Book Review - "Collapse of Distinction" by Scott McKain

Other than your DNA what makes you different than the next person? If you were applying for a job and the person interviewing you asked the question "Why should we hire you? Why are you right for this job and this company?"

If we are not different, we aren't attractive. That goes for individuals and businesses.

I recently completed a really good book by Scott McKain, called "The Collapse of Distinction". This book is a business based book. Scott draws experiences of growing up in a small town and comparing two different restaurants to partly illustrate how one should run their business. He also has first-hand experience of his father owning a business. This personal experience helped me to better understand what his principles should look like in real life.

The reason why we visit different places of business is usually because there is something distinct about them. These distinctions can have about as much variation as the color spectrum. However, the key is to have something that makes your business distinct (not just a color scheme). When a business is distinct is it going to live. When it is ordinary and the same, then it will not last.

Oddly, as a minister, this book had a lot of good principles to use in ministry. Churches are, in a sense, businesses. We, too, must be distinct, otherwise we will die. Much of what goes on inside a building is very similar. Christian churches use the Holy Bible. So, what makes one distinct over another, especially within one's town? I have already thought of different things that I am working on utilizing the principle, in the church setting.

I really enjoyed this book and will probably pick it up again in the future to read again!

Prayer: Steering Wheel or Spare Tire

It can be so easy to start a day without prayer. For most, it can be easy to go through an entire day without utilizing this powerful resource.

There are times, admittedly, that I get so wrapped up in getting started with my day and getting all kinds of things completed, that I don't utilize prayer at the beginning of my day. It is simple, generally short, and so powerful. However, we often neglect it.

Here is a quote I received off of Twitter that I want to pass on to you...

"Is prayer your steering wheel or only your spare tire? (There is a difference)"
- Joseph Simmons, aka "Rev Run"

So true! We do not think of our spare tire until we need it, usually in a desperate situation. One time I noticed that my spare tire was flat...luckily it wasn't a 'needed' time. However, it was just chance that I looked at it because I generally do not think about it. Do you treat prayer that way? Not generally thinking of it or only thinking about it in desperate situations?

Let's look at the steering wheel. Its purpose is to guide you, take you in the direction you want to go. If it is not there, you panic. If it falls off or fails to work, you panic. We have our hands on it all the while when we are driving. That should be how we treat prayer. Having our hands all over it, and panicking if we are not involved with it...rather than the opposite.

Use prayer to guide, not to put in the trunk!

How Sweet It Is!

Last Wednesday, I had the great privilege of baptizing Alexa S. into Christ! This is the greatest decision one can make! It takes away all the filth that sin brings to our life. It is the detergent of all detergents. No stain can withstand it. No color will be evident. Quoting from Isaiah 1:18, we are “white as snow” afterwards.

It sometimes seems surreal to know that one moment you are doomed for hell and the next moment you are welcomed to heaven. How can it be? Faith is the answer. It is all about faith. Without faith, we are just plunged. With faith, we are not simply plunged, but we are “plunged…to victory”. Oh, isn’t it sweet to know that we can have this “victory” because of Him?!

Each person who has taken that “plunge of faith” knows the feeling of coming up out of the water. You now see life in a different way. The Spirit is given as your gift. You have been forgiven of filth. You don’t just have your sins taken care of, you have a clean conscience. You now do not have to worry about a “next time” you sin. The blood of Jesus has already taken care of that. You don’t have to be baptized again and again to get rid of any sins because of Jesus. Oh, how sweet it is!

Another part of sweetness comes as a result of someone else being baptized. You get to see their excitement, zeal, and thirst. They are experiencing many things for the first time. Let their excitement be something that rubs off on you to give you a renewed/heightened zeal. I always look forward to getting to be around the people who have been baptized because it gives me such a thrill to see their excitement.

Soul Quest played a part in getting Alexa ready to make this awesome decision. I received a phone call and text regarding her decision to be baptized. Events like Soul Quest can really play a pivotal role in helping people make the decision to obey the gospel. I think we should praise God for those types of events, including workshops, Bible camps, and anything like that. They give an out-of-the-ordinary look at Christianity.

The next time you see Alexa let her know how excited you are about her decision and welcome her in to the “family”! She is a neat teen who had already been talking about Jesus to her friends, before her baptism.

Baptism…how sweet it is!

Going Green: Take A Walk

A couple of weeks ago, I had to go somewhere by a certain time and didn't have our only car at my disposal. Since the destination was within walking distance, I decided to use that resource. It was rather warm that day and I wasn't able to be in shorts, plus I was pulling my 18 month old son in a wagon. Though the walk was warm, the experience of pointing out various objects and spending time with him made it worthwhile!

Summertime is a great opportunity to get out and enjoy the fresh air. If you are not an "outdoorsy" person, then you may have to wait for a perfect time/temperature to get you out of the house. However, getting out and taking a walk is beneficial. If the heat of the day is not your forte, then find time in the early morning or later at night to get out and enjoy some neighborhood time.

Walking doesn't pollute the atmosphere and allows for physical benefits, too. It also allows for some spiritual benefits. As we reflect back on yesterday's sermon, here are some applications to choose from to use this week...

1. Meet the Neighbors - Do you know of someone who just moved in or just someone you do not know in your neighborhood? If you see them out, walk over and say "hi", get to know them a bit. Let them know if they ever need anything to contact you.
2. Walk a Bit Further - Walk beyond your block and see who you can introduce yourself to, expressing the same thing as in the previous application. You never know who God will put in your path.
3. Take a Walk With Him - Journey with Jesus in prayer - talk to Him or by reading through one of the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) - looking closely at some of the situations He encountered
   
4. Clean out your heart - In Psalm 51:10, David is experiencing a "heart attack". He needs to have blockage removed. As walking is good for the heart, when you walk, ask God to "clean out" your heart (i.e. 'create in me a clean heart, O God').
   
5. Breathe deep breaths as you walk along, let the fresh air fill and refresh your spirit. Hopefully, giving you calming effect. Especially on stressful days, make it a point to do some walking. Possibly walking more brisk the more stressed you are.
6. Walk with friends - Going slow, through walking, allows you to get to know the people you're with a lot better. Jesus took time to walk with His disciples and it allowed for moments they could connect better. Whether it is a spouse, family member, or friend, walk together so that you can get to know one another better.
   

In our area of the country, we don't do as much walking because so many have their own transportation. Taking the opportunity to walk gives less pollution to the environment and also it gives you the health benefits!

Take a walk and live a better spiritual life!

Aiming to walk more...

Fun on the Fourth!

Life's Actions - Your Response

Over the past two days, I have witnessed two people who have been laid to rest. One older. One a teen. One physical. One spiritual.

Some of the actions we take in life can have dramatic effects on our future. Getting married, having a baby, going to college, graduating from school(s), etc. are some examples that will have long lasting effects on us.

Some decisions in life will end in "I wish I did". You look back and think to yourself that you should have chosen a different path. Other decisions in life will end in "I'm glad I did". You look back and are pleased with choosing that path.

As you ponder this week's quote, it is not about death, but about life's choices. Here is the quote...

The difference between whether you say, 'I wish I would have,' or 'I'm glad I did,' at the end of your life is whether or not you take DECISIVE ACTION during your life. ~ Chris Widener

I decided to open up with the subject of death for a reason. Oftentimes at the end of one's life, that person will think back to their decisions. Sometimes, others will also think about the decisions they made concerning the person who died.

One of the most important decisions a person can make is to become a Christian. I am not talking about the religion/institution side of Christianity (read previous post). I am talking about the opportunity to take away all the smut and filth of your life to be able to have a home in heaven.

Maybe you don't believe in God or anything of the like. However, what if he were real? What if you got to the end of your life or the end of time and didn't make that decision and now realized you should have...think about it.

The one that was laid to rest physically, was a Christian, so that is a victory in and of itself. The one who was laid to rest spiritually, became a Christian, so that is also a victory. Her death was a death to sin, leaving it in the grave of baptism!

Both deaths can be rejoiced over. Since both became a Christian, they can say "I'm glad I did".

How do you respond to life's decisions?

Religion: Not Just an Instution

Times have changed over the past few decades, specifically with religion. I originally was going to have the title say that religion was not an institution. However, after looking up Webster’s definition, I found that one meaning was couched around being institutional.

I am alive in a religious time which is exciting for me. I have been affiliated with the Church of Christ all of my life. Throughout my life at home, my view of “church” were the practices we did on Sundays and Wednesdays. A typical Sunday morning would look like this: go to Bible class, and then sit in the auditorium for about an hour while listening to songs, listening to prayers, watching people take the Lord’s Supper, listening to the preacher talk over my head, and then going home. We would come back on Sunday night to sing some more songs, hear another sermon, and go home. A typical Wednesday was going to Bible class and then everyone coming together for the last few minutes to sing a few songs.

Your story may differ a bit depending on your experience. However, the institutionalized part of religion is a turn off to many. It is for me, too. Religion is not about a “check off list”. Religion is not “church”, though the church is religious. I have refocused my view of religion. It is not an institutionalized view, but rather an exciting opportunity to team up with my Creator, every day. Everywhere I go, every person I meet, and every action I take should reflect the appreciation for my salvation and wanting others to be a part of that as well. I am not trying to attract someone to “church”, the institutionalized part of religion. However, I am trying to attract someone to a challenging and rewarding way of life.

For those who have made religion institutionalized, that is a huge mistake. It has led so many people down a dreary and exhausting path. It takes all the joy out of it. The little bit of time you spend in a building on a Sunday is not geared to give you “brownie points” to God. In fact, the Bible speaks against the institutionalized part of religion. Jesus came to show that it wasn’t simply offering sacrifices because God wanted their hearts more than sacrifices. So, getting together on Sunday should be about revving you up and getting you ready for the week as you go back out into a world that is spiritually dark.

One of my goals, as a minister, is to show people that religion and Christianity is joyous rather than institutional. I have been “institutional” too much in my life and it did not bode well for my faith. Experiencing the uplift that comes from teaming up with God has allowed my faith to become stronger.

Remember, that God wants you, not just your presence in a church building. God wants you, not just your money in a plate. God wants you, not your hypocritical actions.

I go through days where I am guilty of all three of these. I am constantly working to give me to Him, so I don’t revert back to making religion an institution.