White-Washed Faith

It seems to me that we here in America are on a white-wash streak. Everywhere you turn, someone is offended by something. One can hardly open their mouth and speak these days for fear of offending someone else's ideals. Sensitivity seems to be at an all-time high.

Unfortunately, I think we are doing the same thing in our churches as well. There are a great many churches today where unbelievers remain unconverted. Unbelievers attend services weekly, never finding anything offensive about the message that is preached. However, the truth is, the Gospel offends. The Gospel offends because it is intolerant of sin.

The church here in America is at a crossroads. We are building and planting churches every week it seems and in every corner of our communities. We seem to be trying to reach others for Christ's kingdom and His purpose. As we build, our country as we know it has become hostile to Christianity. Our children have looked at us and our churches with disdain in their eyes. Our children, despite our best intentions, efforts or programs are walking away from the church. This leads me to question: WHY? And my answer is simply this: White-washing of our faith. White-washing Christ's power in us. We reach to others without delivering the Full Gospel message of power, stability, provision, healing and majesty with limited conviction, lest we offend. The power of Christ in us is what changes us. Anyone truly living in Christ today realizes that, but we fail to communicate it in our teaching, programs and lifestyle.

American Christianity has taken the route of prepackaged themes, ideas and homogenized thinking that has given a polish to our faith. Attend many services and you will find that the services are well thought out, seeker friendly and non-offensive. Everything fits in a neat little package that is easily palatable so that the message of hope can be presented. The idea is to make church as comfortable and welcoming as possible so that relationships are cultivated, congregants will bring their friends to church, and the church will inevitably grow.

This formula has worked for a number of modern churches who now, having tasted the success of membership and multiple campuses, even teach smaller churches how to do what they themselves have done. It sounds generous enough. After all, the formula worked for them, and now it can work for us.

With so many "successful" churches, one would believe that the state of the Faith would be stronger, but the truth is, it's much weaker. Because of the use of programs, themes and homogenized messages, we as church leaders have forgotten where the true power of the Gospel lies, and that is within the person of Jesus Himself. Instead of giving people the true power of Christ, we white-wash the message and strip it of its supernatural power that comes only from Christ Himself. The end result is a Christianity that is weak and powerless, and thereby ineffective. Peoples' lives remain unaffected and uneffective for the witness that we as Christians are called to as His Bride.

Jesus didn't use a formula to reach people. He went to where the people were and gave them Himself. He loved them where they were at, despite their sins, which He called into repentance. He didn't wait for relationship to be established, but by His authority He called out to sinners, and healed their iniquities both physical and spiritual. He didn't care about their current situation, but still He chose to accomplish the purpose of the Gospel by presenting it in the fullness of its power and its truth. Jesus expected repentence and sanctification so that the Bride of Christ would experience the fullness of its power, forgiveness and truth.

This is not to say there were no offended people. People were offended. The Jewish leadership was quite offended. People were so offended that they tried to kill Jesus and expected to succeed, however the victory was the Lord's. Those who accepted the Truth of Jesus' Gospel were truly set free, just as Jesus was set free from the grave.

Those of us in Christ need to remember this when sharing the Gospel with those around us. The truth of the Gospel has no tolerance for sin, and has far greater reaching power than any theme or earthly relationship. When we give a person Christ, in the fullness of repentence because of His sacrifice, there is power in that gift. This power surpasses any earthly relationship, program or theme. This is the power of Christ in mortal man to accomplish great things for His kingdom.

Whitewash: anything- as deceptive words or actions, used to cover up or gloss over faults, errors, or wrong doings, or absolve a wrongdoer from blame.

Absolve: to free of guilt or blame or their consequences

Spiritual Homelessness

Anyone who knows me knows that this is a fun time of year for me. I love gardening and yardwork. My yard however is far from perfect, and I prefer it that way. My husband and I had to strike a deal about the grass as I enjoy the weeds that mix with the grasses in our yard. He keeps the front yard "weed-free" and I enjoy the weeds in the backyard. I believe that dandelions are a cheerful addition. Not everyone shares my affinity for dandelions. Most people are on a quest to erradicate them from their yards. I love dandelions because I think they are the most related to me in spirit.

In the past year, my family and I have been through a variety of changes. These changes have been for the most part a tremendous struggle for us. First, leaving our church home to serve at another, and then being plucked from that church a few short months later to again search for a church home. Its a strange place to be when you are searching for a church home. I had forgotten the whole process of trying on church families and the process of them figuring out if and where you fit in to their family. It's been an emotionally exhausting process for us, being spiritually homeless.

Its a little like being a fluffy dandelion seed being blown from yard to yard. Dandelion fluff is cute and delicate stuff. I think most all of us hve enjoyed blowing those puffs as a child.

The thing about blowing dandelion seeds is this: Its fun to stir up the seeds, but no one wants them in their yard. Dandelions send down deep roots and grow tall brightly colorful flowers, but they are sticky and stain your skin and clothing, so at the end of the day, no one wants them. Great lengths are taken to eliminate these weeds from the yards of many, lest great fields of yellow sticky flowers sprout and take over our otherwise perfect gardens.

I think many churches today treat their guests (or visitors) as if they are dandelion seeds. We dont want the church to turn into a proverbial weed patch so we do our best to make sure we only accept those who are most like us or who make us look better to ourselves and others. If it looks like someone is going to take root in our church, we make sure they fit into our criteria instead of allowing them to set down roots and reach for the Son.

Yet, every church wants to believe they are outreach minded. They want to believe they are friendly. They send their congregants out to invite others to church, reach the lost, help the homeless and needy. When those people arrive at their church, its a whole different story. Its a lot of fun to watch the dandelion fluff float across the sky, but its not so much fun when it lands in YOUR yard.

Dandelions are difficult to erradicate from any yard. Once they take root, they can spread and take over rather quickly. Then the perfect green grass is speckled with bright unmistakably yellow flowers.

I think churches often fear the same thought when it comes to newcomers. They perceive themselves to have a perfect situation and cant accept when others add their splash of color into the mix for fear of a take over.

As we visit churches and find our new family, we have been hard pressed to find churches who really truly welcome you.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1 Corinthians+3&version=NIV

Scattered Sheep (part One)

I went into ministry with the purpose of reaching children and families for Jesus. To make disciples, and to develop and grow healthy christian relationships within families. God gave me this passion. Its what drives me.


John 21 15-19
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"


When I read the above passage, I feel like I have a realistic grasp of what was happening in this moment. I see Jesus restoring Peter to the ministry. I see Jesus comissioning Peter. I read of Jesus wisdom for the future that lie ahead.

But after nearly 20 years in ministry I read this a little differently now. I read Jesus' comments about feeding and caring for lambs and sheep in a new light. You might call it a modern perspective.

Jesus often made references to the shepherd/sheep relationship when he taught his disciples and those around him listening. (Matthew 9, 10, 12 15, 18 Mark 6, 14 Luke 15, 17 John 10, 21) Jesus himself was also referred to as the sacrificial Lamb of God. (Isaiah 53 John 1, Revelation 3)
As a person in ministry, its my job to feed the sheep. The problem today is that the sheep have new issues. Here are some examples of the "sheep" I have encountered in today's flock.

1. ADHD Sheep

This is the most common of modern day sheep. They are distracted by everyday things in the everyday life; schedules, vacations, soccer practices, piano recitals, boy/girl scouting, golf, homework, housework. These sheep fill their days with hundreds of distractions that keep their focus off of the Shepherd. They soon find their lives wandering down a busy path that precludes anytime for the Shepherd.

2. Fast food Sheep

Among sheep, its my opinion that this is the second most popular group of sheep. These sheep come to worship on Sundays. Their goal is to extract what sustenance they can to make it through the week. They may even be involved in Bible Studies, however, their personal "feeding times" are few and they stagger through their week gleaning what they can from sources other than the Shepherd Himself.

3. "The grass is greener" Sheep

These sheep were once on track with the Shepherd. They may have even followed the Shepherd closely and with devotion until one day, they noticed a "clover patch" outside the fold. Mind you, they keep their feet inside the fence, but their head is stretching through the fencing as far as they can reach to experience life outside the fold. These sheep can also be called "fence walker", however since sheep of this nature don't tend to have great balance, they stick to leaning on the fence. Unfortunately, for this sheep, the harder it leans on the fence the deeper the barbs from the fence dig into their wool until they dont realize the damage is done. Worst case, scenario, this sheep is able to bend the fence and get out, only they dont even realize it. They think they're still following the Shepherd, but they are really on their own.

4. Spooked Sheep

These are the sheep that hear news of anything and are unable to discern it or handle it, yet they try to handle everything on their own. This sheep is one of the most difficult to herd as any slight issue could cause a stampede. These sheep often drag others along with them. They get bad news and instead of relying on the Shepherd to meet their needs, they panic and ensue panic amongst the other sheep.

I am sure that none of these types of sheep are a surprise to our Shepherd. He seeks the safety, care and ultimately the redemption of each and every one.

So, the question for me remains.... how do I attempt to effectively feed these sheep? What is an effective diet for each of these sheep? Is it also my job to herd them and rescue them as the Good Shepherd does? Or should I simply point them to the shepherd?

As I ponder and pray this point, I have to say that any effort that I give to these sheep while I may have the best intention as a ministry leader will inevitably fall short if I dont point them to the Good Shepherd.

The primary need of each of these sheep with issues is to focus on the Shepherd. Jesus can use me as His "staff" to guide the sheep to a place where the Shepherd's voice can be heard. He can also use me as His rod of proctection for the sheep when they are headed for danger. I cannot, however, be the shepherd, only the tool of the Shepherd.


Zechariah 10:2 The idols speak deceit, diviners see visions that lie; they tell dreams that are false, they give comfort in vain. Therefore the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd.

Seasons change.....

Spring is my most encouraging season. I love finding the sprouts of life that emerge from the frozen ground each March. Its one of the highlights of my year. It gives me fresh hope of new beginnings. It reminds me of God's faithfulness and the splendors of his rewards. This spring more than ever I think I need to be reminded of God's faithfulness in all things.

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;

As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!

Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see.

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

- Thomas Chisholm, 1923