Well Said

This entry is a book review for booksneeze.com. You sign up and they send you free books if you promise to review them on your blog. The book I chose was "Where is God" by Dr. John Townsend.

This book helped me through a difficult time. I wondered "Where is God" when my best friend passed away two years ago. He passed suddenly at only 30 years of age. This book helped me to realize that God is still in control and that he still has the best plans for his people.

This book helped me to uncover a truth I should have seen without so many weeks of questioning:

God is no stranger to suffering.

He felt the sting of betrayal when his creation disobeyed and went after pleasure rather than a relationship of trust. He felt the pain, when mankind began worshiping the creation instead of the creator. He wept at the graveside of his friend Lazarus - he felt the sting of the whips the sharp-edge of the spear and the penetration of the nails. God knows suffering as much as he knows grace, love, and peace.

In our suffering we have a God who identifies with us, this brings me comfort and a deeper understanding of the nature of God.

Growth

I am a Sunday School teacher at the church that I attend...Yes good old fashion 10:30am B.Y.O.B. (Bring your own Bible) Sunday School. On a good Sunday I will have three people (not including my wife in attendance. The age group that I teach are in their 20's an anomaly, nay a disturbance in the force in this generation that two twenty (something) year olds are attending Sunday School. Frankly, I thank God for those two men.

I have thought over the last couple of years of ministry their about growing the class - growing the church. But how do I market a Sunday School class that would seem out-dated and dull to most of my peers? Forgive my futility, but I do not think it will happen. There is too much competition. The average church now has all the bells and whistles, power-points, sermon openers and a rocking praise team; why would someone want to get up an hour early to come hear sound Biblical teaching? That is ridiculous.

Now that I am off of my soapbox: The Bible teaches that (spiritual) growth is a process that begins with death. Take the seed for example, it is a seed at first, it goes in the ground and then it dies to become something else. A plant. The plant then has to push through all kinds of dirt to get to the sunlight in order for it to mature. This process can take days or even weeks.

Christian leaders need to understand that we should never gauge growth by numbers. Numbers feed our ego and make us feel like we are doing a good job and when they are down, so are we. Jesus changed the world and started a movement with 11 committed people (plus the 70 but he didn't hang out with them much). The kingdom of God is like a seed that grows, do not have disdain for small beginnings because a Redwood tree starts from a tiny seed.

Growth should never be gauged numerically - but intrinsically. Jesus had twelve disciples, but one did not grow - I wonder if it was because he skipped Sunday School?