Ridgell's Originals

 I recently had a church ask me what I thought about their hiring a second youth minister.  Specifically they wondered if it should be a Middle School youth minister in addition to the High School youth minister.  Or should it be a female youth minister to really help with their teenage girls.

So I asked a few questions and also gave an opinion.  Never heard back. 

Here were the questions:

How many evangelists are on your staff?

How many elders are supported by your church?

Do you want to be inward or outward focused as a church?

Which is more important to you:  equipping and strenghening our young people or making disciples from the world around us?

I then gave my staffing recommendations.

    Hire an local evangelist immediately.  Two if you can.

    Supplement income or hire two or three elders to do spiritual teaching and preaching.  Pay more if you have a preaching elder.

    Tell your preacher/senior minister/pastor that his main job is to reach those outside the Kingdom, not minister to those inside.

Teach on the Biblical hierarchy for equipping our children:  parents, elders, older men and women, church.

I don't know about most churches, but in the Churches of Christ we have a very different model.

    Preacher to do the majority of preaching, visiting, and counseling.

    Youth minister to do all that for teenagers.

    Children's minister to do that for our kids.

    Senior's minister, involvement minister, communication minister

    Admin elder

And this is not a slam on all the incredible Christians I know staffing many of these positions.  And many of them do see their role as primarily evangelistic.  

But most of them do church business and admin way more than ministry.  And ministry way more than evangelism.

That's fine if that is the model you choose.  Just remember, you get what you pay for...

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

 Every preacher/teacher/parent does it.  It happens in Bible class and in small groups.  Talking about how we ought to do things that ... well, we don't do.

Preachers preach on giving when they don't give.  Or about losing your temper when everyone knows you better not cross them.  Some are completely unaware.  It is as if it never occurs to them that their sermon might should be heard by them.  Others have to start their sermon by acknowledging that they need to work on what is being talked about.  Some are even so honest that they begin the sermon with confession and asking for forgiveness.  It is especially painful to listen when the preacher gets really intent about something and evidently has no clue that he is the worst offender.

But it is not just preachers.  It happens to parents.  I have sat in living rooms where parents were distraught about a child who just got a DUI or a MIP.  Then realize the alcohol consumed came from their own liquor cabinet.  

Or Bible classes that spend a lot of time talking about reaching those on the margins.  And then do nothing about it.  Loving them in the abstract but not in reality.

And we all do it.  

So let's work harder at connecting our teaching to our practice.

Remember that the Bible lesson and instruction is for us too.

Being confessional does help.  Acknowledging that we are not perfect but are trying to do better.

Or just being honest enough to ban certain topics because no one is going to put it into practice anyway. 

I am trying to do better.  I try not to teach about anything that I am not trying to put into practice in my own life.  

Some of the most convicting sermons I have ever heard were preached by me.  

And maybe that is the way it should be.

So let's keep teaching.  Just be sure we are all getting the message.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

  I have to forgive.  No option if I want to be forgiven.  And I do.  God has forgiven me for so much.

But sometimes it is hard.  Here are some of my thoughts on hard forgiveness.

I have to really work at forgiving someone who does not repent.  Sometimes hard if they do, but when they do not even care what they have done...

I struggle with people that do not even acknowledge their sin, much less repent.

I even have a hard time with churches that do not deal with unrepented of sin.

There is a fine line between forgiveness and enabling someone.  Jesus said 7 times 70,  Wow.  

I know they are not getting away with anything.  If I forgive them but they continue in their sin, God will handle it.  If I don't forgive them, it really doesn't matter to them.

I have to be careful I do not confuse forgiveness, punishment, and consequences.  God can sort it all out.

But...

Truth be told, there are things I have done that are hard to forgive.  And some things I didn't do. 

But God forgave me thru Jesus.

He commands me to forgive.  Refusing to do that is another sin I have to be forgiven for, except, my forgiveness is dependant on my forgiveing others.

When I don't forgive, I can elevate myself above God.  deciding something is "unforgivable."  

And I actually may be spending eternity with a bunch of sinners.  You know, like me. And you.

Forgiveness is not the same as forgetting.  And there are consequences to sin that are not the same as forgiveness.  

Maybe forgiveness is about the choices I make when I do remember.  The choice to forgive.

We live in community in this world and will live together forever in the world to come.

Because of forgiveness.

So I will do the hard work to live out my forgiveness.

And I will do the hard work to forgive.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

 So today our middle grandchild, Avery Gilbreth, turns 16.  As is my custom, here are just a few of the reasons I love her and am proud of her.

Avery gets along with everyone and everyone wants to hang out with her.  I see with her brother and cousins.  I watch it with adults and with little kids.  

Avery is sweet to her Mimi and Pops.  Especially her Mimi.  They really are good friends.  

She doesn't insist things have to be her way.  She is much more prone to insist everyone else pick what to do.  She actually is fine with whatever restaurant, movie, or game anyone of us choose.

Loves animals.  

Has a bunch of step nieces and nephews that she helps take care of when they visit.  Likes them and they like her.

She is a teenage girl and that is the worst age for insecurities, for fakery, and for hurt feelings.  She seems really OK with who she is.  She sees thru a lot of the false drama.  And she seems to avoid the drama of that age.

She is working on figuring out her faith.  She is at that age where you have to make decisions for you.  Not for parents and not for friends.  For you.  She is doing that.

She is nice, kind, thoughtful, and funny.

She is as smart as she wants to be.

And the looks are just a bonus.

So Ave, Pops loves you so much.  You have brought so much joy into our family.  I am proud of you.

I am anxious to see what God is going to do with you and thru you in the future.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

I think a lot about the future of the church.  Maybe because I am old and wonder what it will look like for my kids and grands.

So here are a few things I am counting on my grandkids generation to rethink about how we do church.

It is easy to talk about all that is wrong with the church.  But I really think there are lots of exciting and significant things going on in our churches.  But we can be handicaped by our blind spots.  Sometimes we can't even see how things could be better.

But young people can.  I am counting on them to lead us to do things better.  It's not that we haven't tried.  Or that everything we old folks have done is bad.  But there are a few trends that have to change. 

And I believe our young people will help us to...

Stand on Scripture.  One of the most encouraging things I see among young people is hunger for Scripture.  Maybe it is because they live in a culture where truth is constantly changing.  Or maybe because they have been raised in churches that use the Bible for proof texting their positions.  Or maybe because they grew up in churches that did not read or study Scripture.  But they are hungry to know what God is saying.  

Stay on mission.  Jesus expects us to make disciples.  That is hard, difficult work.  That is our mission.  Young people get it.  They share their faith.  That is exciting.  

Help us depend on God.  The church has become very self-sufficient and that is bad.  We can raise the money.  We can make a budget determining what we need and how to raise it.  We can build buildings.  So we think we can take care of business.  I don't think this reliance on us was a conscious decision.  But that is where we have evolved to.  I want our young people to dream the dreams and ask God to provide.  And to help us believe that He will.

Help us actually become communities of faith that are intergenerational and really family.  This is not how they have been raised.  They have been segregated in many churches.  Age based ministries.  Adoption of the public school model.  Lead us into family church.  In real practice.

Live counter-cultural.  Be the rebels in our world.  Most of the older generations were rebels against church.  Change it.  Fix it.  Show how wrong it has been.  We need you to show us how to be rebels against our culture.  Living the way of Jesus, not the way of the world.  

Help us learn that we are all valuable in the Kingdom.  Not because of power or position, but because what we do matters.  Parents that believe their kids are their ministry.  Members that believe we have to take care of each other.  Communities of faith where older men and women teach the younger men and women how to live as men and women of faith in this world.

Break the Sunday morning model.  Back to where the worship together is motivation to live in real worship the rest of the week.  Where it is not dominated by one voice.  Where communion is actually communal.  

Or maybe everything is just fine the way it is.  

But I think some things have to change if we are going to really grow the Kingdom.  

We old folk probably can't do it. Or won't do it.  But maybe you can.

I am counting on it.  

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

 There are a lot of Christians I disagree with and a lot that disagree with me.  Sometimes our disagreements are so strong that we choose to worship in different congregations.  They would never feel comfortable where I go to church and I would not feel comfortable where they go.  Sometimes the disagreements are so strong that one of us leaves a congregation because they just will not move in the direction we think the Lord wants.  Or one us leaves because a congregation moves in a direction we think the Lord does not want.

And here is what I think about most of the Christians who disagree with me...

You are ...

Smart.  Just because we disagree does not make one of us stupid.  We may have fundamentally different approaches to Scripture and that determines our belief.  I know how frustrated you must be when you carefully explain your reasoning, and I don't agree.  I get it.  I know Christians that are recognized everywhere for their scholarship.  And I know farmers who know more Scripture than almost anyone I have ever known.  And sometimes the scholars disagree and sometimes the farmers do too.  

You are...

Just as much in love with God and Jesus as I am.  One of us may be wrong about things, but that does not mean we are not in love with Jesus.  There are people that I absolutely disagree with but that I could call if I was in trouble and they would do anything they could to help me.  As I would for them.

And you are...

Wrong.  I think.  Of course I think I am right.  Just like you do.  Based on my convictions about God, Jesus, Scripture, and study... I think my conviction is right.  Which makes yours wrong.  Based on your convictions about God, Jesus, Scripture, and study... you think your conviction is right.  which makes mine wrong.

In some things, that is really important.  In others, we make it way too big a deal.

So I am not saying you have to agree with everyone.

I am saying you have to be like Jesus.  

So quit looking down on people and stop being arrogent.  

And love your brothers and sisters.

They love Jesus just as much as you.

But, but, but...

I get it.  Aer some things so wrong that there are eternal consequences?  I believe so.  

But God will sort that out.  

After all, it's His Kingdom anyway.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

 Wes died of cancer this past week.  To be honest, most of his life was spent in rebellion against God.  Lived a bad life (his words).  In fact, the only time he really lived out his faith was in prison.  He was baptized there and was active in his prison church.  Lived out his faith.

It was outside of prison that was hard.  I spent a lot of time with Wes the last couple of weeks. His first question to me was about if I thought he could be forgiven for the things he had done.

It seems everyone has an opinion about deathbed conversion.  Or in Wes' case... deathbed repentance.  

I get it, but here are the things that were a part of Wes' last few days that I think really mattered.

These are things I will always use when talking about faith with those in their last days.

Wes talked about his conversion.

Wes expressed genuine remorse over his choices.

We prayed a lot.  For forgiveness, peace, strength, and healing.  

We talked about death.  Prayed for healing but talked about the fact that healing might come here or it might come in heaven.

Read lots of Scripture.  The prodigal son.  I John 1:7-10.  James 5.  He liked to hear God's Word.

Like many families, there were a lot of dark things in Wes's family.  

His sister, Angel, is a fairly new Christian but she led the way in helping Wes live out his repentance.

It was hard for her to see him.  My wife and I went with her the first time.  Then she got other siblings to come see him.

Here is what we heard.

Lots of "I am sorry."  Lots of "I forgive you."  Wes said both of those statements several times.  

Some of our Hillcrest elders came and anointed him with oil.  Prayed over him.  Spoke words of truth about forgivenes of sins and ultimate healing.

His wife Thelma is committing to come back to her Jesus journey.  Even started coming to church with Angel.

Deathbed repentance?

I don't know.  I prefer to call it repentance.  It is never to late to come home.  Wes spent his last days in Scripture and prayer.  And in doing whatever he could to live out his repentance and forgiveness.

I appreciate it.  Learned from it.  I am more faithful today because I watched Wes, and his wife Thelma, and his sister Angel.  

And I am even more thankful for the grace of God that is so much more that I could have ever imagined.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

 So today is the day we celebrate the birthday of the United States.  

I love this country in many ways.  Obviously most of that emotion is because I was born here and grew up here.  I suspect I would feel the same way if my country was England, Cuba, or Mozambique.  I would love them.  

I don't really understand the "greatest country" in the world arguement.  There are a lot of great things about this country.  And a lot of terrible things.  Just like every country.  I do wonder how people in other countries feel about our pride in this country.  But a lot of people want to come here, so...

It may be like living in the greatest state in the U.S.  And I do.  Texas.  Maybe it is because I was born here and grew up here, but ...

And West Texas is the best part of Texas.  Didn't grow up out here, but spent most of my life here.

You get the idea.  

But here is what I am thinking about today.

America is a young country.  And it will not last forever.  Neither will any other country.

I am happy here but America is not where my allegience lies.  

I am a Christian. 

My kingdom is not of this world.  It is bigger and better.

There are people from every country in this world in my kingdom.

And the kingdom of God will last forever.

Yes, I was raised in the kingdom of God.  But I chose to be born again into this kingdom because I believed in Jesus.

In the world, people are divided by geographic borders, or language, or color, or economics.  And people in this country are divided by power, money, and differing opinions of how to be a country.  Different people with different ideas.  But still people.

My kingdom is not run by people.  And when people try to run God's kingdom, it always causes problems.

So I am glad for July 4th.  Glad to have a holiday.  Glad to celebrate the country I live in.  And glad it is not my real kingdom.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments