Same Song, Different Location

I'm moving my blog over to http://www.dannychisholm.wordpress.com/.

Thanks for following me over to a new neighborhood.

Palm Sunday

It's hard to believe, but we are now entering Holy Week. I can't recall how many times I've been told how early Easter is this year and that it won't be this early again for hundreds of years (or something like that). Our church, like many others, will be commemorating the last week of Christ leading up to his crucifixion and resurrection. That means that Palm Sunday is upon us.

One of the things that comes to mind about Palm Sunday is how fickle people can be about their devotion to Christ. Many of the people who celebrated Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem by giving him the red carpet treatment were calling for his execution a few days later. It's difficult to understand how the tide of public opinion could have turned against Jesus so rapidly, and even prior to his coming Jesus knew that it was going to be dangerous. He went to Jerusalem anyway to endure incredible pain and suffering. For a while, though, things looked pretty good as he entered town on a donkey. Not the most prestigious arrival, but no one could confuse Jesus with a military leader. His followers raised palm branches rather than swords. The week started off pretty good.

Holy Week 2008 will be an opportunity for reflection and personal inventory about our spiritual condition. There are a wide range of emotions associated with this week, and our church family will do what we can to experience them. What I hope will occur is that we will come through this time with a greater awareness and appreciation for what Christ experienced for us. I hope we will be challenged to a deeper level of commitment to the Lord and not be swayed by what may or may not be the popular thing to do. The other reality should be keeping "the main thing the main thing" and not allow ourselves to get off the path and into the weeds. The weeds are the things that really aren't theological or doctrinal in nature but somehow seem to distract the church from its mission. These issues can be personality driven rather than relating to the mission and ministry of the church. It's hard to be miltant about getting your own way when you're standing at the foot of the cross. What seems so important really pales into relative insignificance. I guess this is another way of saying to choose the right battles. Not everything is worth getting keyed up about.

Our church family said farewell to a very dear woman this week who touched many lives through her sweet spirit and positive attitude. She struggled valiently but ultimately could not overcome in her battle with cancer. We will miss her dearly, but will grieve and grow together through the journey. Easter will be celebrated knowing that she and others who have gone before are experiencing first hand what the power of resurrection means. My prayer will be that Holy Week provides an opportunity to slow down and marvel at the grace that is ours in Christ Jesus. We all have been enthusiastic about our faith at times and then later betrayed our Lord through our words and actions. The inconsistancy is frustrating, but can be appreciated more by being reminded of the Apostle Paul's own struggles to live out his faith.

May we continue moving forward in faith, thankful for forgiveness while deepening in our understanding of what this time on the Christian calendar is all about.

Memphis Hosts CBF

It's worth repeating. . . the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly meets in Memphis in a few short months. The CBF remains a movement of free and faithful Baptists 17 years after its exodus from the Southern Baptist Convention. For many Baptists, the organization serves as a resource for materials and more importantly a connecting point for cooperative missions and ministry.

I won't go into details about the program personalities and breakouts, but suffice it to say the meeting is a highpoint among traditional Baptists for fellowship and encouragement. It's hard to imagine where I'd be without this movement, and I use the term "movement" deliberately rather than institution. I'm in a geographical location where our church is THE only moderate voice, specifically CBF and/or American Baptist. What this means is our denominational connectedness is much more theological and philosophical than geographical. The General Assembly is one avenue through which we can celebrate our unity through Christ Jesus with like-minded Baptists from around the country.

I like to count the numbers just like other pastors, but have gotten to a point that it's okay to be part of something that might not be the biggest thing going. Baptists started off as a minority group anyway, and this background of persecution helped us be sympathetic to other religious folks who wanted the same freedom to worship. One thing that might be interesting, though, is to see whether the CBF explores partnerships with other Baptist organizations. I'm also encouraged by the fact that CBF finds places to cooperate with other denominations as well.

There are always meetings for pastors to attend, and I'm getting better at saying no to them and throwing promotional pieces in the trash. Still, the General Assembly is one that my entire family can attend and catch up with friends we haven't seen in a long time. The month of June will be here before you know it, and I hope others will join me in making the necessary preparations to be part of this wonderful event.

Windermere Wins

Judge Richard Callahan ruled in favor of Windermere Baptist Conference Center, and of course against the Missouri Baptist Convention. You can read more about the reaction on Windermere's website or in one of the local newspapers. Suffice it to say, this is a significant win not only for the Conference Center but also for the remaining Baptist institutions whose trials are pending. Many Missouri Baptists were watching to see what happened with Windermere with the view that it might set a precedent for the others.

It's no big secret that the Convention isn't happy about the decision, and has already decided to take the matter to the Appeals court. This means that this matter will take another indefinite period of time to deal with the lawsuit plus the fact that additional monies will be required. Missouri Baptists are footing the bill for this ongoing struggle by the way, and it's not too hard to imagine where these dollars could go if the matter was dropped.

I'm new to the state, so this is wishful thinking I'm told.

Our church is glad to be called a friend of Windermere, and we offer our congratulations for this victory. It's unfortunate that this beautiful retreat center has suffered a loss of business and a damaged reputation at the hands of the Missouri Baptist Convention. What is apparent to me is that if the convention can't control Windermere then it will attempt to destroy it or send it into bankruptcy. Perhaps this decision will offer some vindication for Windermere, but unfortunately I do not expect the MBC to let this defeat go unchallenged. Still, this is an important victory and is worthy of celebration.