Thinking out loud with Dale

Listen to this

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Butler) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 17:54:00 +0000

Pagan Christianity review II

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Butler) — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 19:55:00 +0000

I'm reviewing the book 'Pagan Christianity' written by Frank Viola and George Barna. I've already covered the first couple of chapters, so if you are just jumping into the conversation, you can go back and look at my earlier posts to get caught up.

Like I warned you in my last post, this one's going to get personal...maybe not for you, but certainly for me since I'm a pastor.

In chapters 4 and 5, our authors discuss the topics of the sermon and the office of the pastor (maybe you didn't even know there was an office of the pastor-it's not anything like the office of the President, but it's basically the same thing in theory).

Cutting to the chase, Viola and Barna believe that sitting each week listening to a sermon is a waste of time. I happen to agree with them on this. Sitting and listening each week to a pastor preaching a sermon IS a waste of time. However, sitting and listening to a sermon, then taking what was taught and APPLYING it to your life isn't a waste of time (provided that the pastor preached something from God's Word and not something else).

Unfortunately the authors have the Church sorta backed into a corner here because we don't have to do very much research to figure out that there's more sermon-kinda resource material out there today than ever, but there's STILL a huge gap between what people say they believe, and how they live like what they say they believe (if that makes sense).

Pastor Dave Ralph (a former DS) once gave me some great insight..."we have been educated [about the things of God] more than we have the ability to live out or act on."

So, I think that the authors have a point. But let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Without trained biblical specialists to help us sort through some very difficult stuff, we would be in real trouble. Without someone that makes it their calling in life to take care of a congregation, our world would be in even MORE despair than it is currently. Viola/Barna would probably say that those roles could be filled by unpaid people, and potentially, to some degree at least, that might be true. But from my vantage point it's not happening, in any great measure, outside of professional clergy.

Is this something that we should be striving toward? That these professional clergy should be training it's congregations to do? YES, YES, YES! But if you've ever worked with people, you know that something like this is a lifelong work in progress. Mobilizing and motivating people to be selfless and to desire to give themselves away on a daily basis is a task of biblical proportions (no pun intended--well, yes I guess I did).

While most pastors should minor on the sermons, and major on the people, doing away with them and their weekly sermons would be disastrous.

Let me fill in-between the lines of the book:

We could do with less sermons and more serving;
Less preaching and more promotion of Jesus;
Fewer lessons and more love.

What about you? What would you do without a sermon each week? How would you compensate for a pastor-less society?

Pagan Christianity review

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Butler) — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 16:01:00 +0000

I'm reviewing the book 'Pagan Christianity' by Frank Viola and George Barna.
The entire premise of the book is this: The 21st century Church doesn't look anything like the 1st century Church, we should stop "doing church" this way and should reconfigure our worship style (whatever that means) to the 1st century model. This is the macro. I won't tip my hand just yet and tell you what I think about it. I will tell you that I think that the authors did a lot of homework to prepare to write the book. Every chapter has at least 50 footnotes to back up their claims--so if you get jazzed about footnotes, you're in for a treat.
Chapter 1 lays the groundwork for why church as we know it isn't what God intended it to be. Chapters 2 and 3 imply that owning property could be a waste of God's money, and that the activity of planning worship for corporate gatherings that worship pastors/teams work on each week is not only wasteful, but it robs the people (congregation) of their responsibility to bring their own songs to the group that week.
Since this is a review of the book, I'm just going to skim through what I think. If you want to know specific details, you'll have to read the book yourself. It IS interesting...very historical and fact laden, but interesting.
Here's what I'd like to get back from you:

Do you feel that we are supposed to do whatever it takes to follow the example of the 1st century church organization (not the spiritual stuff, the organizational stuff)?
Do you think that churches who spend money (sometimes LOTS of money) on buildings/property, would do better to dump the once a week building, and use the money instead for something else? If so, what else?
How valuable are 'worship' pastors? Do we need paid worship pastors, or is getting together on Sunday and doing a few requests enough?

I'll be anxious to hear your thoughts as we get through this together. Our next conversation will get personal...

Book reviews

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Butler) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 18:46:00 +0000

I've been asked by my good friend Bob Franz (pastor of South Broadway Nazarene Church in Boulder, CO) to read and then comment on a couple of books--since I'm not really doing anything right now.

So he sent me the books, and I'm going to take a few days and blog about what I'm reading/what I've read.

The first book is the 2008, Frank Viola/George Barna book: Pagan Christianity?

I don't know how much George Barna actually contributed to this book, but he is acclaimed to be 'the most quoted person in the Christian Church today', so we probably don't need to establish his credentials.

As far as Frank Viola is concerned, he's written several books, and is an influencial voice in the contemporary house church movement.

So let's get started...to be fair, the authors insist that a second book must be read to complete the entire picture that they are trying to create...I have not read that second book. Therefore, my thoughts on this book are worthless. However, I will honor my committment to do my best to give my opinion about Pagan Christianity.

The very first thing that I noticed is the standard 'get as many important, and widely known people as you can to read and endorse this book' page. There isn't one active pastor on the list. When I first saw this, I didn't know what that meant--now I do.

The book isn't 21st century Church friendly. There, I said it. As a matter of fact, it appears that Viola/Barna go out of their way to be critical of the present day Church. And really not just critical of the present day Church, but of Church as we have come to know it down through history.

As I get into this, I'll try and break down what I'm interpretting they are saying.

See you tomorrow.

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Butler) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 14:30:00 +0000

TOP TEN POLITICALLY CORRECT CHRISTMAS - EXCUSE ME, HOLIDAY - SONGS

By James Watkins

10. Chestnuts Roasting on an Environmentally-friendly Fuel Source

9. Rudolph, the Endangered and Exploited Species

8. We Three Politically Oppressive Patriarchs

7. Rocking Around the Recycled, Flame-retardant, Artificial Christmas Tree

Happy Festivus!

6. All I Want For Christmas is a Dental Plan

5. Frosty the Snowperson

4. I Saw Mommy Suing Santa Claus for Sexual Harassment

3. I'm Dreaming of a Racially Diverse Christmas

2. I'll Be Home For Ramadan (or Chanukah or Kwanzaa or Winter Solstice or . . .)

1. We Wish You a Non-sectarian Holiday

Thanks to 'Mike's Funnies' for this one!

Top 10 gifts your wife probably doesn't want you to give her for Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Butler) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 22:24:00 +0000

10. A car wash kit

9. A table saw

8. A case of oil

7. Rambo DVD boxed set

6. Five year subscription to Sports Illustrated

5. Custom engraved bowling ball

4. Outboard motor for fishing boat

3. Two all-day passes to Best Buy's home theater installation seminar

2. New satellite dish with upgraded sports package

1. Three year membership to Weight Watchers

Enemies

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Butler) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 17:19:00 +0000

"We need to remember that 'not-yet-Christians' are not the enemy;
they're victims of the enemy." --Doug Pollack

Here's a shout out to all of those who have been 'burned' by well-intentioned Jesus followers...if you've felt like you've been marginalized, ignored, ridiculed or beaten-up in the name of getting 'born-again', I'm sorry. You're not the enemy--us Christians would do well to remember that.

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Butler) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 14:04:00 +0000

Here's a little bit of perspective for you...it absolutely 'ruined' my bad mood...

Magi from the east

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Butler) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 20:03:00 +0000

We call them the 'Three Wise Men'...but they were really Magi. A group of distinguished foreigners, travelling from the east, who visited Jesus after His birth, bringing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

I saw these guys the other day. They were in the bed of a pickup truck, heading east on Kentucky St Rte 23, looking to find their place in a tradititional American nativity scene on someone's lawn somewhere.

You know that Christmas is coming when you see these guys show up--they never make an appearance at any other time of the year.

It caused me to wonder...do the people that you live with, work with, see you at the grocery store and on the ball field ever see the 'christian' side of you outside of Sunday? I mean, if asked, would your friends and aquaintances know that you were a follower of Jesus, or just a plastic stand in that shows up at only the socially acceptable time to be religious?

I'm not trying to cause controversy, I'm just curious about whether or not you are a genuine article kind of Jesus follower.

What's a genuine Jesus follower? Jesus gave pretty specific marching orders when it came to looking and acting like the real-deal. Matthew wrote Jesus' words in his gospel, chapter 22:

37 ...“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
39 And the second is like it:
‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

How will others know you follow Christ? It's in how you love those around you.

So while you're singing along to the 24 hour-a-day holiday music station, remember that the love, joy and peace stuff that decorates the tree and front yard also needs to make regular appearances the other 353 days of the year too (that's 365 minus the 12 days of Christmas for all of you numerically challenged readers).

Thoughts? I'd love to hear your feedback.

Connected

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Butler) — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 23:28:00 +0000

I would like to be connected with you. I write my blog for a couple of reasons: One would be to work through my thoughts; another would be to connect in a tangible with you. You know when you've read my blog--I however, don't...and I'd like to, if for no other reason than to know that what I'm working through means more than just self-therapy!

So...if you would take the time to subscribe to my blog that would be awesome.

It's pretty easy...just click on the "FOLLOW" or the "SUBSCRIBE" buttons on the left of the page.

Have a great day today!

Downtime

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Butler) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 19:32:00 +0000

I've been spending some time not doing much of anything--I think some people call it downtime. I call it dangerous. While I know that I'm supposed to take breaks and rest and all of that, too much time spent not really doing anything can cause a person to unravel if he/she isn't careful.

You start to think too much. This can lead to negative thoughts.
You start to worry. This is bad. Not only is it against what Jesus taught, it's unhealthy.
You start to doubt.

I would appreciate your prayers. This time of transition has been a little more difficult than we initially thought.

Insignificant

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Butler) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 21:12:00 +0000

In a rare occurrence last week, I was alone with Michelle and we were having lunch at a Southwestern fast-food restaurant here in town, eating on the outside patio (having a great time btw), and I looked down and saw a little sparrow hopping around on the ground. Not an earth-shattering event by any stretch of the imagination, but God used the occasion to whisper in my ear.

I alternate between being in a great mood, and a not-so-great mood. I can't tell you what triggers the emotions, other than there are times when I'm feeling really positive about where I am and what's going on in my life right now, and times when I'm feeling less than positive.

It's during the less than positive times when I find myself struggling with feelings of failure, anxiety and disappointment in myself. Quite honestly, it's at times like that when I feel insignificant.
I'm sure you've felt 'small' before. Something happens to you, or someone says something, or maybe a job isn't going very well and before you know it, you're having thoughts of insecurity and insignificance.

I hate when this happens--because it means that I've let something other than God determine what makes me feel important or significant. This doesn't happen often, but it DOES happen to me.

What are we supposed to do when we're feeling less than adequate? What does the bible say?

⁶ "Five sparrows are sold for only two pennies, and God does not forget any of them.⁷ But God even knows how many hairs you have on your head. Don't be afraid.
You are worth much more than many sparrows. Luke 12:6-7 (NCV)

When I'm feeling small, I need to remember who's opinion matters.

God is so in tune with what's going on in your life that he's got your hair count! How amazing is that? It's not that He's a numbers freak--He cares about you!

Make sure that when you're feeling down, you remember that God knows AT LEAST two things: How many sparrows there are in the world, and how many hairs you lost down the drain this morning. Oh, and remember that to God--you're worth more than the birds.

I need to remind myself about this one a lot.

Dirt

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Butler) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 12:40:00 +0000

I'm working more with my hands these days. I'm not a stranger to it, but it HAS been awhile. One of the projects that I've been doing during my first couple of weeks here is painting my father-in-law's store. I didn't calculate the square footage or anything, but there's a lot to do. If it were just painting that would be one thing, but there's always more involved than when you originally sign up for something, right?

There's wallpaper to take down, some holes to fill (drywall AND concrete) and since it's a retail operation, I have to make sure that I leave as much real estate un-bothered as possible while I paint. I also have to move all of the displays around.

The other thing that I have to do is wash the walls. The best guess that I get from anyone around the place is that it's been nearly 2 decades since it's been painted. That's a long time for dirt to accumulate. It's gotten me thinking.

Despite all of the people that has been in and out of this store over the nearly 40 years that the business has been operating, and even though the ceiling fans run everyday and either the air conditioning or the heater runs pretty much every day, dirt seems to find places to land. Everywhere. Dirt finds a way to pile up. In other words, dust settles even though life remains in seeming constant activity.

No matter how busy we get, or fast we move, there's dirt lurking. Well, maybe not lurking. It's not like the dirt is waiting to pounce or anything...as a matter of fact, it's fine just sitting around piling up--never wanting to be discovered. But dirt IS there. Sometimes it's so small that it's almost un-noticable.

But here's a couple issues with this: (1) We can get used to the dirt and don't really notice it anymore; (2) Unless it's cleaned on a regular basis, dirt can slow progress, even cause a shutdown if it gets into sensitive areas.

Like the 20+years of dirt on the walls of the store that I'm painting, things can pile up in our lives. Things like attitudes, prejudices, anger and bitterness. Sometimes we've just put up with it for so long that we don't even notice it's affect on our lives anymore. It's not really dangerous, per se, but it does have an affect. It could get worse though.

This is a picture of a NASA clean room. This room provides a dust-free work zone. Why would they need this? Because if dirt got into the components of this kind of stuff, it's catastrophic.

If the dirt in our lives isn't constantly worked on, it can become catastrophic to our relationships.

If you've got something that has been 'tucked away' for awhile, maybe you should take a serious look at it.

Maybe it's time to wash the walls in your heart.

One of the quickest ways to do an inventory of this size is to forgive. I said it...forgive. Forgive the person who hurt you years ago. Forgive the parent who didn't live up to your expectations. Forgive the boss that didn't promote you like you deserved. Forgive the one who betrayed you and let you down.

It's pretty powerful, and it doesn't mean that you'll become best friends, but it will go a long way toward cleaning out some things that maybe you've left over in the corner of your heart and mind.

Jesus said this:

¹⁴ “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly
Father will forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you refuse to forgive others,
your Father will not forgive your sins." Matt 6:14-15

So, get busy. Take a few minutes to look over the 'walls' of your life and inspect to see if there's dirt there. If there is, chances are that there's someone you need to forgive today.

Reach

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Butler) — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 13:18:00 +0000

I got a call this week...one of those calls that you never want to get. It was from someone from my former church. It was bad news. A dear friend's brother had a tragic accident at home and died. It was like a punch in the gut.

I think that I'm still on high alert emotionally due to all the stuff that we've been going thru in the past 6 weeks, because I just lost it. I didn't know this guy personally, but I knew his sister pretty well, and it just caught me off guard. I wept.

I cried because I don't like death to begin with...it's so final. I know all about the 'they're in a better place' stuff, but death means that it's over for them here on earth. No second chances, do-overs or video re-play. Game over.

I also cried because I hurt for my friend. She's awesome and she has a great family. This was something that she didn't need right now. Of course, death is usually something that we don't need.

As I was thinking about it, I also figured out that I was crying because I wasn't there to offer comfort and pastoral care. Now, I know that this is selfish, but I'm just being honest with you. For the past 12 years, when those types of telephone calls came in, I grabbed my bible, ran out the door and blazed to the house or the hospital to offer whatever support I could. Now--have to operate from an arm's length. And it's a bummer.

I wanted to be there this week, but all that I could do was pray. I hope that was enough. We tell people all the time that it is, but I just wonder sometimes.

You know, Jesus didn't just pray for people who were hurting. He prayed, of course, but he always matched that up with an action step. He either physically met their need, or he facilitated something to be done about it.

I know that I'm not Jesus, and neither are you, and we can't heal people, or mass produce feeding frenzies for thousands of hungry people, but I'm thinking that there's SOMETHING that you can do about someone who is hurting today.

Maybe you can donate blood, or buy someone a cup of coffee, or just call someone that you know is struggling and let them know that you care. You could get a few friends together and clean up someone's house, or offer to mow their grass, or take their kid to Dairy Queen for an hour while they collect their sanity.

I hope you're praying...but you need to match that with doing something too.

So, I called my friend last week and told her that I was sorry, and that I wish that there was something that I could do for her--she said that I already did by just calling. That made me feel like I helped...even if it was from arm's length.

Moses

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Butler) — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 23:20:00 +0000

Well...I'm here. In Ashland, KY. Don't know where that is? Click here

I feel a little out of sorts...not quite like a fish out of water, but I'm certain that I'm 'not in Kansas anymore'.

I wonder what Moses felt like the DAY AFTER he had to leave Egypt and found himself in a new location? Do you suppose that he was a little frustrated? That he felt like he was doing the right thing by defending that Hebrew, but instead ended up on the run and away from home? Do you think that he ever asked God, 'Why does following you mean that I'm stuck in this off the radar screen town tending sheep'?

I'm pretty sure that he had a conversation similar to that one once or twice. I know that I have as of late.

I'm not mad at God, or even questioning His 'will' for my life at the moment. What I'm wondering is "If I did what I felt like you told me to do, then why am I HERE?"

My ego isn't bruised. My faith isn't wavering. I have complete confidence in God to do whatever He wants with and in my life. I just would like to know why I used to have a pretty good seat at the table, and now it feels like I've been bumped to the kid's table (you remember that from the family thanksgiving meals, right?)

My new job for the moment is helper. I help. I help around the house and I help around the store. I'm not really in charge of anything. I used to be in charge of everything. It's been a bit of a switch for me actually. In some ways good, in some ways not-so-good.

If you're tempted to reply to me something like 'enjoy the journey'...don't bother. I'm trying to enjoy it. But it's hard to enjoy something that threatens your financial future--as in NO JOB to pay on the debt that we've incurred. It's hard to enjoy something that you can't really explain to your kids--as in "I don't know why God would pull us out of Colorado and all that we loved to come here to Kentucky where we don't know anyone, and where we feel like we fit in as well as a pimple on the end of your nose.

Life is hard--believe me, I know that already. God is good--I know that one already too.

The reality is that I'm not struggling with life being hard, or that God is good (or not). What I seem to be struggling with these days is why did I have to leave Egypt? I'm sure that Moses probably wondered that one too.

Elvis has left the building

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Butler) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 00:32:00 +0000

Today was the final day for me as the lead pastor of faith venture church--we finished what we were called to do, Elvis has left the building.

It was actually a very humbling day for me to reflect and to just take it all in. Michelle and the kids have long since been gone, so it gave me the opportunity to just observe all that took place.

Let me tell you what I saw/experienced:

A dedicated leader and group of people who are committed to setting up our (still) portable church on Sunday mornings;
A volunteer children's leader who doesn't get to worship with the big people very often because of her commitment to the kids;
A wonderful worship pastor and amazing band that cranks it up every weekend so that we can lift our hands and sing;
A sold out church treasurer who makes sure all the 'i's are dotted, the 't's crossed and the money accounted for;
A tireless sound guy, faithful greeters, and the most appreciated: the refreshments lady.
And a group of people who desire to see what God can do when we live in obedience to Him.

I told several of my friends there as I walked out of the door for the last time that I would be watching for my invitation to the 25 year anniversary of FVC in 2030...if Jesus doesn't come back first.

Go get 'em Faith Venture...I'll be anxiously watching to see where God takes you!

How do you know?

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Butler) — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:21:00 +0000

The question that I'm asking myself today is this: How do you know when it's over?

Big question, eh? It's the sort of question that could be asked in a hospital room, hospice care center, in a room meeting with your boss, in a heated exchange with your friend, significant other or spouse--just about anywhere, anytime, under any circumstances, the question looms: How do you know when it's over?

I wondered this a lot when thinking about my role as the lead pastor at FVC. There were lots of times when I asked myself (and God), 'is this over for me'?

Working through the answer to that question has led us to today...where my wife (along with her mom as co-pilot), three kids, two dogs, a hamster, and as many of our earthly possessions as we could fit into our Ford Explorer left our driveway to begin our relocation process.

It's a funny thing when you convince yourself that something is over. You don't look at it the same way--it's somehow different. It's been that way for me too. Once I realized that I would be resigning, and then moving away, I've looked at the last 12 years spent here in Colorado differently. I've been more reflective. I've talked with neighbors differently. Looked at the house with a different set of eyes. Thought about our church in a different way.

But I've come to a new conclusion through this: It's not over. This chapter is ending, but the book isn't done. The relationships that I've had may have to adapt, but they're not gone. My role as a lead pastor is coming to an end, but my ministry isn't finished.

Change is hard, but necessary. Endings are, at best, difficult situations that need careful attention to close properly. But just because something new comes along doesn't mean that the old is abandoned or forgotten. It usually just means that a new door or window has opened.

"God...please give me the strength to walk through that door or crawl through that window."

goodbyes are tough

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Butler) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 02:28:00 +0000

Michelle and the kids have to leave for Ashland on Wednesday, which means that this was their last Sunday @ FVC.

A lot of memories in 5 years...weddings, baby dedications, baptisms, salvation stories, healings...wow, God is good.

It's definitely hard to say goodbye. Here's a video Jay and Chantell created for us.

If you're in the video, give me your story in the comments section of this blog--it will make saying goodbye a little easier on me.

It's been a heck of a ride...

Reality

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Butler) — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 13:56:00 +0000

Reality sucks sometimes. Especially when it runs diametrically opposed to what you thought was going to happen.

I'm sure that you've all experienced this. You've got an idea/plan/dream in your head, you execute the list of 'things-to-do' in order to put the dream in motion, work until you're nearly delirious, take a step back and...

...realize that what is currently in front of you looks NOTHING like what you thought it was going to. I know that I'm not the only one that this has happened to, but when you're in the middle of it it sure feels that way.

If you're just jumping into my story here, I've been a FT pastor for the last 12 years, and now I'm not. There's a lot inside that last sentence, but I don't feel like going through it right now (you can read my other posts to get the back story).

Anyway, due to some things that were out of my control (which is a lot btw), my wonderful wife, three kids, two dogs and 20+ years of stuff we've collected are headed to Ashland, KY, for a new chapter.

Michelle will be working with/for her dad in his company, and me...well, I'm not sure what I'll be doing. I gotta tell you that after a run in the music industry and a second career as a pastor, my head is trying to convince me that I don't have much to put down on a resume that many in the greater metro-Ashland area might want to invest in. But I digress.

If you, or someone you know, is looking for a young, talented, good-looking, multi-faceted person who speaks three languages and has a plan to end world hunger, don't call me. However, if you know of a need for a guy who is a hard worker, fast learner and motivated to jump into a third career head first--please get in touch.

Weird

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Butler) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:57:00 +0000

It's been a couple of weeks since I resigned from faith venture, and just recently I've been feeling weird. Probably not for the reason that you might think.

I'm feeling weird because I thought for sure (I had completely convinced myself) that once I obeyed God (that is, resigned), that the clouds would clear, the birds would start singing, and that the next piece of God's puzzle for my life would be revealed.

I don't know why I thought that. Maybe it's because I wanted that so badly that I was willing to believe it--but in actuality there's really no guarantee of this 'obedience' action-'everything feels better' reaction kind of thing.

As a matter of fact, some of my biggest heroes in the Bible dealt with this. Abraham did what God asked him to, and it took up until the very last second to see God intervene (Gen 22); Then there's Moses and the promised land (He NEVER got in); Joseph (textbook definition of doing what you're supposed to and things not working out--in the short-term).

So I KNOW that I shouldn't expect quick and easy results from my obedience, but I'm trying to be honest here and say that I expect quick and easy results. However--I know God, and I know that He doesn't wear a watch, or consult with the calendar when making decisions. So, I'm disciplining myself to pray and have faith that God WILL show up and that what He has planned for us will blow us away. And that's what I'm telling my kids before bedtime every night.

Please keep praying for us...

One week

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Butler) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 02:41:00 +0000

It's been a week since I resigned as the lead pastor of faith venture church. It's been a rough week for sure. Lots of emotions, lots of thoughts racing, lots of people willing to pat me on the back and tell me that it's going to be okay (what they don't know is that I'm secretly planning on asking them if it would be okay if I moved in with them when things get REALLY BAD).

We're adjusting to the future that lies before us. Just in case you haven't heard, we're preparing to leave our beloved Colorado and move to wonderful, beautiful Ashland, Kentucky! I'm told that the mountains aren't nearly as high there, but the valleys are twice as deep! (it's a joke kentucky people)

As it is right now, the plan is that Michelle will be leaving with the kids on or around August 18, I'll stay to finish out my last week @ FVC, and then hopefully SELL THIS HOUSE so that I can be reunited with my wife and children. (you can all say a prayer for us for that one)

One of the most frequent questions that I've been asked since last Sunday is: Are you quitting the ministry? The answer is no, but I won't be leading a church either. As of now, God has not provided another opportunity for me to lead a church. Why? I don't know. I'm convinced that I don't need all of the answers to trust and follow God.

Another question (more closer to a leading suggestion) has been: Are you mad at The Church? The answer is no, but I'm not looking at it the same way either. This is naturally where you ask: "Well, how do you look at it now then?" To which I would reply, I don't know, just different. Maybe I'll come around to my pre-resignation outlook of the church, maybe I won't, but either way, I've been stretched, and I'm learning a bunch, and my love for the church hasn't changed. Jesus died for the church, just like He died for you and me. If Jesus loves it, then I must as well. I remember early on in this journey, Dr. Larry McKain (my coach and mentor) pounded into me a deep love and respect for the Bride of Christ.

As a matter of fact, my last four sermons as the pastor of faith venture are centering on the church, and what must happen for the dreams, hopes and ambitions of a handful of people in 2005 to continue to live on. If you want to know what I'm going to say--come to church in the weeks ahead, or you can e-mail me--dale@faithventurechurch.com. I'd love to hear from you.

All in all, we're coping. It's tough getting the house ready to sell--going through the memories, doing all of the maintenance work that I HAVEN'T done and now must do, and emotionally getting ready to say goodbye to 12 awesome years (mostly awesome) of ministry and life in Denver.

God is good. At least I keep telling myself that between panic attacks.

Four days

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Butler) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:36:00 +0000

This is day four of waking up after resigning my position @ faith venture church, and it's day four of waking up feeling like I made the right decision.

Don't confuse that last statement with me saying that I feel good about it--because I'm not sure that do. This isn't the way that I would have scripted my life. But realizing that I'm not The Writer, or The Producer or The director of my life--that I'm merely an actor in God's story, I'm okay with what's happening.

Let me restate that. I'm not okay with what's happening, I'm okay with who's responsible with it.

If there's one thing that I've learned (and still learning), is that God is responsible for my life when I live in obedience to Him. When I walk outside of His promptings, His guidance, His Word and His direction in my life, then I'm on the hook for the outcome. BUT, when I follow Him, when I do my very best to live my life in compliance with the light that He shows me, then HE is responsible for what happens. And THAT'S what I'm okay with.

I'm sure that there are dark days ahead. What am I saying? THESE are dark days. I've resigned from the church that Michelle and I started from scratch, and depending on lots of things that are out of my control, never return to FT ministry; I'm being forced to sell the house we love and move away; we have to leave the school system that the kids are thriving in; I have to change my ENTIRE life. These ARE dark days. But I choose to trust God with all of it.

I thought that I would share with you not just the tough stuff, but the good stuff too--so we were in a very famous home improvement store last night whose name rhymes with Foam Reepo (we were there to improve our house so that we can put it on the market), and began talking with one of the associates. She had already been talking with my 10-year old Hannah because of the Jesus necklace that Hannah was wearing, and was telling me what a great little girl she is.

The conversation quickly moved from Hannah to Jesus. Here's the thing: because we were there due to our current situation, and because Hannah isn't ashamed of Christ, I got the opportunity to witness to this woman.

Despite my personal situation, God will be glorified! Keep praying for us.

Thanks...

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Butler) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:44:00 +0000

Thanks to everyone who shared a kind word with me (either on Facebook, directly to my blog, or via e-mail). Your words are like a warm blanket--much needed in this time. While I'm here I'll just suggest that if you'd like to follow me during this journey, you can just subscribe to my blog, and you won't have to link through facebook to read my thoughts.

Let me tell you about my mental/emotional state...I'm good. No really. Not I'm good (wink, wink), or I'm good (with my fingers crossed behind my back). I'm really good.

This isn't to say that I'm not a little anxious, or concerned about the future, but really--I'm good.

There are a million things that I'm processing through right now though--which takes me through lots of different emotions:

I'm trying to find out what I may be good at (in case another ministry door doesn't open)
What I wasn't good at (that I need to improve on in case another ministry door DOES open)
How to remain calm in the middle of confusion and frustration
How to show my children that being faithful and obedient sometimes means struggle
That the church is the place we run TOWARD when in times of difficulty, not AWAY FROM

As you can see, I've got my plate full when I'm by myself. This doesn't include the reality that we're trying to get the house ready to sell (which it wasn't even close before--if you've ever done this, you know what I mean), and trying to find the best solution for getting the kids into school for the fall.

I have to say though, that at the end of it all, Michelle and I have peace. Genuine peace. I'm not talking about the 'pat on the back, it'll all be okay' kind of peace offered by a passerby when told of the news that your world is collapsing. I mean the 'God of the universe, peace that passes my understanding of the current situation kind of peace'. And it's awesome. I wish that I could describe it to you.

Some have commented (when I discussed this with them privately) that I'm committing career suicide. That no church board, or church leader will even pick up my resume if I quit before having another ministry job. That bummed me out...until I realized that God continually calls us to suicide daily (the day to day death of self) anyway. So I figured "what difference would it make if I just gave up the management of my career to the Lord?"

So...here we are. Day two of my unemployment--it is well with my soul...for now.

The day after...

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Butler) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:14:00 +0000

I thought that I'd try and blog my way through this transition...It might be helpful for me and it will provide anyone who's interested in what's going on with us some insight as well.

So, the BIG NEWS is that I resigned as lead pastor of faith venture church yesterday. Some were not surprised, some appeared to have been kicked in the face.

I guess that's a normal cross-sectional representation of our life. There are some people in your world who are really in tune with you and who you are and what's going on...and then there are those who are a little more distant, maybe not as close to you, but still like being around you.

I think that we need both kinds of people around us. But you have to have balance...too many 'up close people' and we get choked. Not enough, and we die of isolation and loneliness.

Quick side-note here...
There's an x-factor of just how much of YOU
are you allowing out to those around you?
It's not fair to call people "distant" if you hold everyone
back with the famous 'Heisman stiffarm' move.

One of the things that I'm trying to get my head/heart around
these days is how much of Dale am I allowing people to have?
When I feel lonely or isolated, who's fault is that?
Could it be that I'm to blame for the days when I'm by myself
emotionally because I've not allowed anyone "in"?

Well, back to 'the resignation'.

The first question that everyone is asking is: "What are you going to do now?" Answer: IDK (that's I don't know if you're texting this to someone). I don't have another ministry assignment to move on to right now. God has given us the green light to step away from FVC, but He hasn't given us the green light to move to another church at this point (I never said that I understood this whole thing).

So we're getting the house ready to sell, and preparing to move back to Ashland, KY, where we have lots of family to help us through this season in our life. Of course that could all change in an instant if God intervenes and gives me another opportunity in full time ministry somewhere.

So we're absolutely on our knees (okay, I'll be honest--we've moved to being on our faces) before the Lord in prayer. We have no idea what's in store for us...but we know that we have peace.

I'll keep you posted.

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Butler) — Mon, 03 May 2010 14:20:00 +0000

"Where there is no dream, the life becomes a swamp, a dreary dead place and, deep within, a man's heart begins to rot." --Howard Thurman

What's your dream today?