Really Getting Tired!

Posted on May 10, 2014 by Scott Ranck

Another casualty of political correctness run amok and an overly powerful small group of vocal, intolerant proponents of a lifestyle outside the norm win another one. You are no longer allowed in the USA to hold an opinion or a belief that is different from the cultural elite.

Yes, I’m talking about the cancellation by HGTV of the “Flip it Forward” show because the twin brothers said a few years back they believed in traditional marriage. Oh my what a crime! Jason and David Benham are two more people who are being demonized because they don’t drink the Kool-Aid!

The gay agenda is the new “Evangelists” of the country. Years ago Kinsey did a study that has now been largely discarded and replaced by more accurate studies. Contemporary research in a less homophobic environment has counter intuitively resulted in lower estimates rather than higher ones. The Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, a gay and lesbian think tank, released a study in April 2011 estimating based on its research that just 1.7 percent of Americans between 18 and 44 identify as gay or lesbian, while another 1.8 percent — predominantly women — identify as bisexual. Far from underestimating the ranks of gay people because of homophobia, these figures included a substantial number of people who remained deeply closeted, such as a quarter of the bisexuals. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey of women between 22 and 44 that questioned more than 13,500 respondents between 2006 and 2008 found very similar numbers: Only 1 percent of the women identified themselves as gay, while 4 percent identified as bisexual.

So, if 2% of the population identify themselves as homosexual why are the views they hold more important than anyone else’s views? Why is the agenda pushed regularly on a large percentage of TV situation, drama shows. Why can’t I spend one day without feeling like there is a pushy salesman at my door and I am being forced to buy?

I say let them get married, do whatever stuff they do in their bedrooms and do not let them dictate to the remainder of society what we can believe, say and practice! Gays have the right to disagree with me and I have the right to disagree with them. But it is equally wrong for homosexuals to judge other’s who disagree with them, just as they do not want to be judged for their choices.

My belief is God lets us all choose whatever path we want to take in life. He loves us all equally though he doesn’t always approve of our choices. Jesus died for all of us. The Bible says each of us will give an account for OURSELVES to God. I propose we live and let live. Have honest discussions and debates without demonizing and name calling and let God sort it out in the end! Stop trying to silence anyone who disagrees. That makes us a totalitarian state!

Blessings,
Scott

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21st Century Christian Misunderstandings

Posted on April 21, 2014 by Scott Ranck

There is something to be said for getting older. Life’s experience and continued learning help you to see life in a more realistic fashion. In thinking about life, faith, and things commonly taught and practiced in church, I wanted to highlight two things that need corrected. Things that actually set people up for disillusionment.

The first one is a common practice in Evangelical Churches. Someone makes the decision to accept Jesus’ sacrifice for sin and rather than giving that person the opportunity to realize what that means and then tell others. The church or a church leader tells others about them. I just saw a post from a big name pastor this morning featuring a homeless man who walked seven miles to an Easter Service and accepted Christ. It felt almost like the guy was being exploited with his picture on Facebook and a Christian guy pointing to him. If I were to caption the picture it would say, “See, God loves us and we are doing a great job of reaching people.” In Scripture, we see people who accepted Christ as their Savior immediately going out and telling their friends. You don’t see the disciples saying, “Look, we landed another one!”

The second thing that is bugging me lately, is we send a message that there is some way in this life to get to a place of maturity where we are consistently in a happy place; Where we consistently are living above the fray and barely ever sin anymore. I regularly hear people tell stories of how God has rescued and restored them from some monumental sin of the past, while neglecting to tell of the continued struggle they have in the present. Read Romans 8 in the Bible. This entire life is one of struggle. This entire life is swimming against the current. I’ve been a serious Christian for 39 years and if anything life has become more complex, there are more battles to face not less and my energy is decreasing not increasing.

The real benefits of knowing Christ, in many ways are other worldly. I mean, I know I know Him and He has promised to never leave me. He has promised His strength for the battle. Ultimately, He has promised, I will be with Him in eternity. There are some limited benefits in this life because of knowing Jesus, but it does not exempt you from all the issues that come from living on a fallen planet! One benefit is He has promised to teach us through everything and help us to become more like Him. But you still will have tragedy, you will have trouble, you will be sick, you will have sin battles and you will ultimately die, knowing Jesus does not exempt you from these things. Your body is dying but your inner person can be renewed every day through Him.

Knowing all the above is true and having tasted and seen the Lord is good, the cry of my heart is still, “That I might know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.”

blessings,
Scott

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One Year Later

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Scott Ranck

My mom, probably the strongest influence on my life, went to be with the Lord April 15, 2013. It has been an unusual year for me. My family left home in 1979, so I’ve only gotten to see mom a couple of times a year since then. But we talked nearly every day since the advent of cell phones. In the early years after we moved she would make cassette tape recordings and mail to us weekly!

Living far away, many things haven’t changed for me. It is almost as if she is still at 215 waiting for the next visit. Regularly, reality hits me though when I want to tell her some news and go to call and remember she is gone. When I let my mind go there, it really is sad to think about her home sitting empty. She only lived in that place since my siblings and me were born. It was the hub of activity and she was the hub of the family.

Amazing what an impact parents can have on kids and later grand kids. My daughter told me yesterday how much she misses both my mom and dad, her grandparents. If you are a parent or grandparent, take the time to make an imprint.

I’m not sure what I feel. Sometimes I just feel kind of a dull ache. Sometimes everything in me screams to go to PA for a visit and sit on the back patio at 215. Someone wrote you can never go home again. In the physical sense that is true. Life and time march on and nothing remains the same. This moment will never be this moment again. The people and places that are today, may be totally different tomorrow and we cannot return to today.

For the Christian, this isn’t supposed to be home. We look for a city whose builder and maker is God. We look forward to a new place with loved ones reunited. Until then, we have to deal with change and loss and things never being the same the best way we can.

This July 4th my dad will be gone from us for 25 years. I still miss him very often. I wish I could talk to him, get a big bear hug from him, hang out together and see him with my kids and grandkids again. Teach us to number our days Lord and to live them wisely.

blessings,

Scott

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You Have Arrived At Your Destination

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Scott Ranck

Gayle and I just got back from going to see our son’s family in Chesapeake, VA. On our flight to Norfolk there were some on the plane who were going on to another destination. The pilot came over the public address system and said, if you are going on to Rochester, NY we will be leaving in 40 minutes. If Norfolk is your final destination, enjoy your stay. Coming back to Orlando, the flight also had some going on to Fort Lauderdale and the pilot said something similar. For those getting off he said, If you are here for vacation enjoy your time here, for those who call Florida home, welcome home.

It has dawned on me, “Welcome Home,” you have arrived at your destination is the number one battle I have faced all my life. You see, I have wanted once and for all to find a solution to whatever the struggle I am facing. I want to be fit and stay fit physically. I want to make one decision and be spiritually consistent for good. I wanted to get married, say I do and live happily ever after. I wanted to have a job where I would be taken care of for life.

Revelation 21:3-4 says, Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. . . Then, and only then will we be able to say, you have arrived at your final destination.

Until that day, little on earth is static; very few things will be complete. My marriage may be awesome this year and not so awesome next year. My health may be the best it has ever been and a month later it all could change. My career may look promising only to have a merger put me in the unemployment line. My faith may be robust today only to wonder two months later if God really exists.

Nothing stays the same; nothing is complete in this life. Life is all about the journey toward the final destination. Here are a couple of things that will help us through the hills and valleys.
1. Faith, God is for us not against us.
2. Healthy disciplines to slow the natural deterioration of all things left to themselves.
3. Treasure the moments, this one will never be relived.
4. Give life your best shot all the while keeping your eyes on the final destination.

blessings,
Scott

PS This is my 200th blog!

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Totally Confused!

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Scott Ranck

Do you realize in 1900 the average life expectancy in the USA was 47? For most of human history, people’s primary function was to figure out how to get water, eat and find shelter for one more day. My trip to Northern Uganda a couple of years ago, where we thought we would go help build an orphanage, ended up spending much of our time carrying water and just surviving. Most of what we ate was harvested or killed that day! The Lord’s Prayer says, Give us this day our daily bread.

It is mostly in modern America we expect so much more. We feel slighted if someone gets sick and dies in our family before old age and even then sometimes. If our friends are living in 3,000 square foot homes and we are renting or living in a 1,500 square foot home, we feel like God isn’t fair. Most our anger and frustration with God is because our expectations are totally off track.

Picture the entire human race being in the mudslide Washington State just experienced. We are all hurtling out of control down the hill to a certain death. Somehow in an amazing way God rescues a handful of people and spares them from certain death. Then He asks, will you make your main purpose to be to rescue others before it is too late. I will make it worth your while later on! That is the biblical view of life on earth!

We have a singular/dual purpose. To Know Christ and to make Him known. That is it. That is why we are here. We aren’t here to accumulate wealth, to achieve status or any other little purpose. For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.

To die is gain! Only in the USA since about 1950 has that statement been questioned. Ask the underground church in China if they think going to be with Christ is better. No other culture would say, I want to go to heaven but not till after my daughter graduates from college and gets married! I want to go to heaven but I really want to own my own home first! We’ve lost perspective.

This is not the best possible world, it is the path to the best possible world. We are pilgrims, travelers; we are on a journey and the destination is to be with God for all eternity and invite as many as we can to go with us!

I’ve lost sight of this for a while, maybe over a decade or more. But the Lord is helping me come out of my confusion and see things more clearly again.

blessings,

Scott

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For The Health Of The Church

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Scott Ranck

John the baptizer said, “He must increase; I must decrease,” and that is exactly the formula needed to help our local churches become healthy. We must fight the celebrity pastor syndrome at every turn. Down deep many pastors are hoping they will be the next celebrity pastor. Pastors are like all people and pride is one of their number one battles. We don’t just flock to the big conferences to learn a few new ministry tricks; we go believing we may be hosting our own conference in a couple of years. Here are some practical ways to help churches become healthier places.

1. Do everything in your power as the pastor to decrease your significance. Grow the church in such as way as to work yourself out of a job. If after a few years, you are so entrenched it is difficult to get away on vacation you aren’t doing it right! Take your name off the church sign! You are one member of a team.

2. One of your first tasks should be to develop other people who can speak in public. Sunday services should become a place where the body is built up by the practical teaching of God’s Word but not primarily by one person. This one thing will go a long way to remove one personality from hogging the spotlight. Eventually, the goal would be to have several people with close to equal time on stage.

3. The church needs to budget for counseling time for those who will be the public face of the church. Pastors have as much baggage as anyone else. Acting like they don’t and hiding it to be the rock star of the church is what leads to pastor failure. At first, monthly counseling should be required and later reduced to quarterly but never less.

4. The pastor should never have the final say alone on anything. Teams should be assembled (the pastor can pick his team) for every responsibility that generally falls to one person. At the end of my pastoral ministry I was part of a leadership development team, a staff team and the elder team. I never had to make a decision alone regarding the ministry.

5. Teams should go off together to pray and seek God’s direction for the ministry, for sermon series and for major decisions. When solutions and sermons are birthed through a team seeking God’s face together, confidence and courage is born.

6. I believe I would call a moratorium on going to any conferences for a year or two. Figure out what God has for your particular church without the clutter of what He may want to do in Charlotte, Chicago or Atlanta.

7. The first question I would ask any new pastor or potential full-time staff person is, tell me about how God has broken you. If a person can’t relay how they have been broken, I don’t want to hire them and manage that process. You would be hard pressed to show me a leader in the Bible who wasn’t broken before they were used significantly.

Blessings,
Scott

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Options to the “Little god” Ministry Model

Posted on March 22, 2014 by Scott Ranck

In 2004, our first year in Florida, I was questioning everything about my faith and about the church. I reread the book of Acts a few times while praying the Lord would show me what He wanted the church to look like. At the same time I was taking an honest look back over the previous 18 years of pastoral ministry. It was a serious time of looking into the truth of the Bible and the good, bad and ugly of my church experience. I’m going to have a couple of solution writings. This first one is dealing with my mindset. The next one will be some practical ideas for how to save yourself and those who hear you.

My discoveries changed my approach to ministry. Here are some of the things I’ve since embraced and how I choose to do ministry today.
1. I have no ability to change anyone else’s life.
2. I am not responsible to change anyone else’s life.
3. I no longer try to change anyone else’s life.
4. I am responsible to have a John 15 type abiding relationship where Jesus is changing me. I will tell you what I’m learning.
5. Since I am not trying to “fix” you; I can accept you as you are.
6. Through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, an a person’s true acceptance they begin a journey of change that will last the remainder of their lives.
7. Jesus is head of the body and has an individual education plan for you and is fully capable of communicating to you without my help. He may choose to use me but doesn’t need me.
8. If you know Him, you will become His witness, you will become generous and you will desire to grow in him. That growth is your responsibility not mine.
9. Ministry needs to be simplified. If I have to put on a major production for you to come to worship and learn you may not really be a Christ-follower yet.
10. I am not responsible for your eternal destiny. I am responsible to share the Gospel.
11. If you are willing to take responsibility for your own spiritual life, I am willing to help you. If you aren’t willing to do much to help yourself, I don’t have time to chase you. Based on the parable of the lost son and the lost sheep, I believe the lost sheep had realized he was lost and wanted to come back to the fold.
12. The Spirit initiates ministry. Leaders need to humble themselves and listen rather than try to imitate someone else’s ministry.

Adopting this mindset will reduce your stress level considerably.

Blessings,

Scott

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The Evangelical Church Model and How It Destroys Pastors

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Scott Ranck

I’ve been pondering this for many years, but recently have been reminded how unhealthy the American model of church ministry really is. I’m not bashing the church, after all Jesus said, I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it, I’m bashing the American Model of church. Over the last thirty years or so, here is a common scenario of how someone becomes a pastor and how the church operates.

Often the person will be someone who comes into church and develops a relationship with Jesus Christ. I know enough now to know that all of us have our issues. Those issues don’t go away because you become a Christian! Everyone needs affirmation and approval. Many times people who become pastors find out they can get many of those needs met by helping other people. It feels good to be needed, especially for people who are needy themselves. The personality types who make it to the stage are generally outgoing, fairly driven (which is not a healthy trait, driven is when you are trying to meet some deep unmet need of your own) and bold. Many, unlike the general population, like the stage, the spotlight and enjoy entertaining and teaching the audience by public speaking.

Now, take that person who, most of the time, their gifts are greater than their character development and put them at the top of an organization and weekly stage time. The entire church is built around their charm and personality. They are viewed by the church as the person who has life figured out. They teach the Bible, teach you how to become like them! There is one major issue. Pastors are still human. They have absorbed dysfunctional patterns of behavior and relating to others just like everyone else.

Who does the pastor talk to when he is overwhelmed, depressed, or battling with some old habit? How can a pastor teach the truth about life vulnerably, relating he is one of us, when to do so in most churches means you will get fired? How does a pastor handle it when he is compared to the top and very visible handful of super gifted pastors who are on TV, writing books and all over the Internet? How does one handle it when your congregation compares you to their favorite media darling?

The American model of ministry really is terribly unhealthy and sets pastors up to fail. That is why thousands of people leave the ministry every year. My next blog will begin looking at some options for solution.

Blessings,
Scott

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Demonizing People

Posted on March 9, 2014 by Scott Ranck

For the last several years, people of faith are said to be intolerant, bigoted, homophobic and racist just to name a few. It is portrayed that the hate-filled Westboro Baptist Church is like the typical person of faith. Some people of faith have given opportunity to be accused of such claims. While the vast majority of people live fairly quiet lives attempting to Love God and Love their neighbors. In truth, lumping every one of a particular group together and labeling them based on the most negative among the group is the definition of prejudice. It is prejudging based on belonging to a certain, race, religious persuasion or other interest. Dare I say there are a small percentage of strong voices on both the left and the right who like the pied piper lead the sheeples to buy into their hate filled, demonizing speech.

Demonizing people comes from fear. We fear them for some reason and if we can keep them at arm’s length by demonizing them we don’t ever have to get to know them and have our fears shattered. The only way I have ever seen to stop demonizing people is to get to know them one on one.

I’m a Christian, unapologetically. I also am one of the most accepting people I know. For twenty years, I’ve taught and preached that our task is to love and accept people no matter what. We will love them to life. I have befriended and served every group imaginable from all races, religious persuasions, non-believers, drug addicts, alcoholics, liberals, homeless people, pedophiles and homosexuals. One thing I’ve discovered, everyone has a story, everyone is an individual and everyone is created in the image of God, no matter how marred that image may be. Everyone has been different from my preconceived ideas. Yes, one more thing. I believe if ANYONE comes to Jesus Christ, they will be made new.

The opposite of demonizing people is knowing people. It is taking time to listen. To understand their value structure. It is to hear where they’ve come from and their life experience. I regularly watch news shows where the people hold the opposite views as I do. What I generally feel from them is misrepresentation, demonizing and all the things they say we do as intolerant Christians.

The intolerance and demonizing is not working America. For our country to survive this approach must stop. We must start talking to people not at them or about them. Stop name calling like middle school kids. It is time to drop our fears and have some one-on-one dialogues over a cup of coffee.

Blessings,
Scott

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Keeping Up Appearances

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Scott Ranck

We are working on a book, “Married but Lonely” in our life group this semester. As I read, I am having flashbacks to early years in our marriage. I remember on a few occasions Gayle would ask me if we could get counseling. At that time of my life, I was more concerned about looking good than being good. My answer was always, “Absolutely not!” I wasn’t willing to let anyone know that we had struggles. I wasn’t willing to let anyone know I was less than the perfect Christian, bible college student, church leader, and potential pastor.

Now many years later, having gone through near marriage-ending failures, I wished I would have said yes. I now see for me the number one hinderance to my own personal, spiritual and marital improvement is pride. Yep, keeping up appearances! Trying to appear better than I am to look good to people who don’t matter that much rather than becoming the best I can to honor God, myself and my wife and family! Humility, “Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up,” is the number one key to real growth.

How destructive and really how dumb I was. Why would I court, ask to marry, pledge to spend my life with and then not be willing to do the hard work to make our marriage work? Why would I choose to stay married and create misery rather than say, “We are in this for the long haul, let’s at least make it the best it can be!”

Last night, on a date, having been married 41 years to the same hot chick, we chattered like teenagers at the dinner table. There is always more we can do as individuals and a couple to keep improving.

Having experienced both, the misery of keeping up appearances and the joy of real intimacy. The latter is worth the work!

Blessings,
Scott

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