Friends!
We had a splendid discussion yesterday morning (Sunday, Aug. 25) of our “seeds” you received last week. Comments and observations of our Secretary of Agriculture, Miriam Lewis, were revisited and unpacked. We talked about having “clean and certified” seeds, which means – among other things – immersing ourselves in scripture and in the life and teachings of Jesus. We talked about the meaning of “fertile soil” and that the soil of our spiritual growth can be our lives, lived fully in the world.
Henri Nouwen, in his book, Making All Things New, says something very illuminating about spiritual growth:
“ To live a spiritual life does not mean that we must leave our families, give up our jobs, or change our ways of working; it does not mean that we have to withdraw from social or political activities, or lose interest in literature and art; it does not require severe forms of asceticism or long hours of prayer. Changes such as these may in fact grow out of our spiritual life, and for some people radical decisions may be necessary.
But the spiritual life can be lived in as many ways as there are people. What is new is that we have moved from the many things to the kingdom of God. What is new is that we are set free from the compulsions of our world and have set our hearts on the only necessary thing. What is new is that we no longer experience the many things, people, and events as endless causes for worry, but begin to experience them as the rich variety of ways in which God makes his presence known to us.”
I hope to see you here on Sunday, September 1 at 9:30 a.m. to continue our discussion of the “seeds” attached here, and how we can grow faith in our congregation.
Oh yes, one more thing – it is not too early to make your reservations for Harvest Sunday, September 15. Worship is at 11:00 a.m. featuring dedication of annual giving commitments. Following the service we will have a church-wide luncheon and enjoy the fruits of our labors in the Farmville Community Garden.
Make your reservations by calling the church office at 753-3179, or by emailing us at office@fccfarmville.org. This will be a fruitful day in the life of First Christian Church. We hope you plan to be a part!
Grace and peace and seedlings,
Morgan
Seed Two: Sprouting your church
Monday, August 26
How would you define “sprouting” First Christian Church? Look at the people in our church. Write a profile. Who are we? Here are some things to consider. What is our age distribution? What are/were our professions? What are our interests and aspirations? What problems do we face and what issues are we struggling with? Are there other considerations? How well are the church’s ministries and worship opportunities aligned with this profile?
Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.
– Fred Rogers
It is a shame when the church itself is a cemetery, where the living sleep above the ground, as the dead do beneath.
– Thomas Fuller
We have lived our lives by the assumption that what was good for us would be good for the world. We have been wrong. We must change our lives so that it will be possible to live by the contrary assumption, that what is good for the world will be good for us. And that requires that we make the effort to know the world and learn what is good for it.
– Wendell Berry, The Long-Legged House
Something comes along and you have to jump on and do it. You can’t stop until it’s done.
– Neil Young
There’s something happening here
What it is ain’t exactly clear …
I think it’s time we stop, children, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down.
– Buffalo Springfield, For What It’s Worth, 1967
Tuesday, August 27
Think about the unchurched, starting in our neighborhood and then looking beyond. Write a profile. Who are they? What is their age distribution? What are their professions? What are their interests and aspirations? What problems do they face and what issues are they struggling with? Are there other considerations? Are the church’s ministries and our worship opportunities aligned with this profile?
Won’t you be my neighbor?
– Fred Rogers
2 Corinthians 9: 6-10
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.” Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.
– New International Version (NIV)
Let us begin, brothers, to serve the Lord God, for up until now we have done little or nothing.
– Saint Francis of Assisi near the end of his life
What is to be gained if we are so intent in reaching out to the unchurched that we then unchurch the reached?
– David Wells, The Courage to Be Protestant: Truth-lovers, Marketers, and Emergents in the Postmodern World
It is wonderful how much time good people spend fighting the devil. If they would only expend the same amount of energy loving their fellow men, the devil would die in his own tracks … .
– Helen Keller, The Story of My Life
Wednesday, August 28
Research indicates clearly that substantive change is the only thing that will truly accelerate sprouting in churches and organizations. Is First Christian Church really ready to make substantive changes? What changes need to occur? Are leadership teams, ministries, and church members focused on sprouting? What would you wish our church to look like in 5 years? In 10 years? What are your hopes? Your fears?
Is life so wretched? Isn’t it rather your hands which are too small, your vision which is muddled? You are the one who must grow up.
– Dag Hammarskjöld
But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended.
– Nelson Mandela
Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.
– Francis Chan, Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God
The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.
– Abraham Lincoln
If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.
– Martin Luther King Jr.
Get plugged in at your church. Find a way to invest yourself. Let’s change the church’s problem from “Where do we find the help we need?” to “What do we do with all the help we have?” The revolution begins now; and it starts with you.
– Tyler Edwards, Zombie Church: Breathing Life Back into the Body of Christ
Thursday, August 29
The Gospels make it seem like Jesus was presenting an understanding of God that was very different than what his listeners had, but today we often try to copy other churches and popular religious trends. Are there ways that First Christian Church needs to be different than other churches in an attempt to be faithful to Jesus, and if so, what are some of those ways? In terms of church, is bigger better? If not, what would you say is better, and how should we get there?
Fear of our own depths is the enemy.
– James Hollis, The Middle Passage: From Misery to Meaning in Middle Life
Luke 8: 14-15
The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
– New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 92: 2-15
The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
planted in the house of the Lord,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;
he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”
– New International Version (NIV)
Each thing and every person must act out its nature fully, at whatever cost. This is our life’s purpose, the deepest meaning of “natural law.” We are here to give back freely what was first given to us!
– Franciscan Friar Richard Rohr
Nothing that we despise in other men is inherently absent from ourselves. We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or don’t do, and more in light of what they suffer.
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer
There are two types of seeds in the mind: those that create anger, fear, frustration, jealousy, hatred, and those that create love, compassion, equanimity, and joy. Spirituality is germination and sprouting of the second group and transforming the first group.
– Amit Ray