MISSING MIDWINTER!


The Covenant Midwinter Conference, that is (not the snow, cold, ice, frigid temps of the middle of winter...). This year I chose instead to stay home in Hilmar so when the film, “To Save A Life,” opened I could experience it again with the junior guys in my small group. This movie made such an impact on them at CHIC, and when I was filling out my Midwinter registration form, my hand literally froze, preventing me from completing it--and I knew I was supposed to be here and help students process everything that this very honest, graphic movie might bring up for them. It was the right thing to do, and worth it too.

Also, we’re experiencing budget challenges, like churches everywhere these days, and so my decision helped our current financial situation too.

Then, there is the fact that Pastor Bruce is leaving us soon. Just four more weeks! I feel it’s important for me to stick around and be present here at church during these closing days of his ministry at Hilmar Covenant, so that’s another reason why I didn’t dash off to Denver for a week.

But I sure missed not being at the Midwinter! It is always such a great time of renewal, stimulation, challenge, re-connection with people, worship, learning, and encouragement, coming in the middle of the ministry year when pastors and church workers often feel tired, frustrated, disillusioned, even burned out with the many responsibilities and burdens of ministry. The Midwinter is a real shot in the arm, and always helps me get rejuvenated, recharged, and excited again about the important responsibilities that are mine as a full time minister here at Hilmar Covenant.

Praise God for the internet! This made it possible for people at the Conference to share what was happening in Denver all week, and give those of us who could not attend a taste and a summary of the experience. Just reading the reports of each of the speakers’ presentations got me fired up and passionate again about the privilege it is to be a minister of the gospel of Christ.

So for my blog post this week, I am going to give all of you an opportunity to taste the Covenant Midwinter Conference too. I’m going to highlight a few of the points from the messages of the various speakers that were particularly insightful, provocative, and challenging to me, and then attach the link to the message so you can learn more--if your interest is piqued!


FYI, the theme of this year’s Midwinter was “Living Our Affirmations: The Necessity Of New Birth.”
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Monday night, January 25
“These four words - Your sins are forgiven - are still the most powerful words on earth.”

“When God’s word is taught passionately, it draws a crowd. This is as true today as it was 2000 years ago. There is no need for flashy technology...or video clips or gimmicks to draw people in; just a bold and passionate presentation of the gospel.”

Four characteristics of good evangelists: 1. a good evangelist’s heart aches for those who don’t know Christ. “In our churches today, we can become so focused on doing our ‘Jesus thing’ that we are not aware of those around us who need Christ.” 2. a good evangelist is willing to break the rules. “Too often in churches today we focus on all the reasons we can’t reach out rather than the reasons we could. Sometimes God does not give us everything we think we need to push us to be innovative...and break some rules.” 3. good evangelists offend Pharisees. “Things that are closest to the heart of God are often most offensive to Pharisees.” (um, that would be US in our churches...) 4. good evangelists change lives.

"Your Sins Are Forgiven"
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Tuesday morning, January 26
“There is no cookie cutter approach to individual spiritual growth - it is not something that can be mass-produced, but must be handcrafted for each individual.”

“How do you define a person who is mature in Christ?” Some responses: loving, generous, joyful, humble, forgiving, active, confident, serving.

Three questions: 1. are our churches regularly producing this kind of people? 2. how is your church doing in producing people with these qualities? “On a scale of 1-100, where does your church fit?” A show of hands revealed...most hands falling into the 40-60% range. 3. if at my church we keep doing what we’ve been doing, will it get us to where Paul thought we ought to be? “It’s not about programming. It’s about this gospel gripping real human beings.”

“We give people the wrong gauges to measure spiritual life. The difficulty in gauging spiritual life by the level of spiritual activities is that, in Jesus’ day, the Pharisees would have come out on top! The great challenge for us today is how to gauge in such a way that the Pharisees do not come out on top.”

"Remaining In the Flow"
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Tuesday night, January 26
“What about our (Covenant clergy) journeys of transformation? Are we as diligent in caring for our own souls as those that we serve?”

“Within the Christian Church, we tend to view spiritual growth as disengagement from the world instead of engagement with the world. Many Christians are content to measure their spiritual growth by the effort to learn about God, serve in the church, and enjoy their quiet times. Many times discipleship has been redefined as a weekly meeting at Starbucks with a mentor who helps me grown in my understanding of God and how my spirituality facilitates my personal growth. That has nothing to do with the world. Many pastors or Christian leaders do not include evangelism or service as part of the growth and maturation process. As a result, our version of discipleship looks very different from the experiences Jesus introduced to his disciples.”

"Spiritual Growth: More Than Hanging Out With Believers"
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Wednesday morning, January 27
“We say we want to follow Jesus, but at the same time we want a map. And then we worship the map because it gives us security. If there were a formula to fix life, certainly Jesus would have told us. He didn’t. Formulas do not offer heart change, only control. The path with Jesus is not a ‘safe’ way.”

“I have grown weary of being handed packets of spiritual formation materials. The ‘rules’ for proper spiritual formation do not fit every situation. If the spiritual practices one is using do not lead to God, then one should feel free to pursue a different path that ultimately leads to God.”

“We need conflict and loss and surrender in our lives. There is nothing like crises to break down our infrastructure and require us to be dependent on God.”

“We cannot hurry transformation. It is not about efficiency. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry.”

“Comparison is one of the deadliest obstacles to our spiritual development. We all have a calling of who God is calling us to be. And you won’t find that in the life of someone else.”

"Formula & Transformation - They Don't Equate"
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Wednesday evening, January 27
“Church can be a scary place to go. Many people lack familiarity with the religious trappings that most Christians take for granted.”

“People have special parking places, they have special seats, and they are very friendly--with each other.”

The reality: analysts today are trying to understand why fewer people darken church doors and remain disengaged from traditional religious institutions.

“I know that signing a card or walking forward in a meeting does not a conversion make. Only God knows when it happens.”

“A gospel that has no words is not the gospel. Some things are so complex that it takes words to get them across. The gospel of Jesus Christ is more than words, but never without words. But it also takes works! If it wasn’t important for God to send Jesus to show us his love, he would have sent us a book to read. (citing Haiti) When the early new reports were able to get out to the public, the only people they could interview were missionaries who were there long before the earthquake. They were loving on people before it happenend. And the truth is that when all the governments have ended their aid, the church of Jesus Christ will remain.”

“Wherever people are being saved, and wherever compassion and justice are happening well, the Holy Spirt’s in command. We need to see the miraculous to really believe God is here in this suffering world.”

"A Simple Old Message"
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Every year when I return from the Midwinter Conference, I know that the almond trees are getting ready to bloom, my camellia buds are bursting, days are getting longer, and winter is essentially over. This week, I have watched this process with my own eyes, and it is a relief to see the first huge bright red camellia blooming outside my kitchen window right now! May your winter end soon too--wherever you live! And may forgiveness, renewal, transformation, and growth be yours as we move into spring 2010.

“REMEMBER THE PERSECUTED”


Many of you are aware of the interest and involvement I have had with the issue of Christian persecution around the world. For years, I have coordinated a prayer and advocacy group here at Hilmar Covenant: “Friends Of the Persecuted Church.” These people are activists, shining a light on the terrible things that many of our Christian brothers and sisters in Christ endure in the countries where they live, simply because they love Jesus. Each month, I put together a newsletter with a particular focus (persecuting country, prisoner, issue, etc.), a list of leaders and addresses for writing letters of protest and advocacy, specific situations, people, and updates to pray for, opportunities to support organizations that are addressing Christian persecution, and “FYI” news related to this important issue. Many of you are also aware of the significant relationship we had with two Nigerian and two Filipino Christians who were imprisoned for years in Egypt, raising thousands of dollars to support them and assist them with their daily living and legal needs. I was even able to visit two of these men in Kanater Men’s Prison outside of Cairo when I went to Egypt during my sabbatical in Israel in 2006.

This month, I realized that it has been 12 years since our “Friends Of the Persecuted Church” advocacy group first organized! This is amazing to me; that we have been able to sustain this ministry for this long, and that people continue to be committed to such an intense issue. Often, when people get excited and involved in such difficult, emotional, on-going issues, they burn out after a few years. The disturbing, never-ending, depressing realities become overwhelming and eventually get to people and they can’t take it anymore. A few “FOPC” people have stepped back and removed themselves from our group, but not very many. The on-going commitment and involvement from most of the team is a testimony to their willingness to stand in solidarity with those who never gain relief from persecution either.

The Hilmar Covenant Church “Friends Of the Persecuted Church” truly embody the verse from Hebrews 13: “Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” (v. 3)

To acknowledge the consistent commitment and work of our advocacy group, I decided to start this new year with an account of what has occurred these twelve years to inspire and encourage the 23 members of our “FOPC” team. This was the focus of our January 2010 newsletter. I decided it would make for an interesting blog post, so I am making it my entry for this week.

And just maybe, it will challenge, inspire, and encourage some of you out there to join our “FOPC” group too! I already send four envelopes each month to people who do not attend our church, so if you would like to commit to our important work, just send me your address and I will add you to the team.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF HILMAR COVENANT CHURCH’S “FRIENDS OF THE PERSECUTED CHURCH”

I first became aware of the issue of Christian persecution through a video in November of 1997: “Shatter the Silence.” It was produced for the second annual “International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church” Sunday, and somehow, I got ahold of a copy. When I viewed it, I was completely stunned, disturbed and outraged. I, like many American Christians, was not aware of the extent of persecution happening to believers around the world. I did not realize that more Christians died for their faith in the 20th century than in all the previous 19 centuries combined, since Christianity first began.


And I never imagined that this issue would become the long-term passion and commitment that it has--not only for me, but for all of you too!

I invited others to view the video on a Sunday evening at church (including some of you who are reading this brief history right now) and several felt the way I did, wanting to take an activist approach to the issue of Christian persecution. In January 1998, I put out a plea for people of Hilmar Covenant to join a “Friends Of the Persecuted Church” prayer and advocacy team, and so our group was born. Our first monthly newsletter came out in March of that year, and the country focus was China.


Our group continues its important ministry today--12 years later! Who can believe that we are still at it, writing and donating, reading, speaking and praying about the persecution of our Christian brothers and sisters all around the world. Many things have happened along the way too:

--we have highlighted Christian persecution every November in worship on “The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church”--sometimes in very creative ways!

--we highlighted Christian persecution for many years in the monthly church newsletter and on the bulletin board before the sanctuary was refurbished.

--we endorsed the “International Religious Freedom Act” that Congress passed in 1998, getting people in the congregation and in town to sign petitions and to call our elected officials in Washington to support the bill (it passed in October of that year!).

--we hung a huge banner, “Remember the Persecuted,” on the front of our church to let everyone traveling on Lander Ave. know about Christian persecution, and we sold bumper stickers for people to put on their cars to bring this issue to people’s attention.

--we got the congregation involved with “Blankets of Love” in 1999 and collected over 100 blankets to send to Sudan.

--our “Friends” group has been featured twice in “The Covenant Companion.”

--Wendy Lawton and I participated in a Pacific Southwest Conference workshop on Christian persecution in 2000.

--several of us attended a “Voice of the Martyrs” day-long regional meeting in Sacramento.

--we did a graphic re-enactment of what persecuted Christians face when soldiers burst into church one Sunday during our worship service, guns drawn, accosting several worshipers, and threatening the congregation, just to give our people a taste of the fear and uncertainty that these Christians live with every day .

--we got connected with Jacob Oky, a Nigerian Christian in prison in Egypt, in 2003. This relationship expanded to include three other Christians in the prison, Martin Emeto, Nestor Tamisen, and Paterno Fabuna. We raised thousands of dollars to help them with their finances, and I was able to see Jacob and Martin face to face when I visited Egypt during my sabbatical in 2006.


--we have donated funds to Persecuted Church organizations for all kinds of needs and causes.


--many of you have given funds and materials to Persecuted Church organizations on my behalf at Christmas.

--we have written all kinds of letters on behalf of persecuted Christians to our national leaders, government leaders around the world, various heads of state, military and law enforcement people, diplomats, and ambassadors asking for an end to persecution, the release of prisoners, for justice on behalf of persecuted believers, and to stop the death penalty from being carried out.

--we have written letters to persecuted Christians to encourage them.

--we have PRAYED!

Through it all, I would like to think that our “Friends Of the Persecuted Church” team has made a difference---an impact--on the lives of many people regarding this issue of persecution. We have spread the word, educated, interceded, encouraged, and supported. Our constant, faithful, intentional attention to Christian persecution has borne much fruit! Though we might not know every person that we have influenced, God is aware of our efforts, and I look forward to the time when He says to each of us: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You remembered those in prison and those who were mistreated (Heb. 13:3).” And then we will see exactly who and how many benefited and were affected by the work of our team.

Thank you for your faithful perseverance in prayer and advocacy on behalf of the Persecuted Church.

Happy New Year, everyone! Things have settled down a lot since December 25th, and I have something important to share with you that I've had on my mind for nearly two months. It is very timely too, since the topic is "prayer" and, starting tomorrow, January 3rd, Covenant Prayer Week begins. Let me know what you think...

PERVASIVE OR PERFUNCTORY PRAYER?


In November I was asked to take part in a class for orientation students who are meeting their requirements for Covenant ordination and credentialing. The class focused on the nature and mission of the Church, the state and health of the Church today, and the dynamics and realities the Church is facing in an increasingly pluralistic and secularized society. I was one of two pastors asked to speak about Veritas, a ministry of the Covenant to help in the revitalization of older, established churches in our denomination. The two of us shared how our churches, New LIfe Covenant (formerly First Covenant) San Jose in an urban environment and Hilmar Covenant in a small town setting, are trying to negotiate the new terrain/playing field of real, practical ministry today.

At one point in the class, the facilitator, Alan Forsman, said something that cut deep into my heart. After several hours of teaching, stories, and discussion, which revealed the incredible challenges facing the Church in the West today, Alan suggested that the crux of these problems and challenges is prayer--or more specifically, the LACK of prayer--in the life of churches and Christians today. He said something to the effect: “Are we practicing pervasive or perfunctory prayer today?” From all of his travels, interaction with dozens of churches, discussions with pastors, church staff, lay persons, councils, many experiences with how Christianity is expressed throughout the U.S. and Canada, Alan came to the conclusion that the dilemmas so many congregations find themselves in these days are the result of the lack of deep, vibrant, pervasive prayer.

Wow! And OUCH! As the impact of this settled into my being, it became very clear to me that Alan had hit the nail on the head, speaking profound veritas (truth) to all of us gathered in that fireside room of Mission Springs.

I think it especially resonated with me because one of the areas of ministry for which I am responsible here at Hilmar Covenant is prayer. Since returning from my sabbatical in 2006, I have been developing and deepening this essential, spiritual component of our church life. As I have sought ways to lift up prayer, teach about prayer, engage the congregation in prayer, open up the richness and reality of the power of prayer, and so forth, I have heard many comments, perspectives, responses, and interesting excuses regarding prayer. Bottom line: it has made me wonder about the importance--and pervasive place--of prayer in the life of our congregation as a whole.

I say this because of the numerous comments people have made to me when talking about prayer: “I can’t sit still,” “My mind continually wanders,” “I have a difficult time focusing,” “I can’t concentrate,” “It’s hard,” “It’s boring,” etc. and more. (Again, let me be clear: I said “our congregation as a whole!” Of course there are people in churches everywhere for whom prayer is pervasive, dynamic, central to their daily walk with the Lord, and a living reality in their lives.) When we have included extended times of silence during our worship services for personal prayer, confession, intercession, and meditation, there are always people who make it quite clear that the quiet time was too long and, by implication, an ineffective or not-very-meaningful part of the service. And when I ask people about the “Morning Prayer” offered by the pastor each week on behalf of the congregation, you should hear what they tell me is really going through their minds!


As I pondered Alan’s statement, I wondered: Do Christians in our churches today even know how to pray? I don’t say this as a criticism or judgment either, because I am a relative newcomer to discovering the incredible, alive, engaging, supernatural power and reality of prayer. But how many of us just settle for quick prayers, formal prayers, self-centered prayers, safety prayers, or prayers only spoken by someone else? How many of us only utilize prayer as a last resort, or as something we do at the end of our busy days when everything else we want and need to do is accomplished and, hopefully, we won’t fall asleep in the middle of doing!? This is “perfunctory” prayer, and if this, indeed, is the kind of prayer most Christians engage in today, or more tragically, is the only kind of prayer Christians know how to do, it is no wonder that congregations everywhere are struggling. It means that churches have no dynamic strength, no muscle, no kinetic force to address the pressures and realities that Christian faith is facing today.

Often in conversations about prayer, people counter with evidence that they do, indeed, practice pervasive prayer: “I talk to God when I’m driving,” “I listen to Christian music and praise God as I’m studying/exercising/cleaning house...” “I commune with God when I’m out in nature,” “I talk to God all day long,” “You don’t have to fold your hands, close your eyes and bow your head to pray,” “Prayer can happen anywhere, anytime,” “All of life is supposed to be prayer to God.” These are just a few examples I’ve heard that people believe are evidence of a strong prayer life. I confess that, in years past, I have also said similar things to support the idea that I was a praying man. There is an element of truth to these descriptions and definitions of what constitutes prayer too. Prayer is BIG! Multidimensional and multifaceted. Every one of these and other, wider perspectives of prayer can be embraced and should be developed and exercised.

But you know what? They are also a pile of excuses! Ways of getting around the essential ingredient of a relationship with the God of the universe: focused, uninterrupted, conscious time together with the Lord of All. Extended, heartfelt, pervasive prayer that has depth and weight and substance to it. This is a requirement for any meaningful relationship, for unless two individuals give specific, intentional time and attention to one another, the relationship will only be a thin, weak, gratuitous, tenuous one at best.

I like to compare our relationship to God with that of a husband and wife. Consider a couple who say they love each other, say “I do” to one another, and set out in life together. But what if they simply live in the same house, sleep in the same bed, eat dinner at the same table, drive around in the same car, think about the other person, perhaps, and occasionally send off a quick text or e-mail message, sometimes even sharing the same space with one another, but never end up being together? Never truly connecting, never giving themselves to one another with focused intentionality, never completely present for the other, never communicating, expressing emotion, responding to the other, helping and supporting one another in such a way that each can know the other in the profound, deeply intimate, indescribable way that only married couples experience together? It goes without saying that this kind of attitude and behavior in a marriage would provide nothing substantial for a rich, intimate relationship to develop.

This is why those other ideas I mentioned about prayer (while driving, being in nature, etc.) are really excuses--even hindrances--to settling down and giving total concentration to God, and God alone. At first glance, they appear to be pervasive, ongoing, quite pious and sincere, but they only slide along on the surface of life. They are only like the table of contents of a book. In reality, they are perfunctory prayer; prayer that accompanies us throughout the day, along with everything else we are doing and thinking and enjoying and getting stressed about. Those attitudes and practices of prayer do not descend to a deep, engaging connection with God in prayer that only comes with intentional, focused time and attention with our Lord. With Alan Forsman, I agree that it is this aspect, quality, and practice of prayer--pervasive prayer--that is so desperately needed in our churches today. It is also more difficult than ever to discover and do, because we are part of a society attuned to and plagued by constant activity, busy-ness, distractions, multitasking, and the like. Many of us who are followers of Christ no longer know that rich, deep place of profound intimacy with our Lord that takes time to nurture, strengthen, and discover.


So how can we who claim to love God, follow Jesus, and to be filled with the Holy Spirit once again mine the riches of pervasive prayer? What can inspire us, motivate us, open our eyes and hearts to something we seem to have lost touch with in so many churches today? (Ex: offer a program, activity, meal, or social opportunity and watch people turn out in droves--but “come to a prayer meeting” and see how many show up...) This kind of prayer is tough! It is arduous, time-consuming, not easily learned in a book or a workshop claiming “Five Steps to Pervasive Prayer.” It must be sought after, like that “pearl of great price” we read about in Scripture. It must be a “desire of the heart,” and practiced regularly, habitually, with the same commitment, passion, and desire for excellence that superb musicians, athletes, artists, writers, doctors, teachers, and others give to their area of expertise. Here are some things here at Hilmar Covenant that can help you exercise your “pervasive prayer” muscles:

•come to the prayer corner in the chapel after worship on Sundays, to receive prayer--or volunteer to be one who prays with those who come with their requests.

•utilize the prayer request cards to express your praises, needs, concerns, etc.

•ask for prayer and anointing from the team of people who offer this specialized aspect of prayer ministry (Bill & Carolyn Ahlem, Art DeRooy, and myself, as well as Pastor Bruce and Marvin).

•find a prayer partner--someone you know and trust who would be willing to dig deeper with you into prayer--and become part of the prayer team ministry.

•commit to practicing pervasive prayer in the coming year. Make it a priority. Give it as much time and attention as you give to TV, hobbies, recreation, sports, and eating! Make it a habit. (Habits don’t come easily, but repeat the same behavior over and over again and gradually a new habit will be formed.)

•begin to (gulp!) pray out loud--and then (panic!) offer to pray during Sunday worship in church! As with anything else that is hard and frightening in life, we only overcome it as we practice whatever is difficult and seemingly beyond what we think possible.


•most importantly, and before you can even put any of these suggestions into practice with energy, desire and intent, pray and ask that God would give you a desire for pervasive prayer. Ask the Lord to give you ears to hear, eyes to see, and a heart attuned to what this kind of prayer is all about.

If this is what you earnestly seek, I pray that you will receive a similar epiphany that I had, back when the reality, power, and beauty of prayer finally came alive for me. Suddenly, my relationship with God took on new, more brilliant color and light and a freshness I hadn’t known before, compared to the more muted tones that seemed to characterize my faith before I awoke to the magnificent world of deep, rich, intimate pervasive prayer.


This week, January 3-9, is the annual “Covenant Week of Prayer.” I hope what I have written and suggested in this blog post will intrigue you, excite you, and challenge you to begin a new journey in your prayer life along with other Covenanters across the globe. Let me end with these words from the daily devotional on prayer that I continue to use, year after year. The author is Nick Harrison:

As we learn and put into practice the kind of prayer that God hears--magnificent prayer--I believe we’ll see answers to our prayers daily as we turn our hearts boldly toward God who is eager to hear from us---and anxious to answer. As Billy Graham has noted, heaven is full of answers to prayers that nobody has bothered to pray.

Church: let’s bother to pray. It’s time to return to persistent, pervasive, powerful praying.