Water Cooler Woes

   Many of you have taken note of the fact that the renovations of the hallways meant the removal of the old metal water coolers that hung on the walls. We had three of them and, from time to time, two of them would operate. In their places, we have installed a new-style water cooler that will offer fresh water.
   What seemed like a simple purchase and solution has become more complex than you could imagine. First of all, I really thought we could do this in a way that saved the church in the long run by not using a water delivery service that would bring new jugs every couple of weeks. I've since learned that sometimes saving money leads to headaches, but that is another story for another week.
   Our journey toward doing this ourselves started with the realization that no single company makes everything needed. No company makes the water cooler and cup holder, and no company seems to make either one to be compatible with the other. This week we discovered that the unit we had in our hallway was defective - it never turned on because it was accidentally built without an 'on' switch. To top it off, four calls into their Customer Service center have gotten us a different answer every time. It is funny and frustrating at the same time. We've finally been told they will ship us a new one. Their people are nice - but there has to be an easier way to get to the finish line of clean, fresh, affordable water in our hallway.
   Which makes me think of the church. I wonder how our experiences with this company are similar to the experiences of visitors who've come to Epworth. How many people have come to our church looking for a simple, clear path to get connected, only to find it is not always that simple? How many of our members have longed for a way to serve but cannot get easy answers on where they are needed most? How many times have I wondered about the vast array of things that we offer people to learn, serve, and grow and how many of them actually lead to different destinations?
 Matthew records in 7:13 Jesus saying, "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it." I don't think discipleship is easy. I don't think following Jesus is supposed to be simple. It isn't. But, I do think we should help people connect and we should be clear in how people can be equipped to follow this path. Jesus is the way. The church is called to help people along the way. I am so excited to serve a church that wants to be intentional in making that happen.
   Grace and Peace, Scott

Jesus, Epworth.............Preacher

    The Hagans were away this past weekend from worship. We drove up to the western edge of North Carolina for the school-holiday weekend. As you can imagine, there was lots of snow, ice, and snowball throwing among the boys in the group. The cabin where we stayed is located more than two miles into a valley of the Cullasaja River and reached only after driving the last two miles on a steep, narrow gravel trail - not fit in some places for horses who surely traveled it years ago. That part was an adventure.
   On Sunday, I was wishing I could be in two places at once. I wanted to be at Epworth to hear my friend, Sara Bankhead, speak on UMW and commitment. I have long appreciated her leadership at Open Door as a Board member and her leadership in the South Georgia Conference.

   On Monday, I received the weekly email that lists all of the new and regular visitors who were in worship at Epworth this week. This really helpful document is compiled from Connection Cards, and direct recollection when visitors don't fill one out, by Suzy Revell and then emailed out to our Church Council. It helps all of us connect names and faces. It does more than that, though. It helps spread out the work of welcoming people to Epworth. We want the ministry of following up with visitors to be a work of the people, not just the pastor or one layperson. 

   Missing out on those visitors made me think through one really important question. It is one all of us should ask; "What do we want to happen when people visit?"
   First, we want people to be able to worship the one true God. The God who made us and loves us and sent Jesus as the way to a better life. This is the stuff of salvation and abundant life; read the Third or Tenth chapter of John's Gospel. But, what is second?
   We want people who visit Epworth to fall in love.
   We want visitors (and members who might have attended for years) to fall in love with Jesus. Then, we want them to fall in love with Epworth as the place to stay in love with Jesus - another way of saying "live out their life as a disciple." Finally, it would be okay for them to like the preacher. It's the order that is important. Jesus is forever. Epworth will be around for a long time. Preachers come and go. I want to stay for years, and I plan to. But, the most important person any visitor will meet on Sundays at Epworth is Jesus. And, Epworth people help make that happen every week.
   Grace and Peace, Scott

Jesus Wants More Than 'Like' From Us

Scott: I was thinking about a sandwich. Which do you like the most: the grouper, the trout, the catfish, or the flounder?

Maggie: I don't eat fish. 

Scott: (my face now showing a puzzled look) 

Maggie: It is because I work here and serve it all the time.

   I enjoy talking with the servers working in restaurants. Beyond just "How are you doing?", I often ask them about their favorites or seek recommendations for entrees. Such was the case last week in North Carolina, as our family sat down with friends at a place known for good seafood in Waynesville. The above dialog was just a portion of what we talked about, but I was fascinated by this specific response.
   You can see the irony in her explanation. Could you imagine if persons in other professions made the same statements? What would we think about the dentist who doesn't practice brushing because she works with teeth all the time? What about the mechanic who doesn't maintain his car because he's around cars all day? 
   Of course, it is perfectly okay for Maggie to have opinions about fish. But what if the same logic was extended to someone in the church? What if the pastor responded to a question about the Bible with "I don't read it much because I am around it all the time"? Or worse, what about the church member who professes not to believe in Jesus because they're inundated by books, stories, and testimonies about him? Suddenly, the irony becomes tragic. 
   The truth is, Jesus doesn't want us to like him. Jesus is not content with us simply preferring God over a variety of options. The call of a Christian isn't about preferences or tastes. Jesus wants love. Love this is about total commitment. Love that is about practicing that which you believe. Jesus wants us to do the one thing: trust in God, above all else. This is the journey of discipleship. We are called to live so others would see in us a reflection of the One who made us. Could you imagine if, with our freedom, we chose to be counted as believers but denied practicing the stuff of our beliefs? The truth is, the world looks at the church and that is exactly what they see: people who attend and even serve a product that they themselves do not practice or even like! Mind you, this does not describe everyone, but it describes enough believers that the world has a difficult time being convinced otherwise. Instead, may they know we are Christians by our love. And our forgiveness. And our restraint. And our sharing. And our joy.

"By our purity, knowledge, patience, and kindness we have shown ourselves to be God's servants - by the Holy Spirit, by our true love" 2 Corinthians 6:6