Body Life: Introduction

Okay.

I get it.

All I ask is that you be nice to me.

I understand the mentality of the American culture. Bigger is better. Bigger means successful. Trust me I know all too well.

Several weeks ago we were blessed with a vacation in Hawaii. A wonderful couple that we know took us as a gift. Stop, they are our friends. I’m not giving you their name. They are very generous and loving people that are from, let me see, Tanzania. I’m losing focus. On our last night in Maui they took us to a magic show. A very good magic show. I’m not sure if I should make a plug. Okay I will. It was Warren & Annabelle’s, here is a link. In fact, if you go to Google and search “magic show in Maui” that is what you will get. That makes it easy if you can’t remember the name.

I’m losing focus again. Why do I bring the show up? Because half way through the show the magician Warren Gibson goes down the front few rows and asks people where they are from and what they do for a living. I saw it coming from the start. Great, can’t wait until he gets to me and sure enough he did.

“Where are you from?”

“Colorado”

“What do you do?”

“I’m a Pastor (Please forgive me my Church of Christ friends……)”

He was about to go on until I hit that Pastor part. Then the next question came and I knew it was coming.

“How big is your church.”

My response, “Good size.”

His, “No, no, no, no, no, how many people attend on Sunday?”

Here we go, “on a good Sunday 80.”

He laughs. Laughs some more. A little more.

“80? That isn’t a church that’s a small group Bible study……..”

Then he laughs some more.

I have flown across the ocean. I have enjoyed tropical beaches and breathtaking sunsets but I can’t avoid someone mocking me because of the size of our Sunday attendance.

I am made for small church minister. I was called. Don’t misunderstand me, I want our church to grow. Just yesterday as I looked on the believers gathered I counted 20 who were here when we arrived two years ago and the total attendance was over 60. That would garner laughter from the very talented magician but I don’t see anything funny.

Here is why bigger will never work for me. In scripture the disciples of Jesus are added to the body.

Places like Ephesians 3:6 NIV say as much.

“This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.”

Here is the thing, when it comes to bodies, bigger is often not seen as better. Don’t get me wrong, there is still a place for bigger, the NBA or the offensive line of your favorite football team. But for the most part, when a body gets bigger we don’t celebrate, we actually become concerned. We have commercials for weight loss and TV programs.That is my struggle. I’m called to small. I work best there. I believe it is better. It has nothing to do with skills or ability and everything to do with calling.

Why do I bring this all up? Why did I get back on my blog? Because even though we are small in number we don’t have a body image of our church. We are a church that is small but dreams of being bigger. A church that measures itself by American church, that sees itself the same way the magician does.

Today we embark on the journey of body. I have a lunch meeting as we begin to map this out. I could use some prayers. I am a part of a fellowship that’s average size is less than a hundred that needs more body focus. It will not be easy and it will require change and buy in. Thanks.