notes from lisa...

In this 21st Century, when we are doing everything in a new and different way--seemingly, moment by moment, the church, too, has seen some changes. Churches used to be the place where "everybody knew your name"; now, though with the advent of the Mega-Church, you may not know if the person you are seated next to, is even a member of that assembly or not. I think Church growth is a wonderful thing--propagation of the faith is our responsibility as Christians, but have our methods gone awry? How does the Mega-Church fit with the requirements of the Church, laid out in Scripture? Whose purpose does the Mega-Church serve? Is there a better way? I am going to make a statement that many will disagree with--but here goes. I think Mega-Churches, primarily serve Mega-Preachers. In a church that has thousands of members, how can one pastor serve all of them equally--and if the answer is, to delegate to under-shepherds, then why not train these men (and women) when they come into t...

"1 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. 2If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. 3-7If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love." (The Message) "1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even s...

"Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not." (KJV, James 4:2). "For I was hungry, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we Thee hungry, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto Thee? Then shall He answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to Me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into eternal life." (KJV, Matthew 25:42-46) Those words, "...ye have not, because ye ask not", have to be among the most misused Scriptures in the Bible. We say, that the reason, people don't have basic necessities met, is because they "ask...

There are some times in our lives when we can easily get caught up in the "seasons" of daily living, and lose focus of the "big picture". At times, we may need to pull out that spiritual "film projector" and roll em', to regain focus and realize just what is really important and what isn't. It isn't hard to get off track and find ourselves drowning in the everyday trappings of life, trying to manage a rat race that we aren't equipped for. We, after all, are pilgrims, in a strange land--and this is not our home. But, as we occupy this place, for the time being, we have to cope with "seasons"; yet, not without an eternal hope and a future. The seasons of this life sometimes carry, great burdens, trials and pain; but while those seasons might destroy some, they make us and purify us. We go from day to day, not focused on how our difficulties and challenges are turning us into vessels of glory and honor--but they are. We can't...

It may seem as if this blog is devoted to how we relate to one another, as Christians। I stand accused. The reason for this, is that I believe it ranks so high on the list that if we do not take corrective steps, many of "our greatest" will suffer. I am thinking in particular, today about the ways we use titles in our churches. I understand and agree with the need for some form of protocol. I see the proper use of some titles--those that are biblically-inspired. However, do we misuse them?I am of the belief, that titles, in our churches are out of control. What is the reason? I am going to suggest that it has something to do with the history of racism in America. I hate to focus on churches being "black" or "white", but this particular issue is a much bigger problem in the "black church". Here is my historical take on the issue. Black people in America, we know have had little or no power, until very recently. The only legitimate place (in pa...