Why do people leave the church?

I've moved on to the ecclesiology section of my doctrinal statement - the end is now in sight!!!! - and in the middle of some research, I came across an interesting quote:
"I would therefore suggest that the main reason people leave a church is because they have an entitlement mentality rather than a servant mentality."  
(Here's a link to the full article: http://thomrainer.com/2013/01/21/the-main-reason-people-leave-a-church/ *Please note that though I have cited the source, I cannot at this time give an endorsement of the gentleman that wrote it, since this is the first article of his that I have read.)

I agree with Mr. Rainer on this one; the church has been pervaded by the mentality of entitlement. Quite an accurate description, really. We have mastered the art of self-centeredness, thinking we deserve everything exactly as we'd like it, and not considering what is best for all involved. And when things don't go our way, we feel no shame in moving right along to the next thing, or in this case, church.

I'm not here to condemn but to challenge both you, my reader, and myself. I'm vested in my church; I want it to keep growing. But I know that can only happen if the people that enter its doors have a desire to give and serve and be changed more like Christ. So I ask you, what kind of mentality do you have towards your church? Do you come to church seeking to serve others, to give of your talents and gifts so that other believers can be edified and encouraged? Or do you come to church every Sunday expecting only to get, and criticizing all the imperfections you see? Can I encourage you that you will receive a much greater blessing if you enter the church doors ready and willing to invest and be a blessing to others?

A Weighty Subject

I've been working full steam these last few weeks on my doctrinal statement, the final step of my application. It has been exciting to dig deep and flesh out on paper exactly what I believe, and I am very thankful to have kept notebooks from my college doctrine classes, as well as having the world wide web for resources!

Tonight, however, was quite sobering. I just completed the section on what I believe about hell. Talk about weighty. I didn't write or learn anything new (other than which verses I'm basing my beliefs on), but to sit here and read what I just wrote is powerful. Scary. Because I believe with my whole heart that hell is literal, it's physical, and it's unending torment in a lake of fire. And people I know and have contact with every single day are headed there, unless they know and believe on my Savior.

I can't help but ask. Do you know Jesus? Know the One who chose to die for you, so you could stand forgiven in front of the throne of the Almighty God?

And for you, believer, I have a quote I came across today that reflects both my thoughts and ongoing conversations with a kindred spirit, and convicts after studying what the Bible says about hell. Here it is:

"Perhaps if there were more of that intense distress for souls that leads to tears, we should more frequently see the results we desire. Sometimes it may be that while we are complaining of the hardness of the hearts of those we are seeking to benefit, the hardness of our own hearts and our feeble apprehension of the solemn reality of eternal things may be the true cause of our want of success."      ~Hudson Taylor

The fragility of life

It seems like I'm sharing a lot of poetry right now, but sometimes poetry just has a way of speaking to the depths of one's soul, of gripping one's heart with truth. Tonight I share a poem from Stanislaw Baranczak.

"If china, then only the kind
you wouldn't miss under the mover's shoes 
        or the treads of a tank;
if a chair, then one that's not too comfortable, or
you'll regret getting up and leaving;
if clothes, then only what will fit in one suitcase;
if books, then those you know by heart;
if plans, then the ones you can give up 
when it comes time for the next move
to another street, another continent or epoch
or world,
Who told you to settle in?
Who told you this or that would last forever?
Didn't anyone ever tell you that you'll never 
in the world
feel at home here?"

Life is temporary and fragile. Sometimes we forget that our lives our a vapor that could pass away in an instant. I'm not promised the next year, day, or even the next breath. I don't usually stop to ponder the fact that this could be my last night on this earth. But on another level, as a Christian, the question haunts: "Who told you to settle in? Who told you this or that would last forever?"

Prayer from a little seed

I read this tonight and saw myself. And so I pray these words heartfelt, knowing that God is calling me out of my little controlled "pot" to grow and bear fruit somewhere past my little horizons, to the place where He is leading me. 

A grain of seed, Lord.
Tiny. Inert.
The tight-turned, curled embryo
held hard within.
Straightjacketed by winter waiting.
Yet in your purposes
destined for life and growth.
Ready to reach for light,
expand, spread branches.
Leaf, bud, and fruit.

The kingdom of heaven,
like a grain of seed.
The kingdom of heaven, in me.
Its seed tight-packed.
Restricted in the shell of my inertia.
The warmth of your Spirit
prompts it to life.
But when it stirs,
sets root, and starts to grow,
I hold it back.
I feel its movement apprehensively.
I can’t see your purposes.
My horizon is too small and limited
because I keep my head too low,
look down too much.
I prune and chop
and starve your kingdom’s tree,
hoping to hold it,
controlled and tidy,
in a little pot of my own choosing.

But still it grows.
Pushing its gentle way irresistibly
between the hard stones of my life.

Lord, help me to sweep away
the sand of fear
blown, hard and persistently,
heaping unbelief in drifts across my life.
Help me to feel
in the prompting of new growth,
the excitement, the hope and tension,
of your Spirit’s purposes.
And when I don’t understand
just where it's leading to,
help me to welcome it.

Eddie Askew (Facing the Storm)

Bolivia Trip, Part Cuatro

I'm not sure how this has morphed into four parts... but I figured I needed to do one more post, for those of you who've been asking about some of what I did/experienced while I was there.

The Saturday of my arrival, I got to hit the ground running and attend a birthday party that afternoon. In my different travels to Latin America, this was my first experience of a birthday celebration Latin American style. There was the familiar - cake, games, and a piñata - and the new - the birthday girl had a beautiful new dress on that the lady they'd asked to be the madrina bought for her. Madrina being like a godmother/patroness type person. During the game time, I actually got to spend some time chatting with a girl named Wendy and I believe it was her boyfriend. They didn't really know people at the party, but her mom was somehow friends with someone (I can't remember if it was the birthday girl's mother, or what), and since her mom couldn't come, she asked Wendy to come in her place. They were college students, so closer in age to me. Our conversation was in Spanglish - part English and part Spanish. But that was nice too, as they helped me with my Spanish and learning some new words. I wish I'd had more opportunity to talk with them though; we had some interesting conversation about why I was in Bolivia, what I'd studied in college, and explaining about sharing my Jesus with others.

One of my biggest desires growing up was to learn three instruments and be able to speak three languages. My Sundays in Sucre, I got to see three languages in action: English, Spanish, and sign.  And I also realized how much I still have to go before mastering language number two (let alone getting a third language down). I taught Sunday School both Sundays, and I was excited that first week to teach in Spanish. But sitting there, trying to teach and simultaneously recall both words and correct grammar, revealed a lack. I'm glad God can work through us, even when we are struggling for the words we need! I also felt the barrier keenly because I only know a couple signs, and before/after the service, I'd be standing there with people, basically only able to smile and give a thumbs up to them, until I had someone right there who could interpret/sign for me.

Friday was a day trip to Icla - a couple hours through the mountains and curvy roads to a small village down in the valley. I was excited to get to meet another missionary family, see their pueblo and just have time to talk with them. I also got to see where my friend Jillian is going to live when she gets to Bolivia next year!

So there you have it... at least a little bit more about my trip. Thank you for those of you who prayed for me and for those of you who still continue to do so! A lot has been happening in the last few weeks since I returned, namely with regards to emailing mission boards and trying to process things as the reality of what I'm pursuing starts to sink in. I'll probably save that for another post for another day, when I have a little more information to share.

Bolivia Trip, Part Tres

I arrived in Sucre on Saturday afternoon, after one last short flight from Santa Cruz, where I had spent the night. Finally I got to meet the family face to face for whom I had prayed for back in college (they were our dorm missionaries one of my years at BJU! Another small world experience...) and been emailing the last few months.

I know God is always working all things together for our good, but sometimes getting to see that is just plain awesome. And that's how I feel about this trip. Ever since starting a job and knowing I'd be getting vacation time this year, I'd been thinking about how I was going to spend it. I'd tossed around several ideas - going to some Spanish-speaking country and working on my Spanish for a week (definitely not long enough to reach fluency, I know, but I wanted the immersion since that's impossible in my hometown), to visiting different people here in the States, to going to see some missionaries. Since travel to somewhere Spanish-speaking was at the top of my list, and I'm pursuing "full time mission-work," my mom suggested finding another ministry would probably be the best idea in helping me narrow down where God seems to be leading me. Deciding I wanted to visit another place than Honduras, I started looking at different ministries in different countries... but nothing really jumped out at me. Then my parents got to talking, and Bolivia came up - our church just started supporting the Maries a year or two ago (I'm not exactly sure when, as it was while I was in college). Now that I've made a long story even longer, I will tell you that I finally emailed them to see if going was even a possibility. And for some reason, they said yes! But I know why now, and that's where I get off the rabbit trail/background story and get back to how God really was in this trip.

My time in Bolivia was more than anything I could have imagined. Besides all the different things we got to "do" - from seeing the city, to times of ministry such as going to the deaf school and the boys' home - I also got to take in a lot of insight/information/advice/encouragement. And that is really where I feel that God was working way beyond what I could ask or think. It was the moments sitting at the kitchen table talking, or listening while standing there helping to wash dishes, that were so helpful. And Luke and Jessica graciously put up with any and all the questions I had or thought of about mission boards, deputation, and mission work, as well as telling me about their experiences and things to consider as I try to figure out how God is working in my life. I thank God for them, for the time with their family, and for all the words of wisdom that came my way.

Another area I saw God's working was through His Word. God promises that His Word will never return void, and there were multiple times during the week that something talked about during time spent reading/going over a Bible passage together directly applied to something later in the day, whether it was something I was thinking about, or something that happened. And to me, that is just plain exciting. One of the thoughts that arose from one day is that it's worth it to sacrifice all for God and service to Him, and it's actually something I'm still chewing on. Because as I consider where God has for me, there's going to be areas where I might need to be willing to give on a few things, and I don't know that it will always be easy. But giving up something small in this life - though in reality it may seem huge to me - is worth it for the sake of others coming to know my precious Lord.

Bolivia Trip, Part Dos

What was it like? Well, first, it was winter. After the snow-filled, never-ending PA winter I experienced this year, the mild winter climate of Sucre was a pleasant surprise! Most days it was 60-70; however, it did cool down in the night, hitting 30 degrees a few times.

Second, I was at an elevation over 9,000 feet, which means I had over 8,500-ish feet of adjusting to do to compensate for the lack of oxygen in the air. The nice thing about this altitude though was less bugs to put up with. ;) In all seriousness, though, the elevation also contributed to the lack of greenery where I spent most of my time. As we drove to Santa Cruz towards the end of my trip, I got to see the difference as we drove lower and lower (Santa Cruz is somewhere around 1,000 feet, if I remember correctly). I felt like I was out West in Sucre, with the dryness, dirt everywhere (as opposed to grassy landscapes), and the minimal shrubbery. The word barren comes to mind, outside of the city, but at the same time, it's not. There's a rugged beauty to the land, and it becomes even more beautiful when you think about the rocky multi-hued mountains rising up in all their glory to point to their Creator. So many times I found myself looking out at the view and wanting to burst out singing "How Great Thou Art." Psalm 104:24 reminds us, "the earth is full of thy riches." My God created the world to have to so much diversity in climate and geography, and that is just awe-inspiring!