Pastor Wayne's World
As Nick and I were hurtling through time and space...wait let me rephrase that, as we were traveling to Arizona some years ago, we saw many exciting, weird, and beautiful sites. We commented to each other about how large and great that our nation truly is. God has blessed this country beyond words!
As we were traveling through Missouri, I noticed a huge billboard that said, "Branson Coupons! 50 % off! ", then it listed the name of the store, Robinsons. For several miles, I kept seeing this same billboard and I thought to myself, is that all they sell, coupons? I became intrigued to find out more about this place as I eagerly watched for the next billboard. I know what you are thinking, but let me tell you, long hours of driving will cause you to do some strange things!
As we approached the exit where the store was located I could see the same message from the billboards printed in very large letters on top of the roof of the store. Immediately under the message in small letters barely readable it said "Robinsons Candy Store". This caught me off guard and I began to think about what kind of message that really sends. They weren't trying to sell me or anyone else candy but they were trying to sell coupon books. It screamed out "Hey! We sell coupon books...and oh we have candy too, if you really really want some!" Does that mean that the candy is horrible? Are the coupon books designed to entice you to come in and THEN buy some great candy? The coupons books are far superior than the candy? I love candy and I can't imagine anything being better than candy!
I think the church is a lot like that candy store. We sometimes send out the wrong message. Oh, sure, we like to advertise and say that our church is the finest church around. Is that the message we want to send? What are we really "selling"? I believe the candy store really is missing the mark on their mission in life. As a candy store there mission statement might sound like "To provide sugary treats to all ages for short bursts of pleasure and to keep the dental industry from failing"!
So what is our message as a church? What would our billboard say? What is our purpose? How about "FREE! The gospel of Jesus Christ!"
Blessings!
Pastor Wayne
As we were traveling through Missouri, I noticed a huge billboard that said, "Branson Coupons! 50 % off! ", then it listed the name of the store, Robinsons. For several miles, I kept seeing this same billboard and I thought to myself, is that all they sell, coupons? I became intrigued to find out more about this place as I eagerly watched for the next billboard. I know what you are thinking, but let me tell you, long hours of driving will cause you to do some strange things!
As we approached the exit where the store was located I could see the same message from the billboards printed in very large letters on top of the roof of the store. Immediately under the message in small letters barely readable it said "Robinsons Candy Store". This caught me off guard and I began to think about what kind of message that really sends. They weren't trying to sell me or anyone else candy but they were trying to sell coupon books. It screamed out "Hey! We sell coupon books...and oh we have candy too, if you really really want some!" Does that mean that the candy is horrible? Are the coupon books designed to entice you to come in and THEN buy some great candy? The coupons books are far superior than the candy? I love candy and I can't imagine anything being better than candy!
I think the church is a lot like that candy store. We sometimes send out the wrong message. Oh, sure, we like to advertise and say that our church is the finest church around. Is that the message we want to send? What are we really "selling"? I believe the candy store really is missing the mark on their mission in life. As a candy store there mission statement might sound like "To provide sugary treats to all ages for short bursts of pleasure and to keep the dental industry from failing"!
So what is our message as a church? What would our billboard say? What is our purpose? How about "FREE! The gospel of Jesus Christ!"
Blessings!
Pastor Wayne