The Gospel According to Texas

Here are some publicity shots of me and some of the disciples who will be performing in the upcoming "Gospel According to Texas," a musical that will be performed each weekend in June at the Emily Ann Theatre, a beautiful outdoor venue here in Wimberley, Texas. The musical was written by LeRoy Nienow, along with musical collaborator John Pounds. Thanks to assistant director Angie Lassetter for the photos.

Reaping the Harvest - Galatians 6:9

It's a very exciting time in our church, and it's an honor to be serving as minister of music and senior adults, especially at the present time. Galatians 6:9 tells us to not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up. Although there have been times I've been "tired of doing good," I feel like our church is presently "reaping a harvest of blessing," as the verse says. Just look around and see all that God is doing in our midst! To Him be the glory.

I love being with our team of ministers and staff! Sure, I get to do my part each week in preparing the music for the worship services, and in organizing and carrying out senior adult activities. But some of the most fulfilling times for me are when I get to do things with our staff, like this past week, when we fed the teachers and staff at Scudder. They received a blessing, and we did too!

Music Ministry

In music ministry, I ask you to pray that I continue to be guided by the Holy Spirit when choosing music for the worship services. I'm very thankful for the team of musicians that we have here at FBC! At the same time, please pray that the Lord would continue to draw people with musical gifts to our church. I would love for them to get plugged into the music ministry and use their talents to honor the Lord in our worship services.

Just think about all the music groups and soloists that we have right now, and thank God with me, for their active participation in using their skills to honor God each and every week: Sanctuary Choir, Praise Team, Orchestra, Bells of Praise, STOMP, Men's Choir, Joyful Noise, and the Ukeladies.

Kris Raven does a great job leading the Praise Team for our 10:45 a.m. service; Robin Williams has been blessing the church for so long as leader of the STOMP Children's Choir. Recently, David McCall has taken on the responsibility of leading the Men's Choir. And he's doing great with them! Neal Mallard is a "right hand person kind of guy" that organizes and distributes all the orchestra music for our 9:15 service. Each Wednesday Kathy Reno and Dorothy Martin work hard in the music library. These are the wonderful people that I simply couldn't do without! I also encourage you to read the blog entry below, where I mention the tech crew that works tirelessly in the audio/visual booth of our auditorium.

Senior Adult Ministry

Our senior adult committee continues to do a wonderful job planning and carrying out activities for our seniors. Pray that all senior adults in our church would see their place in God's big picture for FBC Wimberley! They are such a wonderful asset to our church in countless ways! I want all of them to have a connection with God each and every Sunday as they worship in our services, and a connection with each other, as they strive to encourage one another and build each other up in the faith. When opportunities come up to serve, pray that God moves their hearts with the realization that He is definitely not through with them yet!

It Takes a Village

Don't let the title of my article fool you. I'm not promoting a book here. However, I do want to tell you about some very important people in our church. These folks get to look at the backs of your heads every Sunday. But we would have a difficult time doing our worship services without them, I assure you. I'm referring to the Audio Visual / Media Team. They are Brian Daugherty, who runs sound and video, and his assistant, Matt Dragowitz; They are also Hannah Bryan, Lynn Johnson, Julia Williams, and Robert French, Jr., who run the media computer. These people see what they do as a ministry, and it's all for the glory of God!

This team is so crucial to the flow of our services that their value should never be underestimated! I can remember (I'm dating myself a little) when I could walk up to the pulpit, flip a couple of switches, and have sound. We had choir mics, a pulpit and piano mic. The instruments were piano and organ. We used hymnals. I'm still for the use of hymnals, by the way, especially for all you music readers out there. We didn't have a video projector or screen, either.

With our changing times and culture, we've added the necessary technologies to enhance our corporate worship experiences. And I wouldn't have it any other way. With all the technological advances, however, it's been necessary to form teams who know how to operate the computer programs, and sound reinforcement systems. That's why I'm so thankful for the people I mentioned above. So you see, it really doesn't take a village. But it does take a great team of people like the one we have! Next time you're walking out of the auditorium, please take a minute to thank them for all they do.

This Picture Pretty Well Sums It Up

Simply Christian

I'm reading a book called Simply Christian by N.T. Wright. It's been compared to C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity, and receives praise from people such as Anne Rice, and J.I. Packer. On the front flap, it says:

Simply Christian walks the reader through the Christian faith step by step and question by question. With simple yet exciting and accessible prose, Wright challenges skeptics by offering explanations for even the toughest doubt-filled dilemmas, leaving believers with a reason for renewed faith. For anyone who wants to travel beyond the controversies that can obscure what the Christian faith really stands for, this simple book is the perfect vehicle for that journey.

If anyone has read this book, let me know what you think. I would also like to wish everyone a Happy Easter!

Funny Cartoon

It's the Easter season. Lots of people will be dying eggs for this coming Sunday. Anyway, I thought this cartoon was pretty funny.

One in Four Adults (18-29 year olds) Claim no Religious Affiliation

I read this blog tonight. It's by Mike Slaughter, Senior Pastor of Ginghamsburg Church in Tipp City, Ohio. I agree with the gist of his article. Read it for yourself.

Christians who are Scaring the Heaven out of People

CNN released the results of a survey this week that revealed more than a quarter of adult Americans have left their childhood faith for another religion or no religion. One in four adults in the 18-29 year old range claim no religious affiliation. The United Methodist Church, of which I am a part, continues to lose members at a rate of 80,000 per year. Only 4.7% of UMC clergy are age 35 or younger.

Why are a growing number of younger Americans finding the Christian faith to be irrelevant? Could it be that many who claim the way of Jesus are literally scaring the heaven out of people? So many who claim to be the prophets of Jesus come close to scaring the heaven out of me, like the self-righteous prophets who equate the Prince of Peace with a vindictive terrorist god who creates hurricanes of destruction as judgment against homosexuals or abortion advocates....

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Many in the name of Jesus have connected Christian faith with conservative partisan politics that defend the rights of the unborn but seem indifferent to the plight of the poor, the inequities in the availability of health care for the masses, hospitality toward the alien, and the wellbeing of the planet. Jesus is neither right nor left. Christian politics must always be prophetic and never partisan (Italics mine). Christians must act as the moral conscience for both sides of the aisle, always advocating for peace with justice and the orphan and the widow. The Gospel is good news for the poor. If it doesn’t cover the poor, it is not the Gospel!

Why are a growing number of Americans finding the Christian faith to be irrelevant? I won’t even begin to try to explain those creative Christians who see the image of Jesus on such things as cinnamon rolls!

God bless...

Posted By: Pastor Mike Slaughter on Feb 26, 2008 10:00AM

*Read this blog in its original context here.