A church without imagination

I have had many positive and affirming responses to my messages since they have taken on the form of storytelling rather than preaching. Sure there have been those one or two folks who consistently ask me after my message “You didn’t tell me what I’m supposed to do,” and for those folks it may become harder to pay attention to my messages without me spoon-feeding them. But I sense that this is a direction worth moving toward… no longer a preacher rather a storyteller. And let me tell you it is an art form that takes some practicing.

One of the books that I’ve read recently really spurred me into this mentality. Mark Miller’s book, "Experiential Storytelling" highlighted some interesting points such as:

"A sermon tells people what to think. A story forces people to do the thinking for themselves. It can feel dangerous because it allows for interpretation… can we leave something open–ended knowing the conclusion might not come until later that day, week, month, or even year? Can we allow people to own the stories? Or do we do all the interpreting and leave nothing to the imagination?"

Maybe these are the times that we live in. Most people in our congregations (in my experience) don’t know how to use their imagination when it comes to faith and the church. They would much more opt for the lecture, so we pastors have had to become “Answer Men/Women.” Man, how much easier school would have been if my teacher gave me the answers! I might have actually had fun. Well I suppose if that is all the church is… fun or a social club then I guess giving answers only fits the mold.

I am witnessing a revival of sorts for the use of the arts in worship and communication and I am elated! I think that what happened around the time of the Reformation, a shift occurred in which the reading, preaching and hearing of the Word of God sub sequentially annihilated all art, image, and anything else that dared to take attention away from the former. Check out what the 18th Century theologian Jonathan Edwards had to say about the imagination.

It is quite clear that we need to rethink our manner in which we bear the Gospel message. The emerging generation will not stand for an institution (albeit the church) in which art/image/story is seen as a distraction to the Word of God. It only enhances it, if we are only willing to use our imaginations (see Luke 18:17)!

Why preaching no longer works

Here's an article that got me thinking more about how we preach and why we need to reform our mentality of preaching.

Quite simply, preaching can no longer be about someone standing on a stage giving expository advice to a clueless audience. Rather, it must become a living story again. For the most part, Jesus' method of conveying a message or point is through the power of story or parables.

Maybe we should start to do the same.

No John Deere required

As we are less than a month away from Easter, I am finding the story of my life to be a lot like the one Anthony De Mello told in his book, “The Song of the Bird.”

A man who took great pride in his lawn found himself with a large crop of dandelions. He tried every method he knew to get rid of them. They still plagued him.

Finally he wrote the Department of Agriculture. He enumerated all the things that he had tried and closed his letter with the question: “What shall I do now?”

In due course the response came: “We suggest you learn to love them.”

At last... the World Series!

I am a huge baseball fan as many of you know (Go 'stros! Go Reds!) and I have been following the World Baseball Classic this month. It has been interesting to watch. I always wondered growing up why it was called the World Series since it was always played in the U.S. between U.S. teams. I understand that for the better part of the first half of the 20th Century that baseball was predominatley an American sport but it is clear now with Mexico eliminating the U.S. that the sport can no longer claim to be American... it is a global sport much like soccer. Ok, not the best comparison at least when it comes to the crazy fans. I, for one am glad to see that we are embracing more of the international flavor in baseball and hope that the WBC emerges as something much bigger than most people give it credit for.

Hasidic Hip-hop

Last week a good friend of mine was visiting and he had this CD of an artist that I had never heard of.... nor was I really even interested at the time. Man, what a difference a week makes! I wished that I would have burned that CD while he was here, cuz I can't get this guy outta my head!

Matisyahu is a Hasidic Jew whose music is rooted in reggae and hip-hop. It is quite an ironic combination given the extremes of the lifestyle and musical genre (think something like the Amish in a hard rock band). His message is one that has strong spiritual and social implications that are sure to keep you hooked. Hey, I'm not even a fan of hip-hop but I find myself bouncing to the beat of the song! Check out his video and song "King Without A Crown" the lyrics can be found here in case he moves too fast for your listening.

When living feels just like death

One of my old college roommates, Evan, has a blog of his own called Nator's Revolution (you can also access it in my links Sidebar). In his most recent post, he shares his enlightenment on our disconnectedness from God at times. It challenged me to think about what the Lenten Season expects of us.

It is my understanding that Lent calls for us to recognize the disconnect of our soul. Christ's journey in the Gospels creates for us an inherent disconnect from the world in order that our soul may be nourished. I don't think that this time is meant to be the mountain top experience, although there is a progression toward that the closer we get to Easter Sunday. Maybe the paradox in Lent is that our identification with Christ even though we are living, it feels more like death. It is through this, that our faith breaks forth like the dawn.

Gotta love the red letter stuff

Without starting a theological debate, whose words will you give more authority to this Lenten season? Jesus' red-letter words? Paul's black and blue words? Pat Robertson's (or insert any other televangelist's name here) grey and blurry words?

Intensify the story

I forgot put in my previous post that my challenge to the congregation Sunday was to be reading through the Gospels during Lent. We must intensify our understanding of who this Jesus is, not by just what he did for us (I would contend it is more about what we can do for Christ) but how he lived and what he taught! I will be reading through Luke's Gospel and posting if any thing comes to mind.

Turning inward

The next 46 days are usually a very intense focus on the teachings, life, death and resurrection of Christ. Focusing on the scriptures, fasting from something, living more intentionally and centering my life on Jesus.

If your like me and cannot always figure out what "I'm giving up" then you might try this and go to their Interactive Lent Calendar which offers you possibilities for each day that you may live a more intentional life in Christ.

Here is a brief description of Lent and some creative ideas to possibly use for your own Lenten journey.

May your journey inward take you to a place of deeper meaning and direction so that your life that is hidden with Christ in God may become more visible to an aching, lonely world.