Vandalism or Opportunity for Ministry - That's the Church

I recently read an article online that points to who the church can be.

The picture on the left was what greeted the Rev. Thomas Broad and the members of Grace Episcopal Church in rural New York one morning.

Someone had vandalized their beloved church building.

How would you and your church have responded and reacted to this act of violation and vandalism?

I love the way Grace Episcopal Church responded.

They took the question, and more importantly the person who might be hurting, seriously that they looked beyond the vandalism.

Sure it could have been someone who just wanted to be snarky. Sure it could have been someone who was playing a cruel joke.

But what if someone was really hurting?

How should the church of Jesus Christ respond?

I love what Grace Episcopal Church did.

They used their own church building to proclaim a word of truth and grace.

I love it!

That's the church!

Stinky, Messy, Dirty...Yup That's the Church

The church is a lot like the Noah's Ark.

Sure, the ark must have had its glorious moments, but I imagine that most of the time the ark was an overcrowded barn that was stinky, dirty, crowded, hot, and did I mention stinky?

There were animals all over the place pooping, peeing, eating, sleeping, bleating, roaring, croaking, farting...you know...being animals.

• The tiger's over with the lions taunting them about how the lion may be the king of the jungle but the tigers are the king of the ark
• All the animals and Noah's family complaining about the hippos and elephants because they eat way too much, poop way too much, pee way too much
• The wolves are with the sheep looking for the perfect opportunity to "invite" the sheep for dinner

Living conditions for Noah and his family couldn't have been pleasant.

Tempers must have flared.

There had to have been arguments that needed mending, squabbles and confrontations that needed healing.

Even with all this, you wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else. Because if you were, you were dead. The ark was the only place on earth where living creatures lived...unless you were a fish.

That's the church!

Sure, the church can sometimes be messy, dirty, and smelly.

Why? Because the church is made up of people like you and me!

Because people like you and me make up the church, there's bound to be some flare ups and some misunderstandings. There's bound to be times when arguments get heated and relationships need to be mended.

But you know what? The church - for better for worse - is the body of Christ and it is the only vehicle God has given to humanity to carry on the work and the ministry of Jesus Christ.

So...you find yourself going through a rough spot in ministry and in your church life?

Don't be surprised.

That's ministry.

That's the church.

How Many Books of the Bible Can You Find?

I received the following puzzle from a friend a while back. It drove me crazy trying to find the books of the Bible. Can you find all 30?

There are 30 books of the Bible in this paragraph. Can you find them? This is a most remarkable puzzle. It was found by a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu. Keeping him occupied for hours. He enjoyed it so much he passed it on to some friends. One friend from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his john boat. Another friend studied it while playing his banjo. Elaine Taylor, a columnist friend was so intrigued by it she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column. Another friend judges the job of solving this puzzle so involving, she brews a cup of tea to help her nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot. That's a fact. Some people, however, will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized. Truthfully, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or scholar to see some of them at the worst. Research has shown that something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty we have in seeing the book in this paragraph. During a recent fund raising event, which featured this puzzle, the Alpha Delta Phi lemonade booth set a new sales record. The local paper, The Chronicle, surveyed over 200 patrons who reported that this puzzle was one of the most difficult they had ever seen. As Daniel Humana humbly puts it, the books are all right there in plain view hidden from sight. Those able to find all of them will hear lamentations from those who have to be shown. One revelation that may help is that books like Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. Also, keep in mind that punctuation and spacers in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude will help you compete really well against those who claim to know the answers. Remember there is no need for a mad exodus, there really are 30 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in the paragraph waiting to be found.