Tommy Mitchell / The Rurban Church Blog

Well - Here we Go!

Well, being the OCD guy that I am - I have gone ahead and saved posts for you to read this week!

If all is going as planned right now - I am in surgery at Providence Hospital having around 4 bypasses done! I would really appreciate your continued prayers for me!

More importantly, I would ask you to pray for Andrea and my children, Drew, Lesley, and Kelsey! They are the ones bearing the greatest burden in all this!

Obviously there will not be much more I can say about things!  I have some interesting reads that will post each day until I can do it again in real time!

Since comments are moderated, your comments will not show up until later in the week or early next week!

Thanks again for your prayers today!

First Sermon When I Come Back!

Last night as I was getting into bed, Andrea's bible was next to me. I picked it up, marveled how anyone could read such small print, and began to read it.  I thought about a passage that had some connection with my circumstances - and within a minute or two - God had given me a message.  It will be my first one when I come back to the pulpit. 

A lot of people have asked me about how long I will be out! Well, the obvious answer is "I don't know for sure!'

But here is what I do know.

1. After heart surgery, the desire of the doctors is for a patient NOT to take it easy.  They want you to get up - get dressed - for the first couple of days walk around in the house. Then they want you to increase walking.

2. Cardiac rehab begins relatively soon. I will have to work around that in my schedule.

3. Because of the nature of my work, I will be able to come back initially to the office to do admin work for quarter or half-days.

4. For at least a month - the rest of the staff will have to cover hospitals. After that I believe they will let me drive.  YOu don't want to get hit in the chest with an airbag and I can't afford to catch something from sick folk.

5. My personal goal is to preach this sermon on January 17 - but I would love to do it on the 10th.  My body and my doctor will decide.

6. I have a study at home. This down time will give me a chance to work on sermon planning for the months ahead. It will give me a chance to do some reading.  And, I will be glad to visit with some folks at my home.

7. I don't feel the least bit compelled to get back to work at the risk of a good recovery. But I love the ministry God has given me - so working has never been a dreaded thing for me.  The sooner I can get back into some kind of routine, even if it is a little lighter for a while, the better for me. Probably better for Andrea too!

8. I miss everyone! I can barely wait to be back at ABC!

Lots to Think About!

Well, I probably don't know exactly how it feels to be told that you are going to face a firing squad, but I think that the worst part of it would be knowing the date and waiting for it!!!!

That is sort of the deal with this wait until Tuesday morning! If you are ever faced with the necessity of having heart surgery - opt for sooner rather than later!!!  Same day if possible. 

Now - here are some random thoughts!

1. We have a quality enough staff that they can do just fine without me! I would still like to think that they might need me!

2. Believe it or not - I have not worried about anything at ABC today!  This heart surgery thing has pretty much blown everything else out of the water. 

3. After heart surgery - I don't plan to sweat anything that I cannot do something about! If I really can't change it, shape it or help it - I don't plan  to worry about it!

4. You think a lot about where you have been, what you have accomplished or failed to accomplish, and what will be left for you to do!  At least that is what I have been thinking about.

5. When you are having off and on again chest pains, you become too hyper aware of your body!

6. The bruise on my leg from the heart cath looks like I have been in a car wreck!

7. This may be a commonly occurring surgery - but it is not routine - no matter how many people say it is! They still stop your heart - work on it - and see if it starts back up! 

8. I am praying as much for my family as I am for me!  I hate that I have put a damper on Christmas for them.

9. I have a motorcycle for sale - $1,500 dollars - that includes the bike - accessories - two helmets - and $200 dollar jacket.

10. God is in control - I am not - so everything is in His hands.  I'm trying to leave it there.

10.

Love and a Pillow!

My wife has a trait that I guess one could say she brought forth out of childhood. Some kids love their blanket, others their stuffed animal, or maybe even a favorite toy.  Nobody messes with that particular item - and woe if the item is missing at bedtime.

My wife wants her pillow! They look pretty much identical to me - especially covered in a pillow case. But come bedtime - there has been many a time that Andrea poked me and said - "hey, you've got my pillow!"  So we would swap and life would be good.

When we go on trips to see family etc, she takes her pillow! She would probably say it is because they might have a shortage of pillows where we are going - but I think she just really likes her pillow.

Well, since all this heart stuff started with me, I find it hard to sleep flat on the bed. When I got home from the hospital yesterday, I was just worn out, so I laid down to take a nap.  We have 483 pillows on the bed (might be an exaggeration) and none of them were the right thickness. I needed to find the right height to sleep elevated comfortably.  Guess what?  Her pillow and my pillow were just right! No problem for the nap!

Last night I went to bed before anyone else.  When Andrea came to bed, she spotted her pillow on mine - and without the least hesitation - she remarked that I needed her pillow to sleep comfortably. So, she searched through the pile and found one she could tolerate.

My wife loves me enough to give up her favorite pillow! It may sound silly to you - it was a very tender moment for me!

It's All About the Heart!

Heart matters are not a stranger to me! I speak often about the heart - but nearly always in a spiritual context. So, it was quite troubling when I learned yesterday that I have about seven blockages in my physical heart!  Thankfully (sort of a relative term) 3 of the blockages are in one artery!

So, next week I will have about 4 bypasses on my heart at Providence Hospital! If all goes well, I will be home on Friday or Saturday!  I have a great heart surgeon and a great cardilologist.  I have a great God and a great wife and family!  All of that means everything to you - and is certainly the case for me.

It does not change the fact that while the surgery is very commonly performed - it is no minor thing! So, I am as calm as I can be - praying for peace that goes beyond my calmness - and to be perfectly honest - I am just a wee bit fearful!

I appreciate the prayers of anyone who reads this! Thanks in advance. I am definitely looking forward to getting better.

Primal - A Great Read from Mark Batterson!

Throughout the years, I have been involved in a few renovation / restoration projects. One of the rewards of such a project is the discovery and rediscovery of original architecture, wall coverings, paint colors, and sometimes even hidden treasures previously left behind.  Mark Batterson has gone a long way in his new book, Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity,  in helping Christ-followers rediscover the simplicity and power of a relationship committed to loving God.

 

In Primal, Mark presents the Great Commandment in four parts: The Heart of Christianity,  The Soul of Christianity, The Mind of Christianity, and The Strength of Christianity.   Like a craftsman uncovering and stripping a renovation project back to its foundation, Mark takes the four major points of the Great Commandment and masterfully reminds us of how to simply love God!  He reminds us that the heart of Christianity is primal compassion, the soul of Christianity is primal wonder, the mind of Christianity is primal curiosity, and the strength of Christianity is primal energy.

 

Mark brings to Primal his unique ability to take his life experiences and make powerful applications for the reader.  From personal experiences to powerful illustrations drawn from unique bits of knowledge, Mark explodes the Great Commandment in the heart of the reader.  As you read Primal, the passion and conviction to love God genuinely, marked by a powerful impact on a perishing world, is evident. 

 

Primal is a great read for every person, believer and non-believer.  There are no slow moments in the book.  From beginning to end, Primal draws the reader into the wonderful reality of the foundation of our Christianity – loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.  You will be blessed in reading and contemplating what it means to truly love God and hopefully, that blessing will result in a greater obedience to follow Him.

 

 

Integrity!

Integrity --

    cannot be borrowed - it can only be built!

    is built over a life-time ---- and is easily destroyed in mere seconds!

    is better than money in the bank!

    is announced by our speech - but proven in our actions!

    is not situational! We either have it - or we don't!

   

   

Sunday Night Reflections!

This was a great Sunday! Today was the day we brought in our Angel Tree gifts. We are helping right at 90 children this year!  It is always a sight to see all the packages, bikes, etc. wrap around the entire front of the worship center.  Super! The really fun part is when the folks come by to pick up the packages over the next few days. It is wonderful!

Some reflections:

1. It is great to hear kids say "Wow! Look at all these toys!" - and - then be equally wowed when he finds out we are giving them all away!

2. Randy Carney has some pipes on him! Loved both songs he sang to day - especially "O Holy Night!"

3. Mark almost led music tonight! It was close!

4. The worship choir was on it!

5. Bro. Nick had his last day at his church today! Truly feel their pain! 

6. Bro. NIck will start on December 27th. I can scarcely contain myself.

7. The children did a fabulous job in their "Legacy of Love" presentation!

8. Some of our kids have got "the groove!"

9. Funny how God pulls all the "unknowns" to us together to accomplish His purposes in worship! The theme today was The Greatest Gift! Mostly it was about transforming our thinking from material gifts to giving that which has eternal and life changing consequences.  The kids tonight really capped it off with "Legacy of Love!"

10. Is this weather weird or not! I fully expect it to be summer tomorrow! We have gone from about 40 yesterday to 70 today! And "wet" is not even a description for what it is outside!

11. Pork loin makes a great "after evening service" sandwich!

12. My wife is so wonderful!   We will be together 31 years this Wednesday!

13. The Giants just couldn't get it done!

Give Experiences!

God uses Mark Batterson to encourage and instruct me!

This one simple post really resonated with me!  This is what I want to do the rest of my life!

Got it!

I've had the topic and quite a bit of material for the message this Sunday for a couple of weeks. Got the outline in 5 minutes this morning at 4:30 am in the shower!   LOVE IT WHEN GOD SPEAKS CLEARLY!

The Uncertain Sound!

Doubletalk is bad no matter where it happens.  In dealing with divisions in the Corinthian church over speaking in tongues, Paul said  "For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle?" I Corinthians 14:8  

How true! If the herald is giving out mixed, unknown, uncertain sounds, how will soldiers act? What will they do with mixed signals?

Mixed signals are all around us!  In the course of this week, Monday through Thursday, I have seen a variety of headlines related to the price of oil on consecutive days.  "Oil up on lower US supplies!"   The next day - "Oil down on weak US demand!"  The next day - "Oil up in spite of weaker US demand!"  Though it did not occur yet this week, there is usually a weekly headline dealing with "fear" and oil!  "Fear of X leads to "Rise" or "Fall" of Oil Prices!   Do you think there might be a little manipulation of oil prices?????

We also get uncertain sounds from a variety of other sources! Sometimes it is an uncertain sound in the work place. Sometimes it is from our spouse! Sometimes it may even be from our church!!

The Bible speaks of being excellent in speech! It also says that our "yes" should be "yes" and our "no" should be "no!"  (Matthew 5:37)   Each one of us should be careful about speaking before we really have a word from God.  Our speech must glorify God, line up with scripture, and be consistent.    The world may give us a lot of doubletalk! We should never be the authors of it. 

Let the world hear a consistent and sure sound from God's people!

Are We Tough Enough?

It seems that everywhere I go, people are asking questions that indicate worry about how the nation is doing, where the nation, is going, and what is going to happen to the church?  It seems strange to see our nation's government inching more and more towards an adversarial role against the church.  The understanding that many in government seem to have is not "separation of church and state," but rather "freedom from the church" in the state!

I don't know how all that will turn out - but here is one thing I do know! When times get tough, whether economically, politically, or in outright attacks upon the church, the real church emerges!

What do I mean? Exactly what I said! The real church, the real condition of the church, the real spiritual depth or lack thereof - shows up.  For example, in the majority of churches, giving is down.  That economics has a direct impact in some instances through unemployment etc. is without question. Yet, there are more than enough churches that are excelling in giving during these difficult times. And not all churches have really had to face a downturn of employment among their people.  Yet, in some of these, giving is down. 

I submit to you that economic woes cut right to the heart of who our God is and where our treasure is located. If our treasure is God, our giving will seldom wane.  If our treasure is in our stuff,  we will guard it, protect it, and hoard it.

Which leads me to the question - are we tough enough to handle adversity in the church?  Some people consider adversity not getting to park in a certain spot, sit in a certain spot, sing the song they want to sing, and hear the kind of sermon they want to hear!  But, I believe real adversity is upon us! How many will share their faith when the powers that be determine it is "hateful" speech?  How many will attend worship when their job might be jeopardized by being involved with a "Christian" group? How many will stand true to the word of God when portions of the word are declared to be "hate speech?"

Here is what I know!  The real "church" will emerge!  The chaff will be blown away! Genuine believers will begin to live in a power that is fully the power of the Holy Spirit!  The Gospel will explode in such an environment - especially if it is living under outright persecution. 

It would be better if we would all live authentic Christian lives now - but if the winnowing comes through the fire and the flood of anti-church, anti-christian influences in the society - so be it!  It is long past time for the real church of the Lord Jesus to rise up and be salt and light to a hurting, decaying, and dying world.

Let the church - be the church!

Tiger Woods - Sad!

As news has continued to unfold around the Tiger Woods saga, at least nine women are claiming that they have had affairs with the golfer.  Whether or not these accusations and accounts are true are known primarily by those involved. I have no way of knowing.   It would seem rather apparent by his own statement that something is terribly amiss in his relationship with his wife.

It is rather apparent to the most casual observer that Tiger Woods is married to a beautiful woman. He has wealth that is beyond the imagination of most people. He has excelled in golf in ways that are truly remarkable.  He has been sought out by company after company for endorsements.  He is a man who truly seems to "have it all!"

Now to move just slightly off Tiger Woods - what causes a man who has a beautiful wife and children, nice home, ample income etc. to leave for apparently little more than sex with another woman?  Why risk losing all they acquired? Why risk losing reputation, honor, and a good name?

I've seen friends of mine do this through the years. Bottom line - it is done because of a heart not in tune with God!  It is the same problem that Eve had in the garden. Free to eat of every tree in the garden but one - free to live fully in a perfect relationship with her husband - free to live in a perfect relationship with God - free to enjoy God's full provision of every need - free from the demands of toil and labor - free from any need - SHE STILL CHOSE TO SIN AGAINST GOD by taking the one fruit in the garden that was forbidden. 

Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.

A man or woman may have the most beautiful, most handsome spouse in the world. It may appear to us that they have the perfect life - looks - health - vitality - and a measure of wealth.  But if their eye is not on God, and they start looking at the other forbidden fruit - they will finally take a bite! 

This is a WARNING TO ALL COUPLES! You cannot dwell on someone other than your spouse without finally messing up! Flirting, looking, becoming physical through too many hugs that turn into an embrace, and daydreaming about what it might be like to be with another - will lead to a disastrous failure.

Tiger Woods has lived the appearance of what would seem to be the good life. So have many of my friends. But it did not stop them from failing.  GUARD YOUR HEART! No one will do it for you!  Be completely devoted to God - remain devoted to your spouse.  Love your children! 

Relationship disasters like this cause me to redouble my efforts to love and love on my wife! 

Immanuel - God With Us!

Just the three words - God with us - are astonishing!  That God would allow Himself to be clothed in flesh and walk among us is extraordinary!  God with us!

God with us in person!

God with us in passion!

God with us in power!

God with us in purpose!

A few implications to ponder for sure!

Primal is here!

A few minutes ago I went to the mailbox.  There it was. My advance copy of Primal by Mark Batterson.  I have to read it this week and post a review about it next week along with a couple of other things. 

Looking forward to doing this. I'm grateful for the opportunity Multnomah Books has given me by choosing my blog to be a part of the blog tour next week.

Stay tuned.  

In February - It will be Three Years!

It does not seem like it has been this long - but in February I will have been blogging for 3 years! I thought I would share links to some of the most memorable posts - memorable mostly because they generated some of the largest visitor counts ever on the blog!

1. Isolationism vs. Engagement  This one really stirred up some people across the country. This is the post that forced me to moderate comments! I had a dozen or more that I could not post due to the vulgarities hurled. It was fascinating that they were being hurled by the people defending home schooling.  They were not like any of the people I know who home school!

2. Transitioning a Church    Transitioning a Church Part 2   These two posts got picked up in several other blogs. There were very high visitor counts for these.

3. WARNING! If I am truly going to share the most viewed posts, I need to be honest about them. The next two posts were shared right after a failed building vote in August of 2007.  I still go and back and forth over whether or not I should have posted them back then. However, where the first post shows my own obvious discouragement with that vote, the second one showed what a few days of reflection will do for you.  These two posts received the highest visitor counts ever!

ONE DOWN - AND OUT!!! BUT LOOK OUT!!!!

Take Heart, Folks

4. What's the Difference?  PART TWO  PART THREE      FINAL PART 

These four posts generated lots of visitors.

5. How to Stay Married  Parts 1 - 7.    Part 4 was among the highest visitor counts in the history of the blog.

How to Stay Married Part 7

 How to Stay Married  Part 6

                         How to Stay Married Part 5

                         How to Stay Married Part 4

                         How to Stay Married Part 3

                         How to Stay Married Part 2

                         How to Stay Married Part 1

There are many more that received quite a number of hits and comments - but these were among the more memorable - for good or bad!  These posts were not necessarily the most riveting in content. I have posted many others that were more thought provoking than these.

Lessons from Tiger Woods!

It is sad to watch the disintegration of character right in front of your eyes! We have seen that with Tiger Woods over the last few days.  It is certainly my hope that he and his wife can reconcile and that the harm of all this to his children can be minimized.  There are lessons to be learned here:

1. Integrity always trumps accomplishments!   We live in an age where people constantly say that our work can be separated from our personal life.  But integrity in our personal lives, or the lack thereof, will be remembered far more than our accomplishments.

2. Success does not guarantee integrity!  Sometimes we believe  that if we are as successful as a Tiger Woods, then we would not "have" to cut any corners.  Tiger has lived the dream - and still chosen to cut a relationship corner.

3. Envy is a wasted desire!  Many people go through life wishing they were like someone else. I'm sure a lot of golfers wish they could golf like Tiger.  But some go further, wishing they had his home, his beautiful wife, and his wealth!  It turns out that he, like all of us, is prone to doing the wrong thing. Who really wants his troubles today?

4. But for the grace of God.....goes the rest of us! None of us are without the ability to fail in a variety of ways, including morally!  We all must be careful, lest we fall into sin and damage our own reputation.

5. The world is watching! The idea that someone is watching you is true! We must always take care to protect our integrity, and the integrity of the body of Christ. That is the responsibility of every believer.  You really don't want to find out how many are watching by blowing up morally.

Keep Tiger Woods and his family in your prayers - and don't throw stones!!!!

Sorry – this is a test!

Sorry – just a test!

The Authentic Sermon!

Preaching is many things - first and foremost the accurate transmission of the Word of God to hearers. Detached from the Word preaching just becomes a speech, however passionate and well intended it may be.

Preaching is also art! It is a form of communication that is empowered by the Holy Spirit, guided by Scripture, led by God, and inclusive of the personality of the preacher. To me, that is art at it's best, in action.

Preaching is also in constant evolution.  I did something new in preaching Sunday night. Near the end of the message on service, I called up on the platform, without warning, some people that I know have done acts of service and ministry over the last few weeks. I just asked them to share a bit about what they did, why they did it, and the blessing involved.  It was real-time, real-life, in person application of the message on service.

It is attributed to Abraham Lincoln that he said, "I would rather see a sermon than hear one anytime."  No reason not to do both!

After seeing the impact on the congregation, this will become a more frequent element in my preaching when possible. 

A Great Way to Come to Worship!

1. Come with Preparation!  Confess sin, let the heart be stirred by scripture, focus on praising God - all before you gather to worship with others.

2. Come without a Personal Agenda! Don't allow personal matters to become the driving force behind gathering for worship - things like returning a dish to a member, checking to see if that cobweb is down, or that  light bulb has been changed - or seeing if that guy is there with the car for sale. (I looked for him through the whole service and never saw him!)  Those types of things do not allow us to worship freely.

3. Come without Animosity! This one kills worship. When we come with a score to settle, a point to make, etc., we forget the ONE we are supposed to worship, God! 

4. Come with a heart for God!  Our primary reason for coming should be to commune with others in the worship of God!

5.Come with Expectation! Come to worship expecting God to work in your heart. Pray for that! Come expecting to see Him work in the heart of others. Pray for that!