comments

A Faith I Can Live With — 5 comments

The Theology Conversation

Rethinking What God Said — 8 comments

Christians’ Personal Responsibility — 4 comments

Rethinking Orthopraxy — 2 comments

Who’s Influencing Your Theology?

Thinking Theology

It’s been a great year! Thanks again for being a part of the conversation. You never know where the conversation will lead, so keep checking the blog often. I love your insight and input, so leave me lots of comments for Christmas. Happy reading and once again, Merry Christmas!!!

Prayer for Pastors

Father,

I know it’s not easy to be a servant leader. To find the balance between what the people want and what they need. You have called us to serve and not be served. To love people before we lead them and never to lead them in search of significance, status or substance for ourselves. Help us today God. Father my heart bleeds for your church. We have strayed so far from “freely you have received, freely give”.

What have we done?! Forgive us?

Help Pastors and ministers all over this country and the world to hear your voice again. Bring the hearts of Pastor back in line with your heart. Help us to remember the poor and powerless, the broken hearted and the discouraged.

Father we need you, we depend on you, we love you. Help us in this hour of need not to focus on our greed, on ourselves, on our lust, in Jesus name.

Amen

Feel free to add your prayer for Pastors.

Forgive Me

Father,

I thank you for all that you have done to ensure that a bridge has been built for mankind to move from a sinful state of seperation to a place of redemptive relationship with you.

I believe that you’ve called those of us that have accepted your free gift of salvation via Jesus Christ to be salt and light.

Forgive us.

Forgive me.

When I have condemned instead of loved the world and your church forgive me.
When I have complained about the church instead of praying for the church, forgive me.

When I have repelled others instead of compelling others to come to you because of my lack of authentic living, please forgive me.

Help me Lord to be more like you. To love others before I attempt to lead them. To serve others before I porport to save them.

Help me to be hope, encouragement and light to a gloomy, hopeless and discouraged world.

Give me a heart like yours, a heart of compassion and empathy. Let me be moved by the needs of others. Let me find no rest untill I’ve done all that you would have me to do. Help me to be committed to be a true reflection of you. Help me to connect to others that are true reflections also. Grant us your peace, give us your hope. May your will be done on earth through your church. May we awaken from our sleep and be disgusted by our slumber. Move us to love, move us to action, move us oh lord.

Amen