tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62533937687031319742024-03-08T11:14:43.422-08:00Brian WrightBrian Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07454316915383364694noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253393768703131974.post-1626046518200527322011-09-14T10:52:00.000-07:002011-09-14T10:52:37.921-07:00Finding Value in the Struggle <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Mark Sanchez was one of the most athletically gifted people ever to come out of college.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He could have played college basketball or baseball but he chose to be play quarterback for the University of Southern California Trojans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 2008 when he became the starter, he led the Trojans to a 12-1 record and was named MVP in their Rose Bowl win over Penn State.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the time came for Mark Sanchez to make the move to professional football, teams were lined up wanting his services.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was chosen in the first round of the 2009 draft by the NY Jets and given a monstrous contract.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In the NFL, however, Sanchez has struggled with handling the fame that comes along with being an NFL quarterback.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite being one of the most naturally gifted people in the NFL, Sanchez’s numbers have been disappointing for his fans and supporters through his first two years of being a pro leaving some to wonder if his extracurricular activities are a distraction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sanchez regularly makes public appearances on the “red carpet’ in Hollywood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had legal trouble in college, being accused of sexual assault and having the charges dropped and later making headlines for his relationship with a 17 year old high school student.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Compare the young career of Sanchez with that of a much less touted college player, Tom Brady.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After playing <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">college football</span> at <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Michigan</span>, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">2000 NFL Draft</span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brady is meticulous, disciplined, and has a great work ethic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite not possessing the natural ability of Mark Sanchez, Brady has learned the discipline of hard work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brady, though just as popular as Sanchez, has been able to avoid the party boy persona of his younger colleague.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Brady has played in four <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Super Bowls</span>, winning three of them (<span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">XXXVI</span>, <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">XXXVIII</span>, <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">XXXIX</span>). He has also won two <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Super Bowl MVP</span> awards (XXXVI and XXXVIII), has been selected to six <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Pro Bowls</span>, holds the NFL record for most <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">touchdown passes</span> in a single regular season. His career postseason record is 14–5. He also helped set the record for the longest consecutive win streak in NFL history with 21 straight wins over two seasons (2003–04),and in 2007 he led the Patriots to the first <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">undefeated regular season</span> since the institution of the 16-game schedule. Brady has the fifth-highest <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">career passer rating</span> of all time (95.5) among quarterbacks with at least 1,500 career passing attempts. He, along with <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Joe Montana</span>, are the only two players in NFL history to have won multiple NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP awards (2 NFL MVPs, 2 Super Bowl MVPs).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before the 2011 season, his fellow players voted him the best player in the NFL<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I have often thanked God that I am not naturally gifted so that things come easily for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have found a lot more character in the struggle and hard work required to attain success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When fame and fortune come easily, it tempts us to become arrogant and forget the author of all our blessings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the struggle, we learn whose hand we really hold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember in I Corinthians 1:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt; text-align: center;"><sup><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">26</span></sup><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. <sup id="en-NIV-28391">27</sup> But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. <sup id="en-NIV-28392">28</sup> God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, <sup id="en-NIV-28393">29</sup> so that no one may boast before him. <sup id="en-NIV-28394">30</sup> It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. <sup id="en-NIV-28395">31</sup> Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”<sup value="[<a href="#fen-NIV-28395d" title="See footnote d">d</a>]"><o:p></o:p></sup></span></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A life fully committed to Christ, completely dependent on its higher power, and fully aware of its own dark side and temptations is worth more than two who are full of talent but have no direction, work ethic and are not teachable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next time you see those people on TV in their beautiful clothes, driving fancy cars, surrounded by famous people, remember that a life fully yielded, broken and willing to be rebuilt is worth far more than someone who thinks they have it all figured out. <sup><o:p></o:p></sup></span><br />
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. (I Cor 1:25)<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">With all my heart, soul, mind and strength…<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Brian<o:p></o:p></span>Brian Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07454316915383364694noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253393768703131974.post-33231228565756015922011-09-09T13:15:00.000-07:002011-09-09T13:15:51.968-07:00Kaleo (kal-eh'-o)<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #660000;">Kaleo is a Greek word translated:</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #660000;">1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to call</span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #660000;">2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to call aloud, utter in a loud voice </span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #660000;">3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> t</span>o invite</span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Tahoma;"></span></span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Tahoma;">4. to call out</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Tahoma;"></span></span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Tahoma;">This Sunday evening at 6:00 pm, the Northeast Atlanta community will have a new kind of church community. The name of the church is KALEO and come from the central mission of the church in the world...to call people to faith: <span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: small;">“Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were <i><u>called</u></i>.” <br />
(1 Timothy 6:12)</span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><h3><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;">Core Values of KALEO:</span></h3><span style="color: blue; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; language: X-NONE;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt; language: EN; line-height: 100%;">We believe that anointed teaching is the catalyst for transformation in individual lives and in the church.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; language: EN; line-height: 100%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-level-font-family: Symbol; mso-level-number-format: bullet; mso-level-size: 10.0pt; mso-level-text: ·; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; language: X-NONE;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt; language: EN; line-height: 100%;">We believe that lost people matter to God and therefore, ought to matter to the church. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; language: EN; line-height: 100%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="language: EN;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-level-font-family: Symbol; mso-level-number-format: bullet; mso-level-size: 10.0pt; mso-level-text: ·; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; language: X-NONE;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt; language: EN; line-height: 100%;">We believe that the church should be culturally relevant while remaining doctrinally pure.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; language: EN; line-height: 100%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-level-font-family: Symbol; mso-level-number-format: bullet; mso-level-size: 10.0pt; mso-level-text: ·; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; language: X-NONE;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt; language: EN; line-height: 100%;">We believe that Christ followers should manifest authenticity and yearn for continuous growth.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-level-font-family: Symbol; mso-level-number-format: bullet; mso-level-size: 10.0pt; mso-level-text: ·; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt; language: EN; line-height: 100%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-level-font-family: Symbol; mso-level-number-format: bullet; mso-level-size: 10.0pt; mso-level-text: ·; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; language: X-NONE;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt; language: EN; line-height: 100%;">We believe that a church should operate as a unified community of servants with men and women stewarding their spiritual gifts.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; language: EN; line-height: 100%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-level-font-family: Symbol; mso-level-number-format: bullet; mso-level-size: 10.0pt; mso-level-text: ·; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; language: X-NONE;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt; language: EN; line-height: 100%;">We believe that loving relationships should permeate every aspect of church life.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt; language: EN; line-height: 100%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-level-font-family: Symbol; mso-level-number-format: bullet; mso-level-size: 10.0pt; mso-level-text: ·; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; language: X-NONE;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt; language: EN; line-height: 100%;">We believe that life-change happens best in small groups.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; language: EN; line-height: 100%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; language: EN; line-height: 100%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-level-font-family: Symbol; mso-level-number-format: bullet; mso-level-size: 10.0pt; mso-level-text: ·; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; language: X-NONE;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt; language: EN; line-height: 100%;">We believe that excellence honors God and inspires people.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; language: EN; line-height: 100%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; language: EN; line-height: 100%;"> </span><span style="color: blue; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; language: X-NONE;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt; language: EN; line-height: 100%;">We believe that churches should be led by men and women with leadership gifts.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt; language: EN; line-height: 100%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-level-font-family: Symbol; mso-level-number-format: bullet; mso-level-size: 10.0pt; mso-level-text: ·; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; language: X-NONE;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt; language: EN; line-height: 100%;">We believe that the pursuit of full devotion to Christ and His cause should be normal for every believer.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-level-font-family: Symbol; mso-level-number-format: bullet; mso-level-size: 10.0pt; mso-level-text: ·; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; language: EN; line-height: 100%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Symbol; font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-level-font-family: Symbol; mso-level-number-format: bullet; mso-level-size: 10.0pt; mso-level-text: ·; text-indent: -18pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-level-font-family: Symbol; mso-level-number-format: bullet; mso-level-size: 10.0pt; mso-level-text: ·; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; language: EN; line-height: 100%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span>The world does not need another church...it needs a different kind of church. Come this Sunday and see what its all about...3070 Mercer Uiversity Drive...in a community called Regent Centre, building 3070.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-level-font-family: Symbol; mso-level-number-format: bullet; mso-level-size: 10.0pt; mso-level-text: ·; text-indent: -18pt;"><br />
</div></span></span></span></div>Brian Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07454316915383364694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253393768703131974.post-33275224936134819772011-08-28T17:28:00.000-07:002011-08-28T17:28:20.689-07:00Unity, Diversity and the Body of Christ <span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I recently went to a highly celebrated Italian restaurant in Atlanta.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It had a huge opening and much publicized debut on the trendy north side of Atlanta.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This restaurant is owed by a family group in Atlanta that manages some of the most unique eating places in the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This place sought to bring authentic pizza from Naples to the south complete with the finest ground flour and freshest ingredients that can be placed on a pie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The setting was impressive and the two large 800 degree cooking ovens for which the restaurant was named clearly evident when one walks through the door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was shocked when I got to the menu however and found printed across the bottom something like…our pizzas are perfect like they are and we do not add or subtract toppings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tried one of the most popular but ended up picked the arugula off myself.<o:p></o:p></span> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I realized a couple of things that night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t have a sophisticated enough palate to appreciate double zero ground flour and the finest ingredients and secondly, being forced into conformity with others made me feel like I lost my identity and uniqueness in favor of the more thoughtful and sophisticated connoisseurs who had planned the menu.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It made me wonder about the church and the terrible loss of creativity, energy and passion when people are made to practice their faith in small unoriginal boxes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wonder how many people have felt the call to change the world for the good and have gotten swept away on some useless committee in the church or told that they could only exercise their faith according to the traditions of their denomination.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I have seen people almost come to tears because others would not be as passionate about a particular ministry in the church as they are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why will everyone in the church not sign up to volunteer in the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>nursery some have asked me?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then who would work in the youth department?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why does everyone not fight for the same cause that I fight for?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because that is your cause…and they have another cause.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Do you care about the environment?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Great…be the best environmentalist that you can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you care about animals?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then your interest in caring for animals may mean God has given you that passion to fight for animal rights in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your passion for that topic is your calling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your passion for an issue is your indicator that you are called to raise concern and fight for your passion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our goal is to fulfill our role without forcing others to think or believe the way we do and without becoming disillusioned because we cant win the world to thinking that our cause is the most important in the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Unity in the body of Christ does not mean conformity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Conformity is when all people act, think, look and live out the same values.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Diversity makes this very complicated in the church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The drastically different life experiences, personality traits, family values and cultural experiences mean that we all come into the church with very different passions, interests, approaches, and ideas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our goal is not to have a group of people who all think the same or even who care about the same things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Success in the body of Christ is not gathering a group of people together and convincing them to care about our passions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My passions are mine and I am here to make sure they receive attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are here to make sure your passions get the attention they need.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Unity means that we all work together, fulfilling our role, doing our part, fighting for our passions and making a difference however we can and when we all work together for the kingdom of God, then all our passions receive attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Check the bottom of your bulletins this Sunday and make sure you don’t ever think that your church, like the restaurant I mentioned earlier, is perfect just the way it is and has no room for customization or creativity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Allow everyone who comes with a skill, passion, talent, gift, or even curiosity to offer their loaves and fish.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">With all my heart, soul, mind and strength<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Brian<o:p></o:p></span></div>Brian Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07454316915383364694noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253393768703131974.post-39960117136808080262011-08-19T06:03:00.000-07:002011-08-19T06:03:04.607-07:00Is America's Greatest Generation the Church's Worst Nightmare?<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I know two men who worked for the same employer for 60 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One man worked for the Dekalb County school system for 60 years before retiring and the other worked for Atlanta Dental for six decades before he finally stopped going to the office every morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both men also live in the same homes that they bought in their young adult years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It occurred to me recently that these may very well be the only two people I will ever know to accomplish this feat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a remarkable testimony to their stability and commitment to their jobs and companies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of the people that I worked with in my church job were of the WWII generation, labeled the Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As young teens and young adults, they were called on by their country to leave their homes and lives and fight tyranny overseas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They responded with tremendous patriotism and freed Europe from the clutches of a madman.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">When they returned to America after the war, our nation experienced a boom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suburban neighborhoods began to pop up all over the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Housing could hardly be built fast enough for the exploding families and schools, shopping and places of worship followed these young families to their suburban neighborhoods. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of these people stayed in their homes for 50 plus years and built strong stable neighborhoods that remain today.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">For the church, the post WWII years were one of great prosperity and populace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Churches were built in every neighborhood and would be full within a few months as new families flocked to new faith communities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my city of Atlanta, almost all the churches inside the perimeter, it seems, were started in a 20 year period around the end of WWII.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course this is an exaggeration but many were started in these years.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>These patriots fill houses of worship and faith communities flourished with their stable and deeply committed life styles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Churches came to depend on them and began catering to them as the shape of American Christianity was transformed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their values of local neighborhoods, stability, patriotism and institutionalism became synonymous with the Western church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their generosity and commitment, especially as they retired, made them vital to the life of thousands of faith communities around the country and they became the driving force in Western Christianity.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The type of religion that grew in America alongside the WWII generation gave rise to some of the hallmarks of our histories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They built fabulous buildings, schools, printing presses, newspapers, mission agencies, and their loyalty to their denominations and churches made almost anything attempted prosper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their institutional stability and resistance to change drastically altered the way church was organized and run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Missions became sending money to cooperative projects rather than serving hands on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Education became synonymous with denominational curriculum rather than true spiritual formation and commitment was shown by loyalty to denominational programs rather than by a life lived in accordance to Jesus’ teachings.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Today, many mainline and Evangelical churches are still predominantly filled with the members of the greatest generation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the churches that were founded in the post WWII boom are still populated with their original members.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of those churches still look relatively the same today as they did fifty years ago when they were started.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What impact does a generation of people who worked at their jobs for 40+ years and lived in the same home for 40 + years have for the modern church?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Could the values (denominational loyalty, stable to the point of resisting change) that made this generation so vital to the church in the 60s and 70s be hurting the church as it seeks to move into the future?<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In no way do I mean to lay responsibility for all the churches problems at the feet of a stereotyped group of people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am merely pointing out that the majority of church attendees in my denominational tradition are from a generation that strongly held to the ideas of spectator religion, conformity and as little change as possible, then newer generations who value modern expressions of faith and live in a fast paced world where innovation and change are prized possessions are not going to feel at home in our WWII generation churches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would love to hear your thoughts.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">With all my heart, soul, mind and strength<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Brian<o:p></o:p></span></div>Brian Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07454316915383364694noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253393768703131974.post-32582108902732320522011-08-15T19:43:00.000-07:002011-08-15T19:43:16.838-07:00A New Blog for a New BeginningI am so glad you have found your way to this site. This is the place you can keep up the the new exciting journey that God is allowing me to be a part of and read and comment on the posts and articles that I write. Please pass it around and invite your friends to follow. My first article is coming next week: "Is the Greatest Generation the Church's Worst Nightmare." I am sure the research I am currently doing will be fodder for a great discussion.<br />
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With all my heart, soul, mind and strength<br />
Brian<br />
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Brian Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07454316915383364694noreply@blogger.com0