Scott Cheatham’s Weblog

There’s not much for me to write about today..  In the past few hours I’ve had some interesting conversations about church.

When a church isn’t growing is it the pastor’s fault? If it grows, should he get all the accolades?  Surely the Pastor must LEAD.  He has to.  But in the same vein, people have to be willing to get their hands dirty.  Real growth comes from real sowing.

When a church baptizes more folks than they average in attendance in a month, is it really growth? Where they really changed?  I was asked my thoughts about a real situation involving a pastor.  For the sake of discussion I will use a hypothetical.  Pastor Whizbang averages 75 in service but yet he claims to be baptizing 15-20 a month when he meets with other pastors.  The question then becomes, why isn’t his average attendance climbing by AT LEAST half of that?  Are these people coming to worship?  Or are they just notches on a bible belt?  My take on this and this is what I told my friend…I don’t consider it a “conversion” of any kind until that person has shown by his or her fruit that they are committed.  I’ve baptized many folks but many of them fizzle out and aren’t involved.  Are they really converted?

Should we play secular “rock” music in our worship service? This one’s a hot button topic I’ve heard recently.  Some churches use a secular song with a message that ties to the message series or message itself.  Is it right or wrong?  Ah, the buttons that could be pressed.  I see it this way…I have about 20-22 minutes of music each week.  I want that music focused on the Cross and on Jesus Christ.  And more than that, I want the music focused on what HE has done for us and our response to that, not about ME or I or anything self-centered.  You can tie in songs to work with your message or series if you take a little time.  I know others will disagree with me on this one, but I figure those that want to hear Green Day or U2 will tune it in on their car radios when they leave worship.  We only have a few minutes to get their attention and focus on the main thing.  Maybe I’m old fashioned…

I had a good friend who reads here regularly comment to me that I might give off the impression I’m being negative and critical of others.  I respected his words and have taken them into account here.  I have in no way meant to be critical of these practices..but I do believe we can question them.  That’s what real learning is about right?  These are my convictions.  Your mileage may vary!

Now on to the rest of my day…I wonder what conversations lie in store next.

Glaspey's Latest Book

One of my favorite authors has written a handy little guide to get people to start reading their bibles again (or maybe for the very first time!).  Terry Glaspey and Harvest House Publishers have hit a home run with their “One Minute Bible Guide”.  While this might be a little too light for pastors and very serious students of scripture, the “One Minute Bible Guide” is a great resource for the laymen just getting started in the habit of learning to use their bible.  In a few short pages, Glaspey lays out good reasons for beginning the daily habit of scripture reading, provides a great overview to the bible, and also presents a nice 90-day reading plan to cover all the major themes of the bible.  

Other features of this guide include short introductions to each book of the bible; quite handy once you start reading God’s Word book-by-book, famous quotations about scripture, and a reference of other works to help you in your spiritual growth.  The “One Minute Bible Guide” is a well written, to the point, reference book that can go with you as you take your bible to church, the coffee shop, work, or the park.  It’s small size makes it easy to transport and keep with you.  There isn’t a lot of fluff here due to the size so that makes the book that much better.

Glaspey’s works on C.S. Lewis, Prayer, and Great Books of the Christian Tradtion (still available used!) are some of my favorites.  When I worked in radio, I featured him several times on my talk show and he always impressed me with his solid scholarship and good humor.  He has definitely seen the need of a usable guide to the bible that’s not so deep as to scare off the average reader yet gives enough depth for this book to be profitable for a church that wants the bible to be front and center with it’s people.  I am currently looking into ways we can feature this work as part of our overall discipleship program at the church I now lead.

If you buy the book at your local bookstore, it’s only $5.99 so why not pick one up and check it out.  When you’re done with it, share it with a friend!  Bible reading today has reached epidemic lows, even among church going Christians.  If we are going to stem the tide of biblical illiteracy, we need to find ways to get the bible back in the hands of our people and actually help them READ IT!  Glaspey’s book will go a long way to helping in this endeavor.  I recommend it highly to you.

If you wake me each morning with the sound of your loving voice, I’ll go to sleep each night trusting in you. Point out the road I must travel; I’m all ears, all eyes before you. 
(Psalms 143:8 MSG)

The demands of life sometimes put us in a place where we can feel isolated or at least a distance away from God’s hand.  In our intertwined work/personal life balancing act, the rush of inputs never stops and the furious pace at which we manage them can drain the life right out of us.  That’s why Jesus modeled a life for us that included times of solitude and quiet.  Times to get away from all of it and listen to God.

Let’s face it, if you are a pastor and reading this, you’ve been to that place where you are managing others’ lives better than your own.  You know better but yet, you feel obligated to do it because you love people and you love the Lord.  I do too and I’m blessed with a congregation that at times will tell me that I need to re-charge.  In business, you manage many others’ projects and have to keep a strong communication line open to your superiors.  What gets lost many times is your own soul as you balance the tension between your subordinates and your superiors.  Then there’s the parental responsibilities (if you have kids) of managing your kids’ lives while at the same time giving them life skills to make the decisions themselves, sometimes leaving little time for yourself.  If you have an aging parent or parents, then you’ve added another layer of responsibility to the mix.

Recently, I hit one of those cylces where I felt overwhelmed.  In my early years (when I was in my 20’s), I could rush headlong into it thinking I could outwork it until my fuse hit the powderkeg underneath and I just blew up.  Today, I understand the signs better.  It still doesn’t make managing them any easier but I know when I need to hit the off button, thus my lack of blogging last week in the midst of turning some things off for a bit.  I’ve written before about my dog, Buddy, and how he and I enjoy each other’s company in the early mornings when we are the only two awake.  I believe God knows our needs even in selecting pets.  Buddy is the perfect friend and I find in him a peace that God offers to me.  When I take him for a morning walk, his only compulsion is to explore and find new things.  He chases the squirrels, whimpers at other dogs, and excitedly follows the turning wheels of another car approaching as we make our way around the block.  At times, he points his nose skyward, sniffing out a new scent and trying to make out it’s origin and purpose.  It’s almost as if he looks heavenward and says, “What is this new thing God?”  He delights when whatever it is he was seeking shows itself to him.  Usually, as he goes through all of this motion, I’m quietly praying to God for direction and strength.  As the Psalm above says, “Point out the road I must travel; I’m all ears, all eyes before you”.  Much like my friend Buddy who’s all eyes and ears, I must find that place where I can excitedly find and explore new areas that God shows me.  In the midst of managing task lists, personal items, kids, and the church, I sometimes miss the scents, the sights, and the sounds of what it is God is showing me.  It is in those times, where God can strengthen me and give me courage for the coming journey.  To miss those things because of my own mismanagement is to miss out on the power of the Holy Spirit working in my life.

I do my best to take rest in God regularly so I can continue in what it is he calls me to.  I love God today more than I ever have.  Sometimes though, I wonder if I please him when I neglect the times of solitude he requires of me?  This is something I must get better in.  I thank my dog for showing me a better way!  God, take those times of quiet and use them to point out that road I MUST travel.  Give me your light to guide me.  Give me your courage to strengthen me.  And give me your love so I can give it to others.

Have a great week!

This past weekend, the church I pastor met in my home.  Yep, you heard right.  IN MY HOME.  Without taking too long to explain, it was something that happened quite accidentally with the city in which we are located.  Our group is fine and we are doing nothing wrong but to be safe and within our legal boundaries, we elected to play it safe until we discussed the issue with the city.  Today, it appears we are okay.  The city says we should be back in our building this coming Sunday.  I will pray that is so..

Regardless, we had the pleasure of hosting all who would come in our home.  I went and grabbed our coffee like I always do.  My wife elected to bake cinnamon rolls that made the house smell tremendous.  I was pleasantly surprised that all but a few of our families came.  The children went downstairs for their lesson and my worship leader played music in our kitchen as the church assembled in a collection of dining room chairs, lawn furniture, and two recliners!  The atmosphere was amazing.

When the music ended, I was sitting on a bench near our picture window and I began to speak from the book of Acts.  I had already planned to speak from this passage but I was taken that in this time, we were meeting as the early believers did over 2000 years ago in homes, praising God, sharing a good meal, and being taught from the Word.  The message was more interactive due to our small space.  A few people stopped to ask questions.  In the end, we gathered and held hands as we prayed to close our time together.  75 minutes had passed and afterwards, we elected to travel to the local steakhouse to enjoy lunch together.

We worshipped

We worshipped in my home

We worshipped in my home with gladness

When it was over and my wife and I returned home to take up the chairs, she complimented my message but for me, the message had occurred  as we gathered to pray.  It felt different but good.  I was grateful for the experience.  What Satan had intended for bad, God used for good.  I believe we grew stronger yesterday.  People gave praise reports..several of them.  All left smiling, hugging and happy.

God inhabits the praises of His people…

Indeed!

One night I was up late and having problems getting to sleep.  After getting an update on the evening sports scores I began surfing the channels and a familiar infomercial came on featuring the super absorbent “Sham Wow” and the hawker selling them (at right).  If you care enough to look for the product online, you can view the same infomerical I did and watch this guy quickly fast talk his way through a bottle of soda spilled on a carpet and how just one of the “Sham Wow” towels picked it all up even to the padding underneath.

How a spiritual illustration came to me during that time I’ll never know but I began to wonder how many people were picking up their phones to order after this demonstration?  The hawker claims to have made good money on the product (he owns it).  So much so, he’s now also hawking some chopper that you can hit with your fist to make mounds of salsa (he owns that product too)!

Anyway, my thought was this: When we talk about Jesus to our friends and people who ask, are we pitching Him just like the sham wow guy?  Look at the similarities.  This guy makes a mess and tells us his answer will quickly fix it down to the very pad.  In our anxiousness to see people come to the Lord, do we sometimes take their lives and spill it out like the cola on the pad and then claim that Jesus can come and fix it all, sopping up our mess right down to the pad?  Oh there may be a rough spot, even the sham wow guy has to flip the towel and give it a few hits of the hand to soak up the last ounces of cola.  But look, the sham wow picked it up in seconds.  Perhaps we “turn the towel” when our friends bring up this objection or that objection.  We get so focused on the decision, we forget that life’s messes don’t quite clean up like the sham wow.

Does that mean Jesus isn’t worth the decision?  Absolutely not.  But when we get so worried about the decision rather than the heart condition of the person making that choice, we risk damaging them for eternity.  Sure Jesus forgives our sin when we accept him.  But that doesn’t mean he’ll clean up the messiness of consequences after forgiving us.  Besides, if were truly repentant, the consequence would mean little compared to the gift of eternal life.  Accepting Jesus was the best decision I have ever made.  I’ve still lost jobs, been hurt by “church” people, watched friends die lost, and have watched my mother suffer excruciating pain over these past few months as she recovers from yet another illness.  Do I still believe?  Yes.  Do I still trust in the Lord knowing that his greatness will see me through?  Absolutely.  Do I understand all that God is doing around and in me?  NO.  I struggle with anger, sadness, and the flesh warring against the Holy Spirit that dwells within me.  To paraphrase the apostle Paul’s writings, why is that sin seems to be within easy reach and holiness can at times feel like a constant struggle?

We deny our friends the sweetness that comes in the good times when we deny that the bad times stink and can really, REALLY hurt.  When we tell them about Jesus, we only want to focus on the good.  It’s in the discipleship that we must, MUST focus on the bad.  The sham wow isn’t coming along to sop up the mess and make it all go away.  Our good actions in thankfulness to God will eventually help us but we must wade through the bad things sometimes.  When we get past the clouds and the sun is shining again, then we can look to the heavens with our fist clenched high and praise God for his goodness.  As Job wrote: “Though he slay me, I will give him praise” (Again, my paraphrase).

Thanks sham wow guy.  Thank you for clarifying my vision of witnessing to the people I care about.

Good night!

I have tried and participated in many things as a small group member, teacher, and now church pastor.  I started out years ago with a standard quarterly  curriculum in a Sunday School class that studied books of the bible.  This was good but after a time, we switched over to topical material (finances, marriage, etc.)  This led to a “singles” class for those not married who couldn’t benefit from the marriage curriculum.  Then we tried splitting off groups to discuss various topics each week with each person having the option to change groups each week.

I’ve read countless books on “free-market” groups that encourage more social gatherings along with the standard bible study offerings.  I’ve looked at “semester” based groups as opposed to “quarterly”.  Most recently, I’ve examined the “sermon-based” small group that is championed in the book “Sticky Church”. 

So what works for you?  Do you like quarterly or semester time schedules?  Sermon based, bible books, or topical?  Do you suspend your groups over the summer months or do you keep on going even if only a handful show up?

Many questions.  I’d love to discuss with some of you about this.  Please comment if you’re inclined and let’s have a dialog about this topic.

I was honored this month to have one of my articles printed in our denominational magazine, “ONE”.  It was a short article dealing with “active discipleship”.  I believe learning to be an “active” disciple is fundamental to any success we can have as pastors and church leaders.

My daughter also had one of her articles printed to go along with mine.  You can read it here.  I’m quite proud of her and her contributions to the church plant here!

Our denominational magazine is a great publication and publishes every article online for each issue.  It’s a great way to keep up with what is happening across the country and across the globe.  Mine is the only church plant in Denver and one of only five in the entire state of Colorado so I like keeping up with old friends.

If you get a chance, read the article and let me know your thoughts!

The holidays are a great time to catch up on some reading you’ve been putting off.  Yes I know Friday will be busy as can be for shoppers but I choose not to get caught up in the mess.  I’ve been purchasing gifts for the past few months and will pick a few items over the next few weeks leading up to the holiday but for me, sitting back and enjoying the decorations and reading some good books is a perfect way to relax and enjoy the holiday season.

So what am I reading these next few weeks?  Well, I’ve wanted to read some good material on prayer for a while so I’ve started with Calvin Miller’s latest work, “The Path of Celtic Prayer”.  So far, I’ve enjoyed this one.  Miller’s book looks at six areas of the prayer life of the Celts.

After that book, I’m going to read Eugene Peterson’s masterpiece on prayer called “Answering God”.  Long before “The Message” was written, Peterson was writing some phenomenal material.  This book dates back nearly 20 years (1989) and uses the Psalms as a prayer book.  I read this several years ago but books like this are worth reading again.

I’m hoping I’ll have time into the new year as well to finish the third book I have lined up and that is Richard Foster’s excellent tome on the subject titled “Prayer – Finding the Heart’s True Home”.  Most who of Foster know him for his best known work “Celebration of Discipline” but he has written other great books including this one.  I recently purchased the ebook for reading on my Sony Reader so this one may travel with me in January when I visit Missouri for a missions conference.  I’m hoping to be done with it before then but with moving our church plant to a storefront, it’s been a busy time for me.   

These three books teach a great deal about the subject of the discipline of prayer.  I can’t wait to dig into each one over the next few weeks and I know I’ll be stronger for it.  As our church launches in its new location, I’ve felt convicted to strengthen myself in this area and encourage deeper prayer in our congregation as we move forward.

Fans of the English Standard Version bible translation now have a new online site for their studies.  The ESV Study Bible team has finally released the online version of their long-awaited study bible this week.  Unique to this online bible is that many features in it, such as highlighting text and taking notes, will be free to users regardless of whether or not they purchase the study bible itself.  However, for those who do purchase the study bible, a special code is provided that will allow full access to all of the site’s features including some things that could be only be done online.  

I’ve been waiting for this study bible for several years now and am excited to see it finally come to light.  From all the reviews I’m reading, this will be well worth the wait.  Already, I own the “Reformation” and “Literary” study bibles in the ESV translation and both are quite helpful in my sermon preparation.  The Literary Study Bible also has an online version available for a small fee that gives you lifetime access.  This is great since I rarely use software anymore for my studies.  I can access study notes from both bibles online along with a wealth of commentaries through eBible and other related sites.

Discounts are available for people who pre-purchase the new ESV study bible today.  The last time I checked, the discounts were better than the standard discounts you get from online Christian book dealers.  It might be worth a look.  In any event, check out the new site and see if you don’t agree that it’s an outstanding resource.

I’ve written before about my love of the ESV Bible.  It’s a great translation and one that our church has been using since 2003.  Next week, the long awaited ESV Study Bible will be released.  I’m planning to pre-order some for our leaders as gifts.  The notes and features in this bible are amazing.  As an added benefit, all purchasers immediately receive access to the online edition of the study bible which is even cooler since I’m out and about a lot.  Check out the video and put this on your “to-buy” list if you’re in the market for a new bible!