We haven’t placed as large a value on church membership at Grace as we have things like salvation, baptism, serving others, etc. Because of that, we have very few members and some of our most active people are not “official” members of Grace.

Recently I asked one such man to attend an annual banquet being held in our city for a large International ministry on our behalf. If I wrote the ministry name here you would easily know it and surely agree they do great work. Still, this ministry is “old school” in a lot of ways. My guy said he and another from our church were the only two without suits on (Shame on them!). At the conclusion of the night our guy was motivated enough about the ministry that he was willing to join their organization. They wouldn’t accept him. Reason: He is not a “member” of my church. If he had been a “member”, they would have taken him without question. (BTW, they did take his donation.)

Can someone explain this one to me? I know churches that have 3 or 4 times as many members as they do people who actually even attend their services each week. I know people who are “members” of a church, but they have attended church in years and they certainly aren’t serving that church.

Is it time to re-think what church membership really is and what it isn’t? Does it have the value it supposedly once had?

Reading 2 Timothy 1:3 this morning gives me hope. Paul writes “I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience”. I think about Paul’s life; the things he had done against the Gospel; how he was probably one of the chief murderers of Christians in his day, and yet Paul could write his last letter to Timothy with a clear conscience. It gives me hope.

My sins are many and many are continuous sins, yet I can write this blog with a clear conscience. I can continue piecing together my message for Sunday without the guilt of sin discouraging or distracting me. Not because I am holy or worthy on my own, but because Jesus truly paid the price for my liberty He has wiped my slate clean. My debt has been paid. I can live in victory knowing that I am right with my Creator.

Today may I not be burdened by the junk of my past but may I live to please the One who has set me free.

Someone Twittered this today and I’ve enjoyed sharing it. Thought I’d share it here. Perry Noble was at the Whiteboard Conference. Seems like a nice guy. He’s certainly funny.

Anyway, thought I’d pass it along also. What would it be like had David, the David and Goliath David, had been able to Twitter:

http://www.perrynoble.com/2008/05/28/what-if-david-would-have-twittered

A local theater closed near my home recently. It had been a thriving business, but when the newer theaters opened with stadium seating, including one by this same company, it just couldn’t continue to compete.

Today I was driving by the theater and on the marquis is written “Closed For Business”. That strikes me as funny. Shouldn’t it say simply “Closed” or “Permanently Closed” or something like that? ? You could be closed “from (doing) business, but not closed “for” business. Dictionary.com says the word “for” means: “with the object or purpose of”, such as in the phrase “to run for exercise.” You don’t close for business; you close from business.

Well, enough of that, but it did make me think. How many times are we in our churches (or businesses) closed FROM business? We know what we need to do; we have the right goals, strategies and visions, but we never really accomplish what we set out to do. We are, for all practical purposes, at least in that area of ministry, closed. We blame it on a lack of something. “If I had more volunteers…”… “If I had more time or more money…” There’s always an excuse for not growing or completing our vision. We are essentially, for all practical purposes, “Closed For Business”.

Maybe we need to re-open. Perhaps we need to push through the moment that seems impossible, work on the hindrances to achievement, and stay with it until we are once again “Open For Business”. I think many of the challenges we face may be overcome if we just come at them with the positive mindset that we must find a solution, because we are “open” for business.

Yesterday I Twittered this question: Could your greatest fear be God’s greatest opportunity to express His glory through you?

I’ve often found in my life that the things I know God wants me to do are also the things I fear doing the most. Many times God has allowed me to get into situations where I’m “over my head” or “out of my league”, which scares me to death, but it’s also at those times that He seems to be doing or wants to do His best work through me. The challenge is to be walking close enough to God that I can sense His desire and direction for my life and then to obediently follow the path He lays out for me.

Lately I’ve been sensing some scary challenges God is laying before me. What will I allow to determine my next steps…my fear….or my faith in God’s ability to display His glory through my obedience?

Stay tuned.

Today we dropped off my youngest son at Boy’s State. He will only be there a week and he’s been gone a week at a time many times before. Something seemed different today though. Maybe it was because he was being dropped off at a college dorm room and it became a little more of a reality that he is a senior. Next year this time he will graduate from high school and shortly after we will deliver him to a college probably miles away from home. Our last son will leave home and Cheryl and I will be empty-nesters……… Until they decide to move in again for a while. .

All a part of the stages of life.

I got to be in the presence of religious “greatness” recently. This pastor is at a prestigious church. If you don’t know that he will tell you. Unfortunately he lives in a bubble; the same kind the Pharisees lived in. I saw him walking around a conference we were both at and he came across as unapproachable and arrogant.

I have learned in life that matters of the heart matter most. Even if one is “right” theologically, if their heart is hard towards other people, then they are still “wrong” when it comes to the truest things of importance to God.

I don’t intend to come across as judgmental. I’m sure had I been able to get to know this pastor we would have shared much in common and even could have been good friends. The fact is, aside from the prestigious church part, that pastor could have been me. It served as a good reminder that the way I treat others is more important than who I “think” I am. I can know theology and insights into church history and traditions, but if I don’t love others as Christ does then I’m not living His desire for my life.

I’m not the most patient person. In fact, I’m not very patient at all. Yesterday my patience was tested; and, for the most part…my patience failed. The trip home from DC took far longer than it should; in many ways we wasted a whole day; I got to do very little of the things I love to do in DC (It’s one of my favorite cities); and it was an expensive process.

So what did I learn? Reflecting on the experience today, as I sit calmly on my back patio, listening to the birds peacefully chirping; drinking some of the best coffee in the world; I learned that losing my patience yesterday was probably the biggest setback of the day. The inconveniences of traffic, lost wallets, and the waitress who forgot our food order making us almost late for the plane, probably were not huge deals in the scheme of my life. I have certainly had worse days. The fact that I was spending those moments with my near 17 year old son, who has a crazy summer starting tomorrow and this year enters his last year of high school and then will move away, should have been enough for me to enjoy the journey and time with him.

Hey, I’m only 44…. Who would have expected me to learn these things so soon in life? Perhaps with the grandchildren….

I think I have a heart for church planting. Everywhere I go I see potential. Everywhere I have a heart for the people. I want to invest in their life. I want those who don't go to church to have a church that's engaging, relevant and life-changing.

Maybe being a planter is the right job for me. You think?
Ron Edmondson
Grace Community Church

Whiteboard wasn’t what I expected. I thought it would be more of a leadership conference. I thought there would be younger people there. It may be because it was the first year but the speakers did more preaching and I was an average age among the attenders.

Either way I’m glad I came. I was able to think through some things I might never have had time to think about. Plus, even better, I got to spend some quality time with one of the two most important men in my life; my near 17 year old son. It has been neat watching him process some things. He made a few connections. Once I saw him surrounded by 5 or 6 other guys and he seemed to be leading the discussion. I was impressed.

God is good. I’m glad I get to serve Him.

Ron Edmondson
Grace Community Church