You gotta love spring break. There is nothing like it to bring families together. Or is it that it can drive us up the proverbial wall? Fortunately, in our house it is a good thing. Of course, now that my daughter drives it means swapping out vehicles too. She can drive now. The good news is she is a very good driver. Perhaps she learned a lot while in driving school. It could also be that she learned from the bad habits of her parents. My worry is normally not for her when she is out. I worry about the other guy who may not be paying attention. My youngest hits 13 in a week or so. Somehow I do not see him driving but maybe that will prove otherwise. Regardless, all the going and coming of the week is giving me time to get a start on mowing. At least it seemed like a good time to start.

My riding mower has been under wraps for awhile now. This yard is rather large by any measure. The constant use of the mower just wore it out. The last few times of mowing has been with a push model. Mowing an acre with a push mower is an experience all its own. My opinion is that all the training in the world cannot prepare you for hours of pushing. Even with a good mower it takes more than a few hours to cover the entire yard. Yesterday was the day for finishing up the back part of the yard. Today I pulled it out, added gas, pulled the starter cord only to have it snap in two. All I could do was stare at the severed cord in my hand. Hopefully by next week we will be back in business. One phone call was all it took to arrange for someone to come do the tune up and repair.

Doing yard work is hard enough with good equipment. Things become many times harder when your tools are in need of repair. We said the other day that perhaps we could talk some on doing church in today's times. Here is one idea that is at the core of my approach to doing church today. We must be healthy believers in order to be a healthy church. That one is way to obvious but it is nonetheless true. Unhealthy people make up unhealthy churches. You can face it either way but you cannot escape the reality. Here is one of the problems with that premise. We are all unhealthy in one way or the other. We all need divine repair both in our life and in our church. Yes, that statement includes me as one of the participants. You do not need to remind me (though many often do) of my own need of growth. It is part of my job to remind you of your need also.

An unhealthy church cannot carry out life changing ministry. It cannot be creative to discover new avenues to reach others. We will recycle the pain of anxiety, insecurity and conflict without being open to God's creative grace. This is why all the great ideas in the world will not automatically insure a church to grow. We do not check our emotional or spiritual baggage at the doors of the church. Sadly, we carry it with us everywhere we go. Knowing this is the first step to becoming whole again. How can we ask the lost to trust God to save them if we cannot trust God to heal our hurts? How can we take the risk of attempting new ministry if we will not risk our own heart to God?

Lots of books are in print concerning church life and growth. Enough of them passed through my hands for me to get some handle on what it takes to be a part of God's work. This is not to say anyone should call me an expert. Sometimes it feels like my ministry is more about learning great ways of failure rather than success. This anxiety will not stop me from trying. Some books talk about small groups as the cure. Some books talk about doing extravagant worship services to draw the masses. Some books go in depth on doing faith sharing even with total strangers. Everyone has their idea on what makes church life the experience we know that it can be. My core idea is still that no matter the vehicle for ministry that we as the people must be growing in the faith. We can only go as far as we love God or as far as we fear being left behind by new strategies.

This means much to me. It tells me there is still a need in my life to face the darker areas for God to work. We can cover leadership at another time but suffice it to say there is more to being a leader than clever slogans or charismatic personality. Far too many churches are suffering mightily because they succumbed to the temptation of the ideal leader concept. We are in this thing together for better or worse. My openness to God will determine which result we get. Good to great leaders have one common trait. This trait is not their talent or ability. Not every person is wired the same by God. Some are great preachers while some do not overwhelm you with their skill. Some are powerful evangelists who seem capable of moving people to faith by the same words we use but see differing results. Some are wonderful administrators who can put marvelous plans together. But there is one thing all good leaders share. They are willing to allow God to continue injecting their life with His grace.

We are all in need of constant grace or attention from God. If you should happen by and read this my hope is you will let that happen. We will only be as strong as a church as we are able to let God fill our weaknesses. This truth will never change. The church in Acts didn't just get some magical infusion that took away every problem. They faced difficulty both from without and within. It is their ongoing openness to God that makes them the effective congregation that they became. We cannot stop where we are with God yet expect to continue making a difference in the world. We are really much like lawn mowers. Constant maintenance and repair makes all us constantly useful in the task. God already defined the task as being His people in the world. But are we ready to carry it out?

Bro. Trey