Cruisin on the Good Ship Lollipop

A child actress of yesteryear, Shirley Temple, was in a bunch of movies as a child and captured the heart of our country with her contagious smile and her cute singing voice.  In one of her movies, Bright Eyes, she sang a song that was her signature song for years.  The song was entitled "On the Good Ship Lollipop."  Here are some of the lyrics of that song  on the good ship lollipop its a nice trip, into bed you hop, and dream away, on the good ship lollipop. A few years ago our children got together and gave us our first ever cruise to Cosumel.  We didn't know what to expect when we got on our ship, so everything was a new experience.  The biggest part of the experience was "getting away from it all."  You know a, "calgon take me away" type of thing.  And we really enjoyed the chance to relax, refresh, and spend that time together.  It was a great time and much appreciated by me and my wife.  I guess if we immersed ourselves in that way of life, we would probably just like to spend all the rest of our days on that ship.  Sun, food, no clean up, just vegging.  The only problem is, life isn't that way.  You do come to a port somewhere and reality kicks back in....as it should.

In the book of Jonah, in Chapter 1 verse 1 it says, "The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai."  God had a great plan for Jonah's life and He wanted him to go to Nineveh and preach against it, because of it's wickedness.  Jonah on the other hand thought that was a terrible plan, so he proceeded to run from God and ran straight onto what he thought was the Good Ship Lollipop, but he was mistaken.  He wasn't on the Good Ship Lollipop, he was really on The Last Ship.  And it was the last ship he would want to sail on for awhile.  You know the story.  He was thrown overboard, he was swallowed by a giant fish, and puked up on the shore.  That was him returning to port.  It all goes to show that if God wants you to do something it is better to go ahead and follow His will and do it.  I have heard some say, "God won't force you to do anything."  Tell that to Jonah as he walks around with his "fish breath." God got his attention and, as  unconventional as it seemed, Jonah followed God's original instructions. God does get His way every time.  Jonah went from "I'm not gonna do it!" To Jonah 2:7-9  "When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.  Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs, but with a song of thanksgiving, will I sacrifice to you."  Oh, now Jonah is singing a different tune isn't he? His song changed from Not Gonna Bow to Let's Go.  He thought he would be able to escape on the Good Ship Lollipop, but there was no escaping the long arm of God and his repentance and change of heart resulted in all the people of Nineveh repenting with sackcloth and ashes and it even caused the king of Nineveh to do the same.  Mission accomplished!!  It changed them so much the king declared that all the people should cry out urgently to God and give up their evil ways.  God heard their prayers and it saved their city.  But what about Jonah.  He didn't stand up and say, "Praise the Lord for saving the Ninevites.  Nope, Jonah had a mad fit because he hated the Ninevites and thought that God was wasting His grace on them.  Another part of this story is Jonah went out to the east side of the city and had a mad fit and wanted to die, but God provided a vine to cover over him to protect him and then killed the vine the next morning with a worm. Jonah was so concerned over the death of the vine, but not concerned over the lives of the people.  I guess you could say he was a "tree hugger."  God showed him the error of his ways when comparing a vine to 120,000 people's lives.  Jonah fled the presence of God to keep from having to serve Him for a people he did not like.  His attempt to flee on a ship was stopped by God because God wanted to use him for his plan and him alone.  Jonah had significance in God's plan and Jonah trying to sail away on the Good Ship Lollipop wasn't going to keep God from using him.

What is God calling you to do for him and who is it going to impact?  Are they people you have a love for, or are they people you don't really like?  Don't think you can cruise off into the sunset if God wants you to serve Him for a specific ministry.  That's when the storms of life will direct you back to God's original plan for you.  Been there, done that.  You may have given every excuse  you can think of to keep from following God's plan, but God answers every excuse.  So what do you do?  First of all, you don't go on a cruise and veg.  Secondly, you perk up and start listening even closer for God's specific direction in your life.  Why?  Because it will mean something great for you and those you minister to.  Thirdly, you let go and let God!!!  It's time to let go and follow the call on your life and see what great things God has planned for your life when you follow His commands.  The Psalmist said in Psalm 31:3  "Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me."

If you are willing He is  wanting.  If  you are listening, He is talking.  If you are ready, He says Go!!

The Pilgrimage continues...

David Warren

Can You See the Mountains

We were on a group trip to Montana years ago and as we were gaining more and more elevation it seemed like we would see mountain ranges anytime, but we didn't.  Then we came around a curve and there in the distance I saw it.  Mountains....like huge mountains.  It was my first time to get to see some of the most majestic and beautiful mountains in my life.  I realized what I had been missing all those years was something totally beyond my imagination, and the sight of those mountains really got to me.  It was something I had not actually planned on being that pretty and big.  In other words, I couldn't even imagine it before seeing it because my vision of the whole thing was way too small.

As believers we also need to see mountains at times to encourage us about God and His Presence.  Some people might call it proof of God's existence, but I like to call it affirmation that God is still in control and what He does is way beyond what we can perceive or imagine.  That's the awesomeness of God!!!  Even in the "we've done that" attitude of our world, God continues to pop up wonderful mountaintop things in our lives.   You may be in a place right now where you feel like God is not doing so much in your life.  Well, you are not alone.  But like the group we were driving on our trip, when I saw the mountains, they heard me say, "Now that's what I call a Mountain!!"  They would have seen the mountains eventually, but it heightened the whole experience when I yelled out in a loud hush, "Mountains. wow!"  My excited, awestruck way of saying it kind of pulled everybody into the excitement of the moment and allowed us all to marvel together.

My question is this; "Can you see the Mountains?"  If not, are you even looking for the mountains?  What I mean is "do you still believe God can amaze?"  If not, then you have let time and circumstances dumb down your attitude about the power and majesty of God.  Don't doubt God!!  He doesn't like that, and by the way, you need to start looking for the mountains (beauty of God's power) in your life again.  satan would like nothing less than to get us to quit pursuing God and His awesome power.  He would like for us to miss all the beautiful things God is doing all around us to minimize God in our thinking.  Don't let him do it!!  God is still in the mountain making business and He is still working in our lives, so keep on looking for the great things He will do through your life.  Don't lose the dream that becomes a reality when we are looking for it.  Also, God lets us not only look at those mountains, but also travel on them.  He will take us to heights we never thought were possible and gift us a new outlook on the world around us.  In Luke 9:28 it says "about eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John, and James with him and went  up onto a mountain to pray."  They went up on the mountain to pray.  Guess who made that mountain?  Jesus.  They were never the same after spending that time with our Savior and you will never be the same if you "walk with God" in your daily life.  One thing about it, God will show you some mountains and the extent of His great power, and He will also take you up on those mountains to show you a new view point.  But first....start looking for God's handiwork in the world around you and allow that handiwork to be seen in your life as well.

Then point others to the mountains that God has shown you and it will be an eye-opening thing for them also.  

Can you see the mountains?  They are there.  Look again...

The Pilgrimage  continues....

David Warren

The Crooked Path

In Psalm 119:35 the Psalmist wrote "Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight."  As I look back on the path of my life I see many crooked paths that took a lot longer to get somewhere and that was because some of those paths I took on my own.  Oh they winded around here and there and everywhere, when they could have been a very straight path to the next destination.  At times I would let valleys, when I went through them,  get me confused as to where I was, and get me off task and off route for where God wanted me to go.  Those valleys were meant to get me to look up and get more of God's directions and less of mine so I would move in the right direction.  Oh, there have also been plenty of times when I moved directly where I needed to go, via God's straightforward directions and avoided all the walking around aimlessly.  Boy that was a lot easier!!  

What does the path of your life look like.  A straight and narrow path, or a crooked, disjointed one?  Of course, I can reason it out by saying, "If I had not gone down that crooked path, I would not have experienced the circumstances that developed my walk and faith in God." Really?  Sometimes I just make bone headed choices that get me totally off track and sure, God will bail me out, but I shouldn't have gone that way anyway!  Discernment is a huge plus in our walk with the Lord, but it takes us being in tune with God and the Holy Spirit.

For me it is the difference between the narrow gate and the wide gate.  In Matthew 7:13 Jesus was teaching His disciples and He said, "Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction and many enter through it."  If we will narrow our focus and let that focus be on Jesus and His way we will begin to see things starting to open up in our life and make us much more productive in our walk. Very directional....  In Hebrews 12 2 the writer says "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith..."  Eyes on Jesus + walking forward with His instruction = Straight and narrow.  Think about it this way.  Picture a funnel.  Normal usage of a funnel would be to start at the big end and it gets smaller to the other end.  Turn the funnel around.  Start at the small end and then see what happens.  It opens up to a much wider end.  If we center our lives on following Jesus' instructions in the straight and narrow, we will see a new life open up before us that widens our influence, or direction, and our results.  The key is "fixing our eyes on Jesus!" The Message Bible translates the Psalm 119:35 scripture like this; "Guide me down the road of your commandments; I love traveling this freeway!"

So, victorious living dictates that our life should be fixed on Jesus, content to follow His commands and narrow down our path, and move totally in His direction.  That means more straight roads and less crooked paths.  That falls in line with Paul's instruction in Ephesians 5:16  "Make the most of every chance you get.  These are desperate times!!"

Keep from letting life slip by and keep your eyes on Jesus and you will live a much more efficient, effective life that opens up to new and exciting challenges every day.  The straight and narrow path is best!!

The Pilgrimage continues...

David Warren

Where Did All the Words Go?

In the modern day church of 2015 it seems like we hear a lot of things like, "Well, back in the 80's we used to run (insert your number) and now it's all we can do to get (another number)."  2015 is a different time and a different world.  Who would have ever thought that Christians would be running for their lives in America?  But it is happening!!  Also, churches are running for their lives to keep going and the downward spiral of believers who darken the doors of churches is declining.  We scratch our heads and hope that the modern trends of mass media will somehow stop the bleeding, but will it?  Sometimes the "fix" we use to repair the problem only makes it worse, and in the case of today's fixes for the problem, I believe that is happening.  It seems like the world's fixation on second and third hand relationships is a part of the problem that caused the downward spiral of true relationship building. Texting instead of actually "talking" to someone on the phone, has made us even more antiseptic in our relationships.  Antiseptic, in that we think typing something can make our words more powerful than our human voice, when in reality it is a wispy conversation at best.  Ok, I'm 60 years old and here it goes....David, you have to get with the times and realize this is just the way things are going, so let go of the past and keep up with the current changes in our society.  And, by the way, I do text. begrudgingly, but I DO text.  Overall I think texting is a good "backup" for not being able to reach someone on the phone, so it does have some advantages....some.  But texting can never replace the one on one conversations that develop relationships, share dreams, and deepen our connections with each other.  NEVER!!!

I was a youth pastor for 25  years and during those years I forced the youth to really get to know each other by doing "one on one" exercises in communication.  At the time I thought, and they thought, I was crazy for doing that, but the end result was worth it all.  A young person in the early stages of development will at times try to avoid that personal contact of another person for whatever reason. It could be they are intimidated, or shy, or superficial in their personality.  So, when you "force" a person of that age to do something like sit across from another person and get to know them one on one, it scares them to death. But in the case of those in my youth group, they started liking it, and wanting to do it....a lot.  Relationships in the group that seemed to be timid and awkward, started becoming warm and close.  The fake faces were gone and the real you and me took over and we were ok with it.  Things like eye contact, and sharing, and listening replaced walk bys, and, I don't have time for this, and avoidance.  It was great!!!  Guess when this happened?  The 80s!  If I were a prophet at that time, I would have told you "There will be a time when talk and conversation is going to be replaced with machines."  You would have looked at me and thought I was crazy, or writing the next Star Wars script, but not looking at the world realistically.  But it has happened!!  And it continues to happen more and more.

Can you imagine what the life of Christ would have looked like in Jesus' day if they had our modern means?  Instead of walking among the people healing and preaching, Jesus would have made a video on His iphone and put it on facebook.  Or maybe, Jesus would have attached a gopro to his head and captured them lifting him up on the cross, and looking down on the people seeing their detachment from what was happening to Him.  There are some things you just can't reproduce without being there.  That is the precious thing about interaction with people.  You are there..... Not through a text or Facebook messenger.  You are there.  You are real and they are real and now it is one on one.  Can you handle that?  You might think not, but if you will force yourself to spend time one on one with someone, I believe you will develop the ability to do it more and more until it unearths who you really are, a human being.  Don't get me wrong. I have an Iphone and yes, I look at it quite often to use the computer side of it to get information, and Siri has helped me many times.  I just feel like such a "sell out" when it comes to how I should be connecting with people.  I should talk to them in person, and at least on the phone to make it much more personal.  I should...I could....I would.... I will!!!  The Psalmist in 16:11 said a lot about being in the presence of someone, namely God.  It says "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."  

So, why don't people come to Bible Study and Church like they did years ago?  Could it be that technology is feeding the lack of desire for true communication in human form with each other?  I think so!  You know what's next don't you?  Of course, this mindset also feeds the lack of desire to be in God's presence also.  Here is a scenario.  I text God my prayer request and wait for him to text me back?  I don't think so, do you?  If we are so immersed in the worldly practice of avoiding the presence of someone else, surely we are also avoiding being in the presence of God!!  Now if you think all of this is just a bunch of hooey from an old guy, maybe you are drinking the koolaid and thinking it tastes good.  I'm telling you, it will kill you if you don't quit!!  You may use the creativity excuse to keep the texting element in use, but that is weak because true creativity is best seen in people interacting with God and each other.  In John 8 Jesus told the Jews "if you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples."  They questioned Him about saying that He could set them free by saying they had never been slaves.  They just couldn't get it because they had been conditioned from childhood to believe what they were saying.  So, they missed the reality of truth shared to them by Jesus.  We have been conditioned to think that a certain way of communicating is best also, but is it?  Jesus went on to say in vs. 36  "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."  Jesus introduced a new "game plan" and it was different than what they had been used to, and instead of embracing it, they fought it.  Of course, they were deep in their beliefs and it consumed them to the point of doubting Jesus at every word He said, so Jesus got straight to the point..."He who belongs to God hears what God says.  The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."  Jesus is great about getting to the point and He did that right in front of them, to their face.  That is interaction at it's purest form.  One on One.  We need more of that kind of conversation between believers and believers; and believers and non believers.  Here is an experiment you can do.  When you are connecting with someone else in a conversation try to at least talk to them on the phone, but preferably face to face.  It may be a little difficult at first, but you will get good at it after a while and then you will see the value of one on one in the presence of someone else.  And on that same thought, spend time one on one with God and see if that doesn't develop into a closer relationship that involves being in the presence of God.  Oh yeah, it would be great to also believe that you can actually be in the presence of the Living God.  There's a good start right there....

Where did all the words go?  They are still here, but just not being used in conversations....

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren

The Lone Ranger and Tonto - Partners

Partner - a person who takes on an undertaking with another person with shared risks and profits. In Acts 13 in the city of Antioch in verse 1 it says that a group of prophets, including Barnabas, were there and while they were ministering the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."  Then they laid hands on them after fasting and praying and they sent them away.  Partners in the faith and in the work of the Lord.  Paul and Barnabas equally called, equally equipped in their own way to take the message of Christ to a lost and dying world.  As we read more in the book of Acts, we see God using Paul and Barnabas in a powerful way for His glory.  He called them....Partners.  In the Christian life we sometimes develop a called relationship with another person and that relationship is something God uses for His glory by combining the gifts of two or more people to do more than one person could do.  In the marriage relationship, when the two become one, there is a partnership of lives and hearts that God can use in an awesome way.  Husband and wife, and partners in the faith.  That is the kind of relationship God allowed when my wife and I committed our lives to each other.  Through the years that partnership has seen great successes and yes, even some defeats, but the strength of the relationship is strong at the core and is vital to both of our lives and the development of our faith in God.  My wife keeps me on track, especially on my blind sides.  Those areas I don't see that could hurt my faith and ministry.  She looks out  for my well-being as a partner in my walk with Jesus.  I do the same for her as her husband, and the head of my household, and protect the relationship that I have with her.  We are husband and wife in life, but  partners in ministry. I can't make it without her and she can't make it without me.  We are both called!!  In ministry there are those people that God joins us with to bring out the best in us as we bring out the best in them and God uses those "partners" in a mightier way than He could as individuals.  Both called, both important.  The partnership that is formed by God is an amazing thing, and to realize  what it is, and how important it is will cause us to nurture it as we step forward in our walk with God.  Paul and Barnabas were at their strongest when they were both doing what God had gifted them to do.  Those gifts were at a heightened state as they complimented in each other.  That is a good example for Christians when serving in a local church.  We must be partners in our efforts to serve God and that partnership, called being likeminded, causes the gospel to flourish and come alive in our fellowship.   Paul and Barnabas came into cities and immediately saw fantastic results in the midst of much persecution and hatred toward them as followers of The Way.  They relied on each other to get the work done and their partnership made both of them more effective in the ministry.  Their heart for serving together was interrupted by a disagreement over the consideration of someone else who was not a part of that partnership and they parted ways.  Which shows, even in the best of partnerships, we must guard that partnership and protect the importance of it by being open to the other person's needs and opinions.

The Lone Ranger was awesome, but he needed Tonto.  Tonto was a great indian scout, but he needed the Lone Ranger.  Each had their own strengths, but together they had super strength.  Never underestimate the importance of our working together!  That's why in Paul's letter to the church at Phillipi in chapter 2 verse 2 Paul wrote "complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking of one thing."  PARTNERS

Proverbs 27:17 SAYS, Iron is sharpened  by iron; one person sharpens another.  If you are  a pretty sharp person in your own thinking, think how sharp you would be if you partnered with another Spirit-filled person to serve God.  The results would be incredible and the effect would be tremendous.  Of course, satan does not want this partnership to happen, so he sows dissension, mistrust, jealousy, and hatred wherever he can to insure this partnership never happens. That is why each of us need to partner together to pool our gifts and resources for serving the Lord.  A church full of these partnerships is a church that is "on the move."  As the famous worldly philosopher, Larry the Cable Guy says, "Get er done!"  Viktor Frankl, a concentration camp survivor said, "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing:  To choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's way."  No matter what your attitude is today it can be changed and as Paul said in Romans 12:21 "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."  The god of this world wants "every man for himself" but our God wants PARTNERS!  Join hands with another believer and see what God will do with a true partnership.   You will be pleasantly surprised...

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren

Along for The Journey

Being from the awesome state of Missouri and the most excellent town of West Plains, I had the great privilege of traveling down asphalt highways and dirt roads while growing up. During my early driving years I would treat both road surfaces the same, until one fateful day when I was speeding down a very loose, dirt road, just outside of town.  I was fishtailing down that dirt road, and not giving away any speed as I drove down a straightaway that was about a mile in length and then it happened.  I encountered a curve....  This is where the asphalt road and the dirt road's differences took shape.  On an asphalt highway I would just brake slightly and power steer around the curve without slowing down.  The dirt road demanded a much different way of doing things.  As I approached the curve, I pumped my brakes to get my speed down to a more controllable speed and negotiated the curve, sliding a little as I went around it.  As I came out of the curve I floored it and spun around one time and landed in a ditch.  If I had just kept the same control I had going into the curve while coming out of the curve, everything would have been fine, but I didn't and it caused a wreck.  Fortunately there was minimal damage to my 1968 Mustang.  I learned a good lesson that day about making choices in different situations.  As I look back now I can see that my journey was the same, but the roads were different.  I was still moving in the same direction, but the surface of the road was much more slippery and loose than the asphalt I had become accustomed to.

Jesus gave his disciples some great instructions about handling the journey He was sending them on.  In those instructions He seemed to take away all the comforts of home like no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic, etc.  In Luke 9:1-3 you will find his instructions for his disciples and it is pretty amazing how He forced them to be dependent on Him and His power.  In fact, in verse 1 he says it all.. "When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases." In verse 2 he had two reasons for them going and they were "preach the kingdom of God and heal the sick."  It doesn't mention the disciples looking at each other saying "Is he kidding?" because it didn't happen.  In verse 6 it tells what they did. "They set out..."  Oh to have that kind of faith for our journey!!  You can bet they had some good roads and some bad  roads on their journey.  When I say road, I mean the experiences that met them as they traveled forward for Christ.  I'm sure there were some very easy roads they traveled, but I'm sure  there were some very difficult roads as well.  The thing that really made the difference for them was "they had the power of God!!"  In fact, they were so bold and directional in their attempts at ministry he also told them whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them."  So they were very sure of their direction and message going into the town and when they left, they didn't spin out and crash because people rejected their message.  They kept moving forward on their journey.

Our lives are much like their's in that we have the great commission to go...go...go and we have been given the power through the Holy Spirit to go in God's Spirit.  Part of the going is believing God will take care of the details when you go and your mind and focus will be on the journey and not the side issues.

In Hebrews 11:6  the writer says, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he will reward those who earnestly seek him."  When we step out on this journey God has sent us on He is on the journey with us.  His power and his direction are there all along the way to help us.  Our faith in Him is  rewarded with His  supply of everything we need.  No spinouts because no matter what surface the road may be made of, he is there.  Remember Phillip meeting the Ethiopian eunuch, and the conversation that followed?  The eunuch became a believer and Phillip was at just the right place at just the right time.  That is full testimony of God being there through the journey.  A big part of Phillip being there was the Holy Spirit sent him there and then he continued on his journey.  (Acts 8:36)  We are all on a journey and God is on that  journey with us, so our faith in Him being there to help us is vital.  We must trust God and have faith that He is guiding us and empowering us on that journey.  

Have you accepted your marching orders?  Then now is the time to listen up and let God lead you on the journey he has planned for your life.  Have faith and follow God and he will  be there with you because he also is Along for the Journey.

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren

DisneyChurch

In a time when churches are losing members by the hundreds, the chosen way to keep them coming is by creating an attraction.  I remember going to an amusement park that was split up into two parts, the rides and the petting zoo.  The sign at the fork in the amusement park road on one side said Zoo, on the other side it said "This way to the attractions."  You know what attractions are don't you?  They are the rides that shuttle people in through winding walking trails and cause us to want to almost tempt death itself by riding them.  But, we still want to ride them for the thrill.  Sometimes people will wait for 2 hours just to get on a 20 second ride, and if the line isn't too long they will go again and again.  They even offer "fast track" to get back on the attraction faster because we think it is so cool.  Those attractions will lure us into spending $50-$100.00 for tickets to walk around in the heat in a mass of people just to get a chance to ride something that is heart stirring and exciting.  Oh everything is real good until somebody gets hurt.  I remember going to Silver Dollar City as an eighth grader (yes, they had electricity back then) and riding the "Runaway Mine Train."  It was so good about half way through the ride I would think "Is this thing really going to run away?"  I would ride that ride probably 20 times every time we went to the park and could have ridden it more if they would  have stayed open a little longer.  Word got back to us a couple of years later that the "Runaway Mine Train" had malfunctioned and went to a holding area for the cars when there were people on the ride.  The only problem with it going to the holding area was there was low hanging pipe that was not designed for people to be able to clear it.  You guessed it.  A guy on the back train car got  his head cut off with that pipe.  The news was disastrous for me.  I never rode the "Runaway Mine Train" again. Why?  Because I thought it could malfunction when I was on it and I didn't want to take any chances.  The attraction became a distraction for me and anyone else wanting to ride the ride.  In visiting people for the Lord I will come upon a person every now and then that voices their opinion about certain things going on in most churches and I listen and try to offer up some kind of explanation that will help soothe their hurt feelings.  One such man I visited shared about a certain church that he called the Las Vegas Church.   He went on to tell me that in that church he felt like he was watching a
"floor show" and that the pastor's message was more of a massage for those who were wanting to hear words that would make his members feel better.  He used the words "pretty weak."  Of course, his observation was from a very slanted perspective, so I brushed off what he said as pure conjecture.  But was it?  The attraction that made that church who they were became a distraction.  No heads cut off, but hearts not stirred by God's Word.  He said he would never go back.  Somewhere along the line the church leadership decided that preaching user friendly messages and putting on a floor show, complete with dancers, was a better approach to reaching people than lifting up the name of the Lord and preaching His Word as it is.  The result was a larger number of people attending, but not much  spiritual depth or life change in those attendees.  A rule of thumb is this "What you use to get people there is what you will have to continue to use to keep them there!"  The writer of Proverbs said it this way in Proverbs 14:12  "There's way that looks harmless enough; look again- it leads straight to hell.  Sure, those people appear to be having a good time, but all that laughter will end in heartbreak (The Message)"  I guess that last statement is the pipe in the holding area that no one can escape because they are locked in to the attraction itself.  Disney is a nice place to visit, but I don't want to put any roots there.  It is an attraction and very shallow at best.  That's why we go for the children because it is for the immature and childish.  Paul spoke about growing to maturity this way in 1 Corinthians 13:11, "When I was a child, I used to talk as a  child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things."  It's time to think in a much more mature way when it comes to church and all we should be as the church.  Be real, but be Biblical.

Sadly enough churches have taken on this "attractions" mentality to do whatever they can to  attract people to come and visit.  I will say that even the best of attraction churches don't have people lined up at the door waiting to get in (except maybe Hillsong NYC).  The thrill of those wanting to see an attraction isn't enough to get the masses to come and try it out, so we try to give things away....Wow.  That was a big step in the wrong direction.  We end up feeding the very thing we preach and teach against in our attempt to get the people in the door.   Oh I believe in creativity when reaching people and I also believe we should use tools that are available to be current and relevant.  Sometimes it can get just a little out of hand though.  I love Disney World and would go there often if the funds were available.  I would walk through the park built around make believe characters and make believe stories that capture our kids imagination.  I have done that by the way.  They are the marketing capitals of the world and I bet their upper management planning meetings are laced with all kinds of ways to get us hooked on the latest, greatest thing.  They are experts in marketing and controlling the masses through manipulation and that marketing surely works as we go back again and again. So, is that what it takes to get people in to church.  I heard one guy say, "I will do whatever it takes to get people in the church doors!!"  It sounds noble, but maybe very lacking when it comes to the reality of what people need in their lives.  To compromise the message means something has to give somewhere.  
When I was a kid my brother in law introduced me to "trolling."  You know, fishing from the back of the boat as it moves forward and takes your lure at slow speed past unsuspecting fish in the lake.  I remember Ralph telling me, "Don't troll too deep or you will get hung up on the bottom."  That was a good lesson for all of us in church life today.  Don't dip our ways of reaching people too deep in the pool of mediocrity and worldliness because we may get hung up on something that will break our line and stop the fishing altogether.  Jesus said in Matthew 4:19 "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."  He wasn't talking about getting them to come to a "kickin floor show."  He was talking about sharing the message one on one with everyone they met because the message was from God and it had all the attraction one would need.
So, what is our greatest attraction.  How bout the Holy Spirit in our lives?  When you accept Jesus Christ you receive the Holy Spirit and that is your greatest attraction to a lost and dying world.  John 14: 25 "I have told you this while I am with you  The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name- he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you."  In our attempt to be relevant and reach the masses may we never forget Jesus and His power.  Without that power we are nothing anyway, so we should use the pure source and not a borrowed one to attract people to Him.  Because contrary to the Disney Song  "It's a BIG world after all...."


The Pilgrimage continues.....

David Warren