June 30, 2008

How do you react when you meet a fellow human being who says she's got it all figured out?

Some people may be impressed and think "Wow. That's amazing. I'd like to emulate her." Some may ask questions and seek to understand the path, so that they can have it all figured out. Some may react in a positive way, but let me tell you, in the face of such a declaration, I am not some. I tend to roll my eyes, say a prayer that the sin of pride might be banished from her life, and go on my merry way. (I hope someone will call me on the obvious fact that my own pride is the root of this reaction, but let's save that discussion for another day.) I tend to think that no one has it all figured out, and anyone who would claim to is much farther from Truth than the rest of us.

I'm afraid this kind of thinking is pretty rampant in the world in which I live. I believe what is right for me, and you believe what is right for you. As long as we don't step on each other's toes, we'll get along fine. Seems like the formula for a pretty peaceful existence, doesn't it?

The problem comes in when I remember what I believe. I am a Christian, a follower of Christ. As such, I do believe I have found the way, the truth, and the life in my Savior, Jesus. There are problems in the world and I know that Jesus is the answer. I've got it all figured out.

But wait, I don't want to be that girl! On the other hand, I have the words of Jesus from Mark 8:38, "If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

Here is where we must live in the tension. Jesus was never reluctant to speak truth, even when the potential for an unfavorable reaction was great. I must also be bold to speak the truth of what I believe. The kicker (and the difference between a Christian speaker of truth and a self important speaker of arrogance) is this: Jesus spoke the truth in love.

When you find yourself in a spiritual argument, may you love before you speak, and may I do the same.

God bless,
Michelle Patton

May 30, 2008

You may or may not know that every Thursday, unless providentially hindered, I have an experimental cooking night. I peruse that stack of "sometime I'll try this" recipes, pick the one that sounds most delightful, and overcome all obstacles to make it happen. On Thursdays, I take the time to search the store for something I've never heard of, splurge on the expensive cheese, and indulge in the freshest ingredients. I set a table for one, complete with candles and/or flowers. I put on music that soothes and inspires. I take time. I touch. I smell. I taste.

My experiment is not always successful (and as my Mom will tell you, I often have to "phone an expert"), but I find that it is always a celebration of blessings. It has become one of my favorite nights of the week for this reason. God has been good to me. No matter what plagues or who goes in or out of my life, it is refreshing to say and celebrate: God is good.

God bless,
Michelle Patton

April 17, 2008

I've been thinking alot lately about the pace of life. There is no way to avoid the fact that life in America demands alot of our time. We work 40+ hours a week. We have households to maintain: kitchens to clean, bathrooms to scrub, laundry to do. Some of us have new marriages to nourish or new babies for which to care. Others of us are playing the dating game, wondering when we'll have time to invest in a relationship. On top of this, there are the curve balls of life: the finances are getting spread a little thin this year, the car broke down, Dad needs to have surgery, Mom has cancer. Are you getting overwhelmed yet? I know I am.

Where can we find relief? Where can we find a moment to breathe?

With everything working against it, I think we need to fight a little for our peace. Have a prayerful discussion with God about where your energies are going. Is there something unhealthy He tells you to weed out?

Have another prayerful discussion about the source of your strength. Are you pulling strength from your spouse? Your co-workers? Your friends? Yourself? These are all great people to revive you and build you up, but these are all diminishing resources. At some point, you will hit bottom. This is not the case with our Lord. His strength never runs out and his energy never stops flowing. Jesus speaks these words to the Samaritan woman in John 4:13, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." That's the source you want tap into. No matter what life throws at you, make sure you are plugged into His strength. Do whatever you have to do, and I mean whatever. Take drastic measures: say "wait" to your significant other, stay home on a Friday night, be late to the party, miss your TV show, ignore a call. Demand change from a hectic life. You may find God multiplying your time for everything else when you fight for your time with Him.

God bless,
Michelle Patton

February 13, 2008

I feel as though, on this day before Valentine's Day, I should reflect upon Love. Love is a feeling, right? Something that you feel towards your significant other, your friend, your God. We've all heard that there are different kinds of love: eros, philos, agape, stergo, etc. God loves us, we love God. Love is a many splendored thing. All you need is love. What the world needs now is love, sweet love.

While the above has truth in it, I find myself thinking about Love, with a capital "L." God has told us that he IS Love. He isn't just the author of love. He doesn't just feel it towards us. His very being is Love. When we reflect on Love, we reflect upon Him. That which we feel towards others gives us a glimpse into the mystery of God.

This makes Valentine's Day so exciting to me, especially in the cold of winter when I just feel tired and can't seem to be inspired to do anything. I forget that my Jesus is the source of inspiration. His creativity never runs out. His vision for Leawood Baptist Church and even my life is so much broader than my own. When I am poured out, the deep of my spirit can call to the deep of Love and find renewal.

May we today, and always, get out of our own way and let Love lead. I think we'll be surprised at the heights He'll take us.

November 2, 2007

September 6, 2007

June 20, 2007

I have stolen my unofficial blog today from Threads Media. It seems to me a nicely lighthearted parody about what we struggle with each day. We are not alone!

God bless,
Michelle Patton

7 Tactics That Will Never Work In Reaching A Twentysomething
by Margaret Feinberg

Ministries to twentysomethings are springing up all over the United States as churches recognize the importance of reaching out to this generation. Young adults who are hungry for real relationships are gathering together, growing spiritually and deepening their walk with Christ. Many of the pastors and leaders who work with this demographic can easily list the tactics they’ve used to attract twentysomethings and keep them engaged in the community. But they can also list the things that simply don’t work.

With a teaspoon of humor and a tablespoon of satire, we’ve put together a list of 7 tried-and-not-so-true techniques used to reach twentysomethings. They’re written in such a way as to make you laugh, smile, and hopefully reflect. And if you ever want to get rid of the twentysomethings in your church, these ideas will definitely work:

Promote a meat market atmosphere
If you want to scare off healthy twentysomethings who could potentially help grow and strengthen your group, all you need to do is simply promote your group as a place to find a date. Talk about the importance of dating every week and tell your members that in order to be whole, complete people they need to get married. Help foster the atmosphere by gossiping with members about who has an interest in who. Encourage your wife or an older female member of your church to play matchmaker. Let the matchmaker have free reign in setting people up on dates and let her boast about how God has given her a special gift in getting people to fall in love. Encourage the men in your group to ask gals out on a regular basis - even if they’re not interested in the person, they’ll at least get to practice their Casanova skills on the other women in the group. And most importantly, remind attendees that discovering a mate is more important than discovering more about God. If you pursue these tactics, you should be able to sabotage your twentysomething ministry in 12 weeks or less.

Talk about religion and church more than you talk about relationship and Christ
That’s right, if you want to get rid of twentysomethings, then simply focus on the institution and rules. Don’t let them know that Christ wants to be a real, relevant part of their lives. Don’t let them know Jesus wants to fulfill their cry for intimacy. And whatever you do, don’t tell them that as a follower of Christ, they will discover true meaning, purpose and satisfaction in a way that this world will never provide. No - don’t tell them about the real Jesus. And whatever you do, don’t demonstrate His love to them through your lifestyle. Because if you do, they’ll just want to keep coming back.

Play it safe
Do things the same way every week. Live inside the box. Sing three songs. Lecture for an hour or two straight, preferably in a monotone voice (we wouldn’t want to shake things up). Keep the subject matter shallow. Don’t go deep. Don’t leave time for questions or discussion, which would allow group members to challenge and explore ideas and beliefs. Don’t plan any outside activities where members can connect and grow closer to each other. Whatever you do, don’t experiment with an idea suggested by one of the members of your gathering. This is dangerous ground. It could totally bomb and destroy everything you’ve been doing for the last year. Or it could totally succeed, shake things up, and take the group to the next level in their relationships with each other and Christ. So if you want to undermine the growth of your group, don’t ever try anything new.

Call them singles
Don’t call your gathering of twentysomethings a “College Gathering” or “Career Group.” Don’t use the term “Young Adult” or “Twentysomething.” And don’t develop a hip name for your group like “Fusion,” “The 411,” “Portico,” or “Pathways”. Just call them “Singles.” Identify them by their marital status. Make them feel like that’s their brand and that’s what they’re about. That way every twentysomething who is looking for more than just a date stays miles away from your meetings.

Do all the talking
This tactic is a sure-fire way to make twentysomethings disappear. Talk ten times as much as you listen. Better yet, try not to listen to them at all. Whenever they tell you a story, try to tell them one that’s better. When they share about difficult time in their lives, top it with a story that’s more difficult. When they become vulnerable about their personal struggles, offer lots of pat answers and refuse to identify with their pain. Instead of listening to twentysomethings and their needs, tell them what they should do and what they should be like. Always act like you know better and that you understand them when you really don’t. This will ensure that twentysomethings stay away every time.

Be fake
Don’t be yourself. Be someone else all the time. Put on a show. Dress in clothes that really aren’t your style, simply because they’re hip. Buy the latest gadgets (even though you’ll never use them) so you can say you own them. And most importantly, use the latest teenage language. Since most of the twentysomethings in your group don’t even know teen talk, you’ll sound like you’re really “in.” Make it obvious that you really want to be cool in everything you do more than you want to be like Jesus. This will help ensure the twentysomethings hungering for authentic relationships and faith go somewhere else.

Provide lots of handouts
Why limit your handouts to notes on the sermon when there are so many other pieces of paper you could be giving to your group members? Create a brochure for your service and stuff it with as many reminders and insert notes as possible. Buy lots of pre-printed handouts from various publishers and give them out every week. Agree to give out promotional handouts to your group for every band, concert and conference that comes to town, even if you’ve never heard of them before and have no idea about their spiritual background or basis. Convince yourself that twentysomethings like snail mail and only use antiquated communication methods. Skip the email and you’ll lose members faster than an Intel processor.

These are just a few of the tactics that will help make sure your twentysomething ministry stays small and struggling. So if you’re afraid of success, making an impact and reaching the lost, just keep doing the aforementioned over and over again - you’re practically guaranteed to bomb. On the other hand, if you want to develop a ministry that really reaches twentysomethings, try to do the opposite of the ideas listed above. You just might be surprised at how easy it is to attract young adults to your ministry.

May 25, 2007 - Hospitality

“I am learning that the church has nothing to say to the world until it throws better parties. By this I don’t necessarily mean balloons and confetti and clowns who pain their faces. I mean backyards and basements and porches. It is in the flow of real life, in the places we live and move with the people we’re on the journey with, that we are reminded it is God’s world and we’re going to be ok.”
– Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis  

In the past few months, my mind has been consumed by a concept: hospitality. I am convinced that hospitality is a spiritual gift, and one that is often ignored in the church. I sense a hesitance in church members to engage with each other beyond the pleasantries of a Sunday morning or Wednesday night. For a few hours each week, we put on our best clothes and our best faces to shake hands with other well clothed, shiny faced folks. Then as soon as the final “amen” is sung, we bolt to be first in line at Sweet Tomatoes. Or perhaps, we find ourselves so exhausted from the exertion of being pleasant all morning, that we must breathe in some fresh air and let our faces fall for a few hours.

I’m not suggesting that if we happen to be grumpy some Sunday morning that we divulge the cause of our angst at length to the first friendly sap who asks how we are. Quite honestly, it might be good for us to drop that at the door sometimes. However, I do recognize that the brief moments we spend together sprinting between Discipleship Class, hospitality, worship, and the exit may not be the best ones in which to form meaningful relationships.

I think that forming relationships must mean being hospitable. Webster says it is being generous and cordial to guests….promising or suggesting generous and cordial welcome….offering a pleasant or sustaining environment….readily receptive….open. What if we as a young adult group simply made ourselves more open to one another during the week? We are all busy. We are all ashamed of our dusty shelves or tiny kitchens. We are all pinching pennies, raising children, working long hours, dealing with a personal rough patch, shy, angry, uncreative, or just plain tired. There will always be an excuse not to reach out, but aren’t these the very reasons we need some support from our church family? We can only get to a point where we can trust and lean upon each other if we take the first steps toward real connection. Grab some people you don’t know well on your way to Sweet Tomatoes after church. Pull out your member directory and invite the ones you kind of know (but not really) to your house on Friday night for frozen pizza and a movie. When you have a craving for Cold Stone, call around to see if anyone shares your hankering.

Be generous. Welcome others in your life. Offer relationship sustenance. Readily receive one another. Be open. Be hospitable….and be creative.

God bless,
Michelle Patton

April 13, 2007 - Discipleship

Discipleship is a buzzword around Leawood Baptist Church these days. The word appears in our purpose statement, and so we are exploring not only how it is defined but also what changes must be made if we holistically apply the word to how we function as a body of Christ.

We have therefore begun to try to alter our language, changing Sunday School to Discipleship Groups. We think of these groups, not as the age defined hour of light Bible Study, but as a place to grow with one another into disciples, people whose lives are being transformed into the character of Christ. To seek after the Lord and soak up his Word, nurture one another in Christian fellowship, and encourage such behaviors to spread outside the walls of the building are the basic goals. These goals look pretty good on paper, but imagine how amazing it will be as we take them to heart! How would life change if we lived as though each moment were a chance to be transformed by the renewing of our minds? How would our relationships with our co-workers and other church members change? We could be the light of the world!

I hope that you will join the new study of Ruth and Esther (taught by Brenda McKinney) that our Young Adult Discipleship Group begins this Sunday at 9:15 a.m. More than that, I hope that you will become involved in the group with the prayerful intention of becoming a disciple. I am already so excited by the steps the Young Adult group is taking to make our goals jump off the paper and become infused in our lives. The future is looking pretty bright, and I can't wait to soak it in.

God bless,
Michelle Patton

March 26 , 2007 - Here We Go!

Sometimes the Lord surprises you with an unexpected gift. The Young Adult Sunday School class were his instruments in surprising me this week. I often feel overwhelmed by the idea of beginning something brand new as I look to the future of Young Adult Ministry at Leawood Baptist Church. What would God have from us? What sets this group of twenty to thirty somethings apart from the rest? What can I offer to this population and what can we offer to the community at large? The vast options are staggering, but perhaps the most frightening question is this: Where do we start?

A few days ago, a bright face from the Young Adult Sunday School class popped into my office. She expressed her support for our recent decision to broaden our focus from young singles to all young adults, and went on to inform me that while I sat paralyzed by the weight of the above questions, they had put together a plan which was already in motion! The division of labor has made it possible for young adults to participate in discipleship, outreach, community, service and fellowship, the very things I longed for in this ministry!

I am both humbled and encouraged at the initiative of this fantastic group. God can do glorious things with willing hearts!

God bless,
Michelle Patton

March 1, 2007 - A brand new ministry

Grace and peace to you in our Lord Jesus Christ. I am writing to tell you about how excited I am about a few letters of the alphabet. The personnel committee has approved my request to change my title from “Young Singles” Minister to “Young Adult” Minister. There are several reasons why I believe this change is important.

First, the change will allow me to focus my energies in ministry to a group actually represented at Leawood Baptist Church. While we do not see many singles in the pews on Sunday morning, the younger population is growing all the time. The twenty to thirty-something age group is continually fluctuating. This time in our lives just invites changes in marital status, job placement, and any number of other circumstances. It simply makes sense to develop a ministry that is flexible enough to meet the spiritual and relational needs of this age group regardless of what changes occur in our individual lives.

Second, in the past few years, I have discovered that inclusive ministries are vibrant ministries. While there are differences in the needs of young singles and young married couples, I believe we have more to gain from healthy interaction than from remaining compartmentalized. I cannot tell you the number of times I have had to explain that our young singles group is NOT a Christian match-making service under the guise of Christian fellowship. The “single vs. married” card is played too often in our culture, and I believe it has little place in the church. Since our motto as a church is to be “a community of faith for everyone,” I would like to do as much as possible to make this particular aspect of our church ministry more open to everyone in this age group. The more diversified our group is with regard to marital status; the more comfortable we can feel inviting those with whom we come in contact.

I am eager to explore what new opportunities the Lord will open up in this ministry to Young Adults, but I will need your help as a church body. Please be in prayer for the Young Adults in our church and those we might reach as we open up this ministry. Pray also that the Lord would reveal his vision to me and my advisors.

God bless,
Michelle Patton