Anne Marie Miller

Category: Church

  • How do you know it’s God?

    Question of the day…HOW DO YOU KNOW IT’S GOD?

    Some more christianesque catch phrases.

    “God is blessing this” or

    “You know it’s god doing this or that…”

    A lot of people show up to a church and we say “God was moving…”

    But what if it’s not God?

    What if it really is slick marketing, charismatic leaders, feel-good buzz, and a show?

    There are “cult” followings (I mean that in a non-religious sense) to other things…Apple, The Rolling Stones, American Idol, LOST, Starbucks, etc…which all have some notion of remarkableness. Some kind of success.

    How do we know the result of our efforts are “God?”

    Or are they our cultures’ response to sensationalism?

    Can they be both at the same time?

    How do you know the difference?

  • the hypocrisy of worship

    please understand that i seriously over analyze everything – especially words. i’m from the belief that words shape everything, so their importance is paramount.

    with that disclaimer in tact, please let me say…

    every time i hear the words “worship was off the hook tonight” (and not merely because they said “off the hook”…we’ll save that 80s catch phrase for a later discussion) or “i can’t wait to worship this weekend” i literally feel my stomach do this awkward knotting up thing.

    i truly wonder if as a modern day church culture we are reshaping the true meaning of worship with our words…which then leads us to reshape the true meaning of worship in our lives.

    and honestly, i think we take this issue too lightly. i know i’m not the first to bring it up or wonder about it. but within our own church bubble, we almost repeatedly chant, “we know worship is a lifestyle…we know worship is a lifestyle…”

    do we? do we really?

    god does not take empty worship, or even ceremonial worship, lightly. when i was working on my book, i studied a lot about the different forms of sacrifice and their meanings. it is almost spooky how old testament sacrifices parallel to the things we say today.

    amos 5:21-22 says,

    “I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them.?

    burnt offerings were a sacrifice that said “i’m giving everything to you.” it was the only offering that nobody ate afterward. the entire animal was consumed by fire (devotion, dedication) and the smoke offered to the heavens (offering upward to god).

    the israelites said they were completely dedicated to god. they sacrificed entire animals in order to prove it. but god saw their hearts. and he would have none of it.

    how often do we say “god, take all of me?” but it’s just because we feel like we need to say that?

    empty worship. god sees it.

    micah 6:8 defines what god requires for true worship of him.

    “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

    how many times do we get this backwards?

    step 1: get people to a weekend service.
    step 2: encourage them to “feel” the song.
    step 3: inspire their hearts to fully unite and engage with the father’s love for others.


    the heart comes before the words.     before the song. and well before the weekend service.

    compassion

    (painting by scott erickson)

    ::edit:: nathan points us to this incredible song by jon foreman that was just put up today that addresses the same issue.

  • uncomfortable church

    when i was in birmingham last weekend, i met a lovely gal named crystal. we were eating lunch at a fabulous little place called brio and talking about her church.

    “i love going to church,” she said. “it makes me SO uncomfortable. like wiggle-in-your-seat uncomfortable.”

    can i tell you how much my heart smiled when she said that?

    our society is addicted to comfort. and when church is comfortable, it merely blends in with the rest of society. what makes it stand out? are we only providing help and support and leaving out the uncomfortable aspects of holiness and the gospel?

    when it comes to a weekend church experience, how is your church planning to challenge people? yes, you should make everyone feel welcome…but there is a HUGE difference between feeling welcome and being comfortable.

  • thirty people died on easter sunday…

    so this post is all about prayer.

    i honestly don’t have a lot of creative writing power right now…so, instead of faking something, i’d rather we do something together as this blog community and pray.

    a few weeks ago, you all listed your requests…today, i have one of my own.

    i got a message from michael about some terrible violence in juarez, mexico. his church has partnered with that community and god has done great work through them. they actually had to cancel their mission trip due to the violence.

    michael requests:
    Pray for all the citizens of Juarez.
    Pray for any tourists that maybe trying to get out safely.
    Pray for the pastors of Juarez and their congregations.
    Pray for the city, state and Mexican national government officials.
    Pray for the police and military.
    Pray for the hearts and minds of the criminals.

    over 218 people have been killed since the new year, with over 30 being killed over easter weekend.

    this article says,

    “‘These types of events, which were isolated within the ranks of organized crime, are now seen by everyone, at any hour, in broad daylight, and worst of all, in 100 percent family places,’wrote Ciudad Juarez reporter Gamaliel Carrasco Arjon.”

    could you imagine your weekly family trip to the local super target and having your spouse and kids witness someone getting killed right there on the side of the road?

    please pray for this situation…


    (children in juarez)

  • an unbalanced easter tradition?

    easter and christmas are historically the most attended weekends in the church. many people only go to church on these weekends.

    something i woke up thinking was, what if, in addition to having the amazing services most of us have, we added something different to our focus?

    we would have services…worship and celebrate together…but it doesn’t end there.

    to “this is the weekend you need to be AT church” we add “this is the weekend we are all going out into the community and bringing the message of the gospel TO the community?”

    why not start new traditions in addition to one that the church has had for centuries?

    with the masses of people who typically come on these weekends, can you imagine the impact this could have on a community?

    just a thought.

  • sex rules!!

    ok, married people, sex does rule (cue 80s lingo flashback…now).

    but that’s not what we’re going to talk about.

    i’d like for us to discuss THE sex RULE.

    “the rule” (for lack of a better term) that most churches have which states a married woman and a married man cannot be alone (car rides, office time, counseling, meals, travel, etc.) with a member of the opposite sex that is not his or her spouse.

    all of the churches i have been employed by have “the rule.”

    yet, i was talking with a friend who is also on staff at a church who does not have the rule. he thinks it’s a little legalistic.

    another friend said,

    “you know that whole theory where people live up to the expectations set before them? to me, this rule says, ‘we don’t trust you to make wise decisions on your own, so we’re enforcing a rule that might help keep you out of trouble.’ of course people are still having affairs and getting involved inappropriately. they’ve already been told they can’t be trusted!!”

    one church i was on staff at a while back had the rule, and yet within a couple of years, four staff members, including three in public leadership, had affairs. and this happens all the time. to churches with “the rule” in place.

    so…what do you think? is “the rule” necessary? should husbands and wives involved in church leadership set “their rule” instead of the church? does it really prevent anything? or is it a darn good idea that protects leaders? what do your “rules” look like if you have any??

  • pantyhose and elevators and my own skin

    pantyhose and elevators and my own skin. those are three things i’m uncomfortable in. (oh, wow. that rhymed!)

    why the pantyhose? should be obvious. elevators? not a fan of getting stuck in a big metal box.

    my own skin?

    it has to do with my heart and my brain and my aspirations and dreams.

    women-ministryministry is a fairly male-dominated game. and that’s cool. drill it down even more, when you have a heart for encouraging and equipping and dreaming with other pastors, well…as a girl, that can be tough to do. as a 20-something year old girl, perhaps even tougher.

    most male leaders i know aren’t playing any kind of chauvinistic or age-hatin’ cards. so it’s not an issue of disrespect that i feel like i’m up against. there are just differences in guy leadership and girl leadership. the ways god has gifted us and crafted us.

    most (but not all) women in ministry feel led to work in children’s ministry, education, women’s ministry…but i don’t. i know my calling…and it is working with pastors.

    most of whom are men.

    this is not a women-in-ministry debate. i just know that sometimes, i have a hard time wondering how it will all work out in the end. how does this look in my daily life? in my job? in the world…?? writing a book is pretty universal. and that’s a good start…but i know there’s more…

  • that tithing thing

    so, the post from the mailbag stirred up lotsa lotsa good discussion. i think, after reading through it today, i am going to separate out a few topics which brought out some great chit chat.

    one of those things – tithing.

    some people said it’s not necessarily biblical to tithe at all. some people said 10% wasn’t required. some people said it should be given to the church. some people said the church is hard to define, so who’s to say the bible doesn’t just mean THE CHURCH?

    what do you think…and why?

  • from the mailbag

    i am sitting on i-35 in austin right now, very grateful for the 3g wireless card plugged into my mbp. traffic is a little better with a litlte wifi.

    occasionally i get emails that i think can provoke some awesome discussion.

    “what’s the deal with most modern churches? i understand the idea of local churches, but doesn’t that mean a body of believers within a community (not necessarily a “building”)? and with technology the way it is nowadays, can’t a community be practically anywhere? why do i feel guilty for not serving in my local “building” when i know i serve others daily in my life. why do i feel guilty for not being in a small group or always going to a service that my local “building” coordinates when i know i hang out with other believers regularly? why do i feel guilty when i don’t tithe to my local “building” but i give money to other believers and causes that i feel led to give to? is the culture of the modern church one that is so singularly focused that the local church has become an institution and not a lifestyle, which i think is the way the new testament intended it to be? i know there is a need for churches in our culture, but why do those churches make other ways seem unacceptable?”

    any takers?? let’s discuss…