Scandal!

Scandal!
Originally uploaded by demanufactured

Time magazine has a very interesting article on "mega-preachers" and scandals. The article names several of these mega-preachers who have been involved in scandals: Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, Juanita Bynum, Paula White, and Ted Haggard. Sadly the list could go on and on.

The article in Time questions whether pentecostal pastors are more prone to scandal then their non-pentecostal counterparts. I doubt it. We are all human after all. The main difference as noted in the Time article is that pentecostal pastors are on TV much more often and therefore their scandals are in the public eye.

This article serves as yet another warning to me. I know that I am marred by sin. I am the second worst sinner in the world...the Apostle Paul was the worst (1 Timothy 1:15). The allure of power, prestige, and perks are very real. Living a hidden, ugly, double life is very real for many pastors.

So how can pastors avoid scandals? Here are some thoughts:

1. Admit that you are scandal prone. Every last one of us. We are sinners. We are finite. We are selfish. We are short-sighted. We are dumb. Combine these and you have the right ingredients for scandal.
2. Create accountability. Pastors have to go out of their way to find someone that they can trust to tell them the truth about themselves. Find people who will hold you accountable. Create systems in the church that have built in accountability. Filter the internet. Have a committee oversee the finances. Create systems with checks and balances. Never be alone with a woman other than your spouse (this is very hard to live by in a small church, yet it is very wise none the less).
3. Keep the main thing the main thing. Keep pursuing God. Stay focused on Jesus Christ. Read your Bible and not just for sermon preparation. Pray. Fast from food and the media. Develop spiritual disciplines that help you grow closer to Christ...and do not grow lax...they are disciplines!
4. Practice Sabbath. Take at least a full 24 hours off every week! It's better if you can take 2 full days off...one for personal errands and chores that need to be done and one for doing nothing at all, at true Sabbath. Sabbath reminds us that it isn't up to us to grow the church. It isn't up to us to fix everything and everyone. Sabbath reminds pastors and congregations that the pastor is not the savior. Maybe there's a reason it's listed as one of the Big Ten.
   
5. Knock yourself off the pedestal. Don't let them put you up there. Fight it. Maybe even let them down every once in awhile. And for heaven's sake don't put yourself up there either! (Have you ever noticed how many scandal prone pastors name their ministry after themselves?)

So that's a start. What else can pastors do to avoid scandal?

Sunday night reflections

I sure enjoyed worship this morning. I love the Lincoln Brewster song Love the Lord that we started worship with. Raise up the Crown is also a great song. But beyond how much you and I enjoy worship, the question truly is, was God pleased with our worship? I sure hope so!

Marnie and I are really excited about our cruise next week! We are so blessed to serve you all and have this opportunity. I look forward to a week of renewal and coming back refreshed and ready to bring it in the pulpit. I'll be spending time over the next week preparing for our Just Walk Across the Room preaching series. This will be a great series based on Bill Hybel's book on personal evangelism.

Finally some random thoughts on the day:

• It was awesome to see Mark in church after his scary hit on Friday night!
  
• I hope my Sunday School class on reading the Bible is helpful
• Let's all take our Bible reading seriously and work hard to do it well
• If after the message on baptism this morning you are ready to get wet, let me know
  
• I am so glad Wray has a Subway!
• I love the Subway Club
• The Broncos got crushed by the Chargers 41 to 3! Ouch!
• My kids discovered Audio Adrenaline this weekend and their videos Big House and AKA Public School
• Marnie goes to Denver tomorrow to begin planning with the team for their trip to India in February (turns out the meeting wasn't last week!)

Get your broom

Continuing one of the greatest runs of all time, the Colorado Rockies swept the Phillies in the NLDS to grab a spot in the NLCS! Way to go Rockies!

It's about the water...

I grew up in Denver. We always had water. It came from the mountains and snow runoff. But in recent years we have had shortages. These shortages are an inconvenience in places like Denver, because it leads to dry, brown grass. But in small towns like Wray, water shortages can be a disaster.

Seeking to educate myself on the water issues surrounding our town, here's my understand at present concerning the Republican River Compact. Feel free to correct me or clarify things at any time. Also realize that as a pastor, my desire is to help us as a church and a community seek God.

Agriculture is the lifeblood of our town. Water is the lifeblood of agriculture. And water is very scarce in these parts. We average about 16 inches of annual rainfall. Due to drought it has been much less since 1998. Farms are irrigated with center pivot irrigation sprinklers with water from the Ogallala Aquifer.

Agriculture is the lifeblood of Kansas and Nebraska as well. The Republican River flows through Wray and provides water to Nebraska and Kansas. Since 1942, the Republican River Compact has governed the water allocations of Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas. Colorados' allocation under the compact is 54,100 acre feet.

But Colorado has exceeded this allocation by an average of 11,150 acre feet. So what's a state to do? Enter the Republican River Compact Rules drafted by the State Engineer.

In brief, 186 wells in Yuma and Kit Carson County may be shutdown. That would take 25,000 acres of farmland out of production. For a town of 2,000 and a county of nearly 10,000 it's a rather large percentage of the population. In fact, Wray is within the Republican River Basin and will experience well curtailment.

Ouch. So what can be done? Some have proposed building a pipeline that will redirect water from the Ogallala Aquifer into the Republican River. Others have suggested building a pipeline that will divert water from the Dakota Aquifer into the Republican. Many have suggested conservation and eliminating invasive non-Native plants.

Clearly something must and will be done. Time will tell. Every plan has its pros and cons. At the very least, we need to conserve more water. Why do we have Kentucky bluegrass lawns? How much acre feet of water would be saved by converting bluegrass lawns to buffalo grass? What if we tried composting toilets? How about waterless urinals?

I pray this issue will not further divide our community. I pray God will use this crisis to turn many people to himself in Wray and Yuma county. I pray that our church will seize this opportunity to minister to our community like never before.

October 3, 1863

On this day in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared that the nation would celebrate a day of Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November. He gave this declaration to express gratitude for a pivotal Union Army victory at Gettsyburg.

I believe followers of Jesus should lead the way in giving thanks in our country. And not just on Thanksgiving day...we of all people should be thankful. So what am I thankful for? I thank God for...

• God's unconditional love, grace, and forgiveness! He keeps giving me mulligans when I need them!
  
• my wife, Marnie
• my kids, Sam, Bayleigh, and Davey
• my parents, grandmother, sister, and brother (I miss you guys!)
  
• the great people in the church I get to serve as pastor
• the opportunities that God is giving us as a church in our community
• great friends
  
• overwhelming financial blessing
  
• our new home
• the Rockies making the playoffs and beating the Phillies today!
• fantasy football
• BBQ! (you saw that coming I'm sure!)

So what are you thankful for today?