AUTHOR: Robin Dugall DATE: 1:26:00 PM ----- BODY:

I was breezing through some of my new favorite websites on alternative worship...that's another story for another blog entry...for now let's just say I took a look at this picture. There it was, "this place not for sale". Immediately it was almost like I had an experience not too unlike what I imagine John the Revelator had when he exclaimed that, "he was in the Spirit on the Lord's day". Now understand, I'm not putting myself in that camp...that's not the point. All I know is that as soon as I saw the picture, I was taken back in my mind and heart to the numerous years where I had this inkling that THAT was what I was doing when I was "doing" the local church. In other words, I had to sell the church week by week; I had to market the place in order to get the people to respond the way that I expected them to...I had to hang a figurative sign around my neck, like a consumeristic pied piper that essentially said, "this space FOR sale"...in other words, "you buy in and you have it made". I saw that picture and I came to the firm resolution, "NOT again"..."NEVER again". Never again will I sell the Kingdom short for temporary trophies of church attendance, big programs, balanced budgets or ever-expanding staffs. NEVER again will I sell the Kingdom short by simply being satisfied when people have their butts in seats on a given week...never again will I sell the Kingdom short by assuming that just because I'm doing "my ministry" that the life of the church is relatively healthy...never again will I sell the Kingdom short by expecting anything else but a complete and total revolution to occur in every heart and life in the community. Until we understand that nothing that we are or do as followers of Jesus has anything to do with marketing our church culture and all to do with Jesus and His Kingdom, then we are nothing but salespeople and not disciples. Think on that one..I know I am!

-------- COMMENT-AUTHOR: wellis68 COMMENT-DATE:1:48 PM COMMENT-BODY:Great stuff Rob,
I'll be thinking about this one for awhile. --------