Back to Be Love Serve Repeat

Had a nice time this morning as I returned to the "facilitator/teacher chair" after almost a full month away.  It was so familiar, and yet special to be among friends, in fellowship.   It is amazing to be reminded of my purpose, and to be able to learn and contribute concurrently, embracing diversity.  All as we, Be Love Serve.. and REPEAT.

From the opening prayer ;-), to the trickle in attendance effect, to the excellent conversations, challenges, and inclusive learning,  to the worship service, it was a reminder of why I do indeed love Open Door and HRBC.

If you are or have been taking a break for the Summer, or simply just traveling... don't forget the comforts of home in Open Door where it depends,  we don't always know the answers, but we still believe. Most importantly, we have a forum where we can think about what we think, talk about what we know and don't know, and practice what we preach as we prepare for the harsh realities of our culture. 

References and materials I used this am came from:

Matthew 23:1-12 NIV
James 3:1 & 13-18
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Galatians 6:1-6


HRBC OPEN DOOR post/class from July 2, 2010 - Thank you sir, we are not worthy...
Virginia Tenor: Circle of peace and love
Virginia Tenor: Fundamentals

==============  Rick Warren's Devotional on Choice

Choices control your calendar by Rick Warren

We are each responsible for our own conduct. Galatians 6:5 (NLT) "You have just enough time to do God's will while you're here on earth." Your choices control your calendar and, as a result, your lifestyle. Your choices are far more powerful than your circumstances. You may not like how complicated your life has become yet, with very few exceptions, no one is forcing you to keep your life complicated. You have the power to simplify your life. The Bible teaches, "We are each responsible for our own conduct" (Galatians 6:5 NLT). To me, that means God expects us to assume responsibility for our lives and to carefully choose how we spend our time. That's why I've spent years teaching people to discover why God placed them on this planet: What is your purpose for being here? Ultimately, it will be the donation of your life that will count far more than the duration. In other words, it's not how long you live - or even how much you cram into how long you live - it's really about how you live. Here are three essential steps to simplify your life: First, figure out your purpose, and then let your purpose guide the goals of your life. Second, organize your activities based upon your purpose. Finally, harmonize your schedule with your purpose; that is, bring your activities into agreement with your goals. You have just enough time to do God's will while you're here on earth. You've been given just enough time to fulfill your purpose. When you try to do more than God planned for you, it's only natural that you'll find yourself constantly out of time or stressed over your schedule. If it doesn't fit the purpose of your life, God doesn't want you doing it. In fact, he may be overjoyed that you finally got the message and stopped doing meaningless activities. He may even want you to add "rest" or "have fun" to your to-do list.  My prayer for you is that you will find relief from stress and a new sense of satisfaction as you do only the things God created you to do.

===================== Smyth & Helwys Commentary...


"The Sin of Omnicompetence"
In her memoir Leaving Church, Barbara Brown Taylor speaks of the day she began to clean out her desk drawers in the office of the church where she was pastor. She was amazed and humbled by all that she found there: "Crowded in the third drawer," she writes, "were folders for every one of Grace-Calvary's many parish groups and committees. Children's Chapel. Confirmation Class. Journey to Adulthood. Daughters of the King. Stewardship. Annual Budget. Parochial Report. Buildings and Grounds. A/V Equipment.… The folders went on and on, convicting me by their sheer numbers of the sin of omnicompetence. Who could be good at so many different things? What had driven me to try…a whole file cabinet full of things that would never get done no matter how many hours I spent on them?" (117-18). Taylor had come to the difficult realization that the busy, all-encompassing life she was living in the church had been less in the image of the easy yoke Jesus spoke of and more like that heavy, showy burden of the Pharisees striving for perfection in every tiny detail of life: "My quest to serve God in the church had exhausted my spiritual savings. My dedication to being good had cost me a fortune in being whole. My desire to do all things well had kept me from doing the one thing within my power to do, which was to discover what it meant to be fully human" (127)--one who makes mistakes, who lives not by works but by grace alone, by depending on others to carry us through the places where we do not have the resources to make it on our own.

I wonder for how many people has the sin of the church's omnicompetence become a process by which we "tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others" (Mt 23:4)? We see our churches, in many senses, as one-stop spiritual shopping--we have to have worship to fit everyone's needs, vibrant programs for all ages, study groups in every teaching style and topic. But how often, rather than leading us to spiritual depth, does this lead us to a spiritual dryness like that of the Pharisees--to a place where, as our lesson says, 


"A façade of spiritual vitality covers the emptiness of shallow lives"?

If each church were to focus on its own gifts--having humility to know what it is wise for the church to tackle and what will be too much, to know the places where God is calling them to work and the places where another church may be better equipped rather than competing with other churches for the best in everything--might we learn the humility of a lightened burden? Might we find ourselves freed from endless committees, classes, and projects enough to open up time to actually see others and serve them, as Christ served those he saw as he walked through life with empty hands and open eyes?

Barbara Brown Taylor, Leaving Church (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 2006).

Abby Thornton holds a B.A. in religious studies from the University of Virginia and an M.Div. from Duke Divinity School. She has served four congregations in North Carolina and Virginia, most recently as minister of spiritual formation at Freemason Street Baptist Church in Norfolk, Virginia. An ordained Baptist minister, she presently lives in her hometown of Richmond, Virginia.