My good friend Ed has started his own blog over at edsedge.wordpress.com. Check it out, he’s a great writer!

As for me, I haven’t been as great at maintaining a blog, but he’s inspired me to give it another go. This post below was started a while back. Just something that struck me… 

So, one day I was sitting in Starbucks, my office away from my office, doing some sermon prep. This meant I was sitting there just reading my Bible for a little while. Usually my computer is out too, so I guess then it’s obvious I must be working on something like a sermon or Bible study. But for the moment, I was just reading my Bible. There was a table with three people close by, and in my peripheral vision I noticed them looking at me. So when I glanced up, one of them asks, “Is that a Bible?” I say yeah, and then they say, “Cool! We’re believers too!” Then after I told them I’m a pastor, they politely went back to their conversation.

So on the way home, I get to thinking… a) How sad is it that reading scripture, to yourself, but in a public place seems like a rare occurance these days? But then, b) Why do other Christians, or believers, feel the need to congratulate you for doing so? This isn’t the first time this has happened to me. My wife and I were complimented for saying grace before a meal at a fast-food restaurant. I’ve been almost congratulated for wearing t-shirts with Christian messages on them. And I simply wonder, why? Don’t get me wrong, in an age that is VERY post-Christendom, meaning Christianity is definitely no longer the norm, I think it is nice to encourage fellow Christians when they practice their faith in public, especially if they might be facing some type of gripe about it, especially teens and students who practice their faith publicly at school. I also totally don’t mind it when people might notice a Bible out and ask a question about faith. (There’s a difference here though. A person wrestling with an issue of faith and through conversation figuring out I’m a pastor and asking my opinion is one thing. A person who is already a part of a church and asks me about my view on Revelation in order to see if they agree with me and try to prove me wrong if they don’t is something completely different.) But when I’m sitting there, minding my own business, just reading some scripture… it just rubbed me the wrong way. Like, “cool we’re part of the club too!”

PS- In reflecting on this experience from way earlier this year, it did actually open up a conversation with an individual who overheard us and who since has felt open to share with me about their divorce and their concern of its effects on their children. Just more proof that God’s grace is always working, even and especially in spite of our corniness as Christians!

So there seems to be quite a lot of talk going around about the possibility of the UMC doing away with guaranteed appointments, among other restructuring to our current views on ordination. Here’s a couple thoughts on that… At first, I think it’s a good thing, and could help lead to renewal in our denomination. Scripture tells us that we are known by our fruit, and if we’re not producing fruit in ministry, then why would we be allowed to continue in something which we’ve proven to be ineffective? It would certainly prevent me as a pastor to beware of the temptation to become a “lame duck” pastor, or worse. Doing away with guaranteed appointments could help bring about renewal by making it possible to hold those accountable who might be more of a detriment to spreading scriptural holiness throughout our land. However, a clergy friend of mine raised an issue that strikes deep with me… As pastors, we’re called to be, among other things, prophetic agents for change for the sake of the gospel of Christ.  This means we’re called to rock the boat at least a little, and sometimes a lot. So if we’re not guaranteed an appointment, yet the church we’re in might, for example, block our attempts to welcome people of another race into the congregation, even if they live next door, then a pastor might not be as willing to encourage change, especially if they have a family with kids for whom they have to provide. This is quite similar to the boat in which I am currently.  I know there are other questions surrounding this issue… and I admit I’m not as well informed on what’s being proposed as I’d like to be. I just pray that we tread lightly and very prayerfully as a denomination, for there are no easy answers to the various issues we face together.

So I thought I’d get started by explaining the title of my blog. First of all, I’m a football fan. I’ve always loved college ball (Go Hokies), and I’m just really starting to get into NFL. Needless to say, I’m very excited that it’s football season again.

In thinking about a title, I started thinking about football analogies to faith and the church, and thus, “Third and Goal”. For you non-football people, third and goal means it’s the 3rd down, and there’s no place to go to advance the ball but the goal line, resulting in a touchdown. In HokieNation we call every 3rd down when we’re on defense a “key” play, where the whole stadium rattles their car keys and yells as loud as possible. It’s a key play because if the defense holds, the offense will usually either punt (which means your team gets the ball back) or try for a field goal (3 points instead of 6 for a touchdown). It’s key if you’re on offense as well, for if you convert on 3rd down (get the yards needed for the 1st down) your team gets to keep the ball and keep going to the endzone.

So, naturally, 3rd and goal is a pretty intense point in the game. You either get the ball in the endzone, or not. You either make your stand with your back against the wall as the defense, or not.

The lectionary a couple Sundays ago was from Luke 12, where Jesus calls the crowd a bunch of hypocrites for knowing how to predict the weather, but failing to interpret the present time. 3rd and goal is how I interpret this present time for us as Christians, as disciples of Jesus Christ. We’ve got the ball, the gospel, the Good News. We’ve been marching down the field, through the years, sometimes going backward, sometimes getting intercepted, sometimes getting the “ball” stripped from us. But now we’re at the goal line. It’s time to get the ball in the endzone or not.

What strikes me is how many churches, pastors, and Christians are simply settling for a field goal, or worse, they don’t realize the opportunity they have and simply turn the ball over after making it down the field. I’m not thinking of the end zone as the end times, more as the opportunity of evangelism. After all, what happens when a team scores a touchdown? The stadium goes nuts! Should’t we get just as excited when we witness our faith or the faith of another bearing fruit in an unbeliever’s life?

However, third and goal is just as important to the defense as well, and it’s their job to block and pull and push and do everything possible to keep that ball out of the endzone. What a defense we have to go up against when making disciples of Jesus Christ! To paraphrase Paul, not a defense made up of sweat, helmet and shoulder pads, “but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Moreover, we’ve got plenty of folks who seem to be playing for our team in the church, but in reality are playing for the defense.

So there’s a few thoughts on why this blog is titled “Third and Goal”. It’s where we are in the game. It’s time for a key play.

Do you agree? What’s your thoughts?

This is the first post in my new blog. Thanks for checking me out! I hope to post at least once a week, if not more. For now, I’m still tweaking things here and there till I get it looking like I want it. Any tips or suggestions are appreciated, as I’m just getting started here in the blogosphere.