Tommy Mitchell / The Rurban Church Blog

A Really Great Question!

This morning, up early, I had been reflecting on a question that I knew I had read somewhere in a book over the last few years.  Finally, I did a search, found the book, got the kindle edition and bought it.  It was a book by Bob Roberts on transformation in and through the church.

The question was this - "When will Jesus be enough for you?"  An excerpt adaptation in the form of a blog post is HERE .  The book has a whole section with suggestions on how to make sure Jesus is enough.  

Back to my reflection.  That question is burning in my mind right now. As Bob Roberts wrote about it, he wrote this -  I realized my obsession was with what I feared and that my idols were the walls I created to protect myself from my fears.   (Roberts Jr., Bob (2009-12-15). Transformation (Exponential Seried) (p. 87). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

It is easy to move to a position where Jesus is not enough! For me, it most often happens when I am stressing over church.  It happens as I face my fears about church and church ministry.  Our church, like many others right now, is seeing stresses financially and in attendance.  It seems to be happening in spite of every effort and plea we make for faithfulness.  Yet, in the midst of trying to deal with it, it comes to me that I have come to fear these difficulties - and my idols are the walls I have created to protect me from these fears.  Jesus has ceased to be enough for me! I have somehow fallen prey to needing more than Jesus - I need good stats too - I need good numbers too! 

All my life I have been taught that one of the number one predictors of church success is minister tenure. Generally, the longer a pastor stays, the more success you have in leadership.  I don't doubt there is some truth in that - it has just not been my experience thus far.  I have been second guessing myself as to whether or not I have made the right commitment because I have made no secret of the fact that I would love to invest my life ministry in my current place of service.  Yet, the way has become more difficult, and for me personally, depressing.   It has created a real conflict in my heart as to whether or not I have misunderstood the Lord in this.

Right now we are experiencing the first real downturn in the normal measurements of an SBC church in the nearly 10 years I have been here.  By now, I would have thought we would have long ago passed the 400 or even 500 mark in Sunday School!  As I have reflected on what else I can "do" to turn things around in that direction, the question haunts me - "Is Jesus enough for me?"  

Having "done" nearly everything I know to do - I think I have discovered part of the problem that I can address as well as discovering the part of the problem that I can't address!  The part that I can address is that if 400 or 500 or 600 hundred showed up next week, after a while, it would not be enough for me!  And that is because Jesus has not been enough for me!  My problem is that I so badly want to "fix" whatever I perceive is wrong with the church, that I am trying to do what only Christ can to - change the heart.  Instead of trusting Jesus to change lives, I am trying hard to help Him! Pretty foolish, huh? So, I am having to undergo the painful process of letting go of the church idol! My success is not its success! My success is obedience to Christ - nothing more or less! My success is allowing Him to be enough for me!  Bob Roberts, writing the previously mentioned book, reminded me that nearly all of the people found in the Hebrews 11 hall of fame of faith, never saw their promise fulfilled, but accepted it by faith.  They were satisfied with the promise of God's faithfulness.   For me, that means Jesus must be enough for me - or nothing else will be! This is the part I can work on.

The part I can't do anything about is the indifference of people.  At some point, people just have to decide for themselves that Jesus is worth following!  I can only preach Jesus and the truth, love people, and try to get the church to  focus on those who are not yet in the Kingdom of God.  According to the Old Testament, the Lord is not constrained to save by many or by few, so I suppose He can do a great work with the few who are faithful. 

This does not mean I no longer care if 5 or 500 are present. But it does mean that I can only minister to the people who show up  - pray for those who don't - and focus on those who will perish without Christ, for they are truly in peril!  And Christ will have to build His church! He promised He would, so I need to get pretty busy giving it back to Him!  If you are my friend or one of our church members, I would urge you to pray for me to return to the reality of  Jesus being enough for me!

Praying Out Loud!

Have you ever prayed out loud? Alone?   There are some great men of God in history who would walk into the woods, sit on the ground or on a stump, and start talking to God! Maybe this is easier for people, like myself, who often talk out loud to themselves!  Often when I walk, I talk out loud through a sermon. Hearing the words come from my mouth help me clarify my thoughts, discard phrases or illustrations, and include things I had not previously given much thought.  

I have found that praying out loud when I am alone also gives me a  different perspective in prayer.  For me:

1. The audible prayer makes the conversation more natural!

2. The audible prayer prevents my arch enemy of silent prayer - sleepiness!

3. The audible prayer is particularly helpful for giving God praise and thanks!

4. The audible prayer sometimes stops me in my tracks as I hear my words! I realize how "off" I am or "petty" I am in some of my praying!

5. The audible prayer also helps me to arrive at more serious praying - more intercession - more praying along the desires of the Father's heart!

6. The audible prayer makes me less aware of time - and more aware of praying and communion with God!

7. The audible prayer, for me, then makes it easier to talk and then listen - talk and then listen.

The primary challenge to audible praying is not shyness - but location.  I do it when I walk - or when I am at home alone for lunch.  Sometimes I pray out loud when I drive -but find myself interrupted in thougth by the required alertness for driving.  I'm not suggesting this is THE way to pray - but it is another way - and I think you might find it refreshing from time to time!

Marriage Tips for Men!!!!

It has been a while since I offered any marriage tips! So here is are a few for men that might help you out a bit!

1. SINCERELY tell your wife OFTEN that you love her!  Be sure that some of those times are not just when you are walking out the door on the way to work! Be intentional about it!

2. Surprise her with some cleaning!!!!  This may not be your thing, but every once in a while vacuum, mop, or dust (or all three) before she gets home from work - or while she is away buying groceries!  Women think that men doing housework without being asked is SEXY!

3. Offer her praise!  Bragging on a meal, her appearance, her hair, her clothes, her hard work etc.  will be a blessing to her!  It is a wise man indeed who learns early to appreciate and praise his wife!

4. Pray for / with your wife! She will be blessed! You will be blessed! And you will know and appreciate one another's struggles and victories!

5. Cook for her! 

6. Take her on a date - take her to eat - and / or - ask her what she would like to do one evening and then make it happen.

7. Hold her! Just hold her! Hug her! Tell her how much she means to you! If it is tough for you to come up with the words, keep trying! You will get better at it!

There are many more - but start out with these!  or come up with your own.  The key - love your wife in word and deed!

The Chirp!

At 6:10 this morning it started! Praise the Lord it didn't start before then!  And it is loud!  The CHIRP!  The battery in one of our smoke detectors, the one in the kitchen, is low and it is letting me know with an insistent CHIRP!  CHIRP!

How many 9 volt batteries do you keep in your house? CHIRP At this time we have NONE!  I don't know why it started at 6:10 am but I am so thankful it did not start at 11:00 pm last night or we would have had no sleep.  CHIRP All my detectors are wired together.  I am not sure what taking one battery out will do. Maybe nothing.  Maybe they all go off!  I don't really CHIRP want to know until I have new batteries on hand at lunch to put in them.  

CHIRP!  I am writing chirp everytime CHIRP it does it.  It is picking up in frequency!  There is CHIRP a sermon illustration in this somewhere.  Probably along the lines that this is like the warning you here in your head when you are about to do something wrong and you keep telling yourself not to! CHIRP

Heed the warning!  I've got to go find a battery before I go CHIRP crazy!

Don't Play in the Cesspool!

In my early childhood we lived in a church parsonage.  It had a fairly large back yard that endured a lot of play time from all of us kids.  One prominent feature of the backyard was the cesspool!  I guess you couldn't see it or smell it from the church, so it just seemed to perpetually be "our problem!"  It was there for a long time. 

A common instruction to us as we piled out the back door to play was, "now, you kids stay away from that cesspool!"  I suppose these days I am taking it for granted that people even know what a cesspool is.  Simply put - it is a watery bog, usually in a low place in the yard, directly above or very close to either the septic tank or the field line coming and going to the septic tank.  To put it more eloquently, it is a watery, smelly mess of liquid pee and poop that has broken through the top of the ground! 

Now, the cesspool was gross, but strangely alluring!  We went barefoot all summer. Sometimes while playing out in the yard we would dare each other to see how close we could get to the cesspool without getting in it!  Yep! Inevitably someone would step in it! And it was usually cool to cold.  On a hot summer day it smelled a bit more - but was a strangely fun feeling between your toes! So, sometimes we would just end up running through it - then heading for the water hose to wash off the feet.  

Gross, right?  When we were riding bikes, we would sometimes see if we could make it riding through the cesspool without getting stuck.  With enough speed you could do it. But it had been there so long that it almost had a quicksand component - so I got stuck on the bike more than a few times. 

Weird huh? A stinking smelly mess - gross actually - yet we could not stay away. Sounds familiar?

Sin is like the cesspool! It smells - it is stinky - it is not good for you - it is dangerous to your health and wellbeing - yet we are strangely attracted to it.  There is this perverse calling to sin.  Even when we fully know the dangers of playing around a dangerous mess, we seem to be even more drawn to it.   The only solution - remove the mess.

Eventually Daddy got tired of it - and like many a pastor - he got out in the backyard himself and dug up the field line by hand - installed a new one - and low and behold - the cesspool was gone!  

We could now ride bikes in forbidden territory.  We could now walk anywhere in the yard!  We could play outside without smelling sewage!  It was a new day - because the cesspool was gone.  

Are you playing in a cesspool today?  Or are you taking steps to remove it?   Remove it now! To do otherwise is dangerous to your spiritual health!

What to Do When You Don't Know What to Do!!!!!

Everyone has been there! It is a weird, frustrating, and often anxious time when you get to a point in your life when something is confronting you and your best thought is "I don't know what to do!"  Usually this admission comes after many other attempts "to do" something have already proven fruitless.  Concern, worry, and endless actions have left you wondering what to do.  And further thought finally brings you to the point of saying, "Hey! I don't know what to do!" 

The final part of this is that most often, something needs to happen. Which makes the circumstances all the more worrisome, troublesome, and difficult!

So, what do you do when you get to this point? What should we do when we reach this point?

Well, we could FRRRREEEEEAAAAAAKKKKKK OUT!   Been there?  I have! Probably will get to that point again some day!   But it doesn't really do much good other than to provide a temporary outlet to our emotions and frustrations.  What is a better thing to do when "we don't know what to do?"

1. Be thankful for the realization!  If you really can't do anything, then you can quit expending pointless energy!

2. Be prayerful!  Maybe the prayer is not "Lord, you have got to show me what to do!"  It may be that the prayer is "Lord, I don't know what to do - and until I hear from you - I am going to trust you to take care of it!"

3. Be Thoughtful! Perhaps the circumstance is not really on you!  Sometimes I get really distraught over things which I have zero ability to control!  Perhaps the "thing" that needs to be done is to let go of some impossible thing we have been attempting or for which we are bearing responsibility.

4. Be Available! If the Lord lays some responsibility on you or some action for you to do, then do it! If not, then move on!

5. Be Open!  In times of impossibility, the Lord may be trying to get us refocused on some opportunity or ministry that is totally different than the thing that has consumed us.  Perhaps the Lord has just let you run out of steam to reorient you to different opportunities, different thinking, and different actions.  Be open to all He may do.

Are any of these things easy? Not usually! We may FRRREEEEEAAAAAKKKKKK OUT between each one!  What say you????????

The MOST Influential Minister in My Life! Part 4 and Final Installment!

Rev. J. C. Mitchell - (Daddy!)  There is no question that the most influential minister in my life has been my Dad!  Think about this.  My Daddy led me to the Lord!  My Daddy heard my stuggle at age 12 and 13 about whether to be a music leader in the church or a pastor.  At age 13 I began telling Daddy that I just knew God was calling me to preach.  And not sometime later - but right then.  He discouraged me!! At least, I thought he was discouraging me.  He kept putting me off - telling me that I needed to pray about it and be certain.   I would go back and pray some more - only to be more convinced than ever that I was being called to preach.  

Daddy was just helping me, though I did not realize it at the time.  He then started telling me if I could think of anything else that I might do in life that would make me happy, to do that!  Well, by this time I was getting a bit agitated with him.  During a revival at FBC Pontotoc, I came to the conclusion that I needed to publicly surrender my life to the Gospel ministry.  Daddy asked me to wait.  Later that week, on Thursday afternoon, I went to him and told him this. I said, "Daddy, I don't want to disobey you, but I cannot wait anymore.  Tonight I am going to surrender to the Gospel ministry to be a preacher.  And the only way you can stop me is to not let me go to church tonight."    Now, that was the hardest thing I had ever had to say to my Dad, and I was plenty nervous about it.   He just reached out to me, shook my hand, then hugged me and said, "Finally! I was wondering when you were going to listen to God more than me!"    He was delighted that I had stood up to him on this decision.  That was when he explained to me that a man who is not truly called will not only bail out on the church and the Lord, but he will likely cause all kinds of damage to the church before he gets out.   Daddy just wanted to make sure that I had the "fire in my bones" to preach.  He was right - and I was right!  God was calling me to preach.

Because of my Dad's influence, churches immediately began to ask me to preach.  When I turned 15 and got a driver's license, I preached nearly every Sunday somewhere.  It was a unique experience.  I am 55 and have been preaching now for 41 years.  My Dad was so helpful to me in those early days!  

From age 13 forward to a couple of years ago, basically for 40 years, my Dad and I have talked ministry! We have talked preaching! We have talked experiences! We have talked difficult people! We have talked supportive people! We have talked all through the ups and downs of churches!  We have picked each other's brains for insights into scriptures and ideas for sermons.   

Forty years! Where did it go?  I never dreamed in all my life that Dad would get to a physical and mental state where we could no longer "talk shop!"  It pains me for him! To be honest, it pains me for me!  I could and did tell Daddy everything!  He was my outlet.  When I was hugely disappointed in the actions of a church member I blew off steam to him.  When I was so excited over something great happening at church, we would celebrate together.  When I needed advice, he was there.  How I long to hear him be strong of voice and mind and express a ministry idea again - but that day is gone as he lingers in bad health. 

Daddy taught me so much.  He instilled in me the love of learning.  He instilled in me the love of reading.  He instilled in me the value of hard work.  He told me more than once that you can get just about anything done if you don't mind working hard and don't care who gets the credit!   Daddy taught me to love the Word of God.  He loved the scriptures and relished memorizing it.   Today he will, even in his current condition, start quoting scripture.  He will still pray from the depths of his soul.  And he will sing.  I picked up on a love of music from my Dad!  He loved to listen to beautiful music.  

From my earliest childhood, every night Daddy told me and my brother three things:  Read your Bible,  go to church, and respect all women.   I love the Word!  I can't imagine living life outside the church.  And I have almost gotten myself whipped a time or two standing up for women!  Blame my Daddy! He has been such a powerful influence in my life.  

Appreciation for Pastors Who Have Influenced Me Most! Part 3

Rev. Bill Mitchell - (Uncle Bill!)  My Uncle Bill Mitchell stands out in my ministerial life as one of my favorite and most influential preachers.  Uncle Bill was never my pastor, but he was my Uncle!  And he was a great man of God.  Uncle Bill was  one of the first "untimely" deaths in the family, passing away from a heart attack in his mid 50's.  Some days it is still hard for me to believe he is gone.

There were so many ways Uncle Bill influenced me.  Uncle Bill really modeled community involvement as a minister.  He was always doing something that helped.  He served for many years on the volunteer fire department.  It was just another way he could serve and be of help to people in the community.   Uncle Bill loved the outdoors and especially loved fishing.  He and others in the church would have a great time going out fishing together. 

Uncle Bill was big on getting men together.  The "Men's Breakfast" at Rawls Springs was practically legendary.  We would visit them from time to time in Hattiesburg on men's breakfast Sunday (Daddy planned that on purpose) and the number of men gathered and the fellowship and program were fabulous.  I have never forgotten how great it is for men to get together to praise the Lord.

Uncle Bill led Rawls Springs to be generous in giving - especially to missions.  It took some effort, but I remember one year he led the church to give away 51% to missions and the cooperative program while operating on 49% of their income.  They couldn't maintain it, but few other churches would even dare accomplish such a thing. 

The word of God was precious to Uncle Bill.  He told me once that he didn't know whether or not his sermons would be very well liked by the professionals in a seminary, but he could guarantee that they lined up with the word of God.  He was a very straightforward preacher.  

He and my Aunt Betty had a profound influence on Andrea and me.  I invited Uncle Bill to preach a revival at each church I pastored until he died.  Uncle Bill's greatest influence on me may sound a bit trivial, but I assure you it is not.  Churches are tough to pastor.  Just about the time you think they are moving forward, they tend to move themselves backwards.   Churches can get under the skin of their ministers.   Uncle Bill taught me the importance of having fun and laughter in relationship to the church.  He told me one time that when he first started preaching, he had the hardest time keeping a straight face in church because so much that observed in the worship service cracked him up!  I guess I come by it naturally!  

Uncle Bill and Aunt Betty both died within about a year of each other.  On this day I can rejoice that they are rejoicing in heaven.  But I do miss them both.  Yet, their influence on me continues to this day. 

Appreciation for Pastors Who Have Influenced Me Most! Part 2

Dr. James L. Travis - Blue Mountain College      Dr. Travis taught me Biblical Studies at Blue Mountain College! At least that is what the school catalogue said.   Dr. Travis did so much more!  I am a Blue Mountain preacher boy! That title is not derisive!  I wear it with pride.  If you went to Blue Mountain and were trained by Dr. Travis, chances are you learned a lot about ministry in the local church.  

Dr. Travis taught me many things and I will mention a few - but the primary thing I gained from Dr. Travis was the crafting of a sermon.  Dr. Travis instilled in me that the word of God is the most fantastic gift from which to preach.  He also taught me that preaching it should never be boring - it is the most exciting revelation known to man!  I could listen to "Doc" teach and preach for hours on end!  

Dr. Travis had an engaging personality.  Most people tended to love Doc dearly, as I did, or well, not like him so much, as was true for some!  Doc Travis was full of life.  He was fiercely competitive. He hated losing at anything.   He loved lost people! He was fearless in presenting the Gospel.  He was relentless in studying the word.  Dr. Travis expected much from men of God and he usually got the best out of us.

Joy was his constant companion.  We would sing, often, at the beginning of class.  His joy was also infectious.  You could walk into his office and always find one to several men sitting and standing telling the latest joke of the day, pouring out their hearts over a difficult church situation, seeking advice, or discussing the fine points of the word of God.

Dr. Travis was my friend! Many men can say the same thing! I love and miss Dr. Travis.  He died a few years ago.  My ministry was profoundly impacted by him!

Appreciation for Pastors Who Have Influenced Me Most! Part 1

This will be a multipart blog post!  And I will try to be brief!  Just so you know - my Dad has been my most influential pastor - but I will save a post just for him.

Dr. W. Levon Moore - Dr. Moore was pastor of the church in which I did most of my growing up, First Baptist Church Pontotoc, MS! From the third grade through high school, Dr. Moore was my pastor.   Because I was so interested in church work, Dr. Moore took a great interest in me.   Pontotoc was (and still is) a great town in which to grow up! You could easily walk around in downtown and the church was right there, just a block off the square.   I would often find myself hanging out around Dr. Moore's office.  He was always welcoming.  

Dr. Moore opened up the world of Southern Baptist leadership to me. He was well known in SBC circles and served on many boards and agencies at the state and national level.  He was a proud graduate of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and constantly talked to me about writing and scholarship.  Dr. Moore was a great administrator and for lack of a better way of putting it - he ran a tight ship at FBC!  

Dr. Moore taught me that there were good ways of doing things - and there were excellent ways of doing things.  He believed that whatever a preacher did, it should be done with grace, class, and excellence.  He believed the church should present its best to the world.  Quite a bit of his character shaped me for ministry.

I see Dr. Moore in me everytime a guest comes up on the platform.  If I am seated on a platform, I stand until they are either at the podium or are seated.  Dr. Moore impressed on me a certain decorum for doing various things in the church.  Some might see these things as outdated.  I see them as possessing a certain level of respect and class.  I would rather exhibit some class rather than being a clod!   I see Dr. Moore in me when I turn sermon prep into a research project!  I see Dr. Moore in me when I look at my library!  I see Dr. Moore in me when I encourage children as he encouraged me in my childhood.

Dr. Moore was interested in everything at the church! From the order of service to the plants in the flower beds, he wanted everything to represent God's people and the Lord in a great way.  

As is true with any pastor, some people thought more and some people thought a little less of Dr. Moore! I truly loved him because he NEVER failed to take time with me.  Dr. Moore and I stayed in touch all the way through my ministry at FBC Pearl many years later.  I praise the Lord that even after Dr. Moore went blind, he traveled to our church at Pearl and shared a wonderful evening with us.   I miss Dr. Moore!  But he truly does live on in heaven, my memory, and in a good bit of my character!