Articles by Larry Davies at Heartlight

Church in the Tank?

LarryDavies@SowingSeedsofFaith.com (Larry Davies) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0500

I once had a dream where one of the "Shark Tank" investors (I think it was "Mr. Wonderful") had me on the show and asked: "Larry, if I wanted to invest one million dollars in a church, which church would you choose?"

I found myself stammering but managed to ask: "Why are you asking?"

He said: "I want to invest in a church with a future. When you convince me that you have one or more churches who claim a clear vision of reaching others for Jesus Christ and are undertaking bold initiatives toward fulfilling that vision I will be proud to invest in that church."

"So, you want to invest in a large membership church?" I answer.

"Not necessarily," he quickly responds. "There are many small churches with a wonderful future." Then he paused. "However, a small church with a big vision won't stay small very long."

"Are you looking for a young church?"

"No," he answered. "We old folks can make things happen but an old church with a bold vision for the future won't stay old. Young people will flock to a church like that."

"Ok, so maybe you want a church with stirring music and passionate preaching?"

He smiled and said, "Debates over worship styles and preaching usually start arguments and divide churches. Churches with a future find many creative ways to express their passionate love for God."

Frustrated, I finally asked the right question: "So what is your definition of a church with a future?"

"Ah," he said. "A church with a future would meet four basic criteria:"

Vision: They have a God inspired vision.
Plan: They have a plan outlining clear steps for the church and each member.
Passion: They are passionate and willing to do whatever it takes.
Fruit: A fruit tree with no fruit is useless. Show me results.

"Wow! You're asking for a lot." I said.

"I have a right to ask for a lot, he answered. "One million dollars is a lot of money but this is about more than money. A church with a future won't really need my million dollars."

"They won't?" I asked. Now I was really confused.

He laughed and then added. "Of course, they would love receiving the one million but a church which meets the four criteria I outlined will have money, leadership, volunteers and most important of all -"

He paused for a moment and smiled. "Most important of all, they will have God and God will provide the resources they need. Not only would I be thrilled to invest my million dollars. I would join that church and give them my time, my resources, my future and most of all -- my life."

Jesus said: "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house" (Matthew 5:13-15).

Suppose for a moment that you and your church were invited to appear on "Shark Tank" and you had the opportunity to ask for a one million dollar investment. How would you justify that your church was worth the investment? How well do you meet the four criteria?

Larry Davies is a used-car salesman turned preacher. He serves at Timberlake UMC, and is the author of several books and the online devotional site Sowing Seeds of Faith.

Website: Sowing Seeds of Faith

Facing Evaluations

LarryDavies@SowingSeedsofFaith.com (Larry Davies) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0600

It takes a lot of courage, to put things in God's hands,
To give ourselves completely, our lives, our hopes, our plans.
To follow where God leads us and make His will our own.
But all it takes is foolishness, to go the way alone! (Betsey Kline, "Trusting God")

Many of you have been or will be evaluated by someone. You feel anxious. You work to prepare a report that accurately reflects what you do. On the day of the meeting you pay more attention to the way you dress in order to look professional. You may even practice saying several of your statements out loud.

For most, your fears were greatly exaggerated. The evaluation went well. For a few, your fears were accurate and there are disappointments to be faced and dealt with.

Being evaluated can be a genuinely frightening experience.

I know because I am evaluated regularly. My supervisor is kind and gracious but she has high expectations for me and the churches I serve.

But truthfully, the real evaluation doesn't come at work. The real evaluation comes within our relationship and our service to God. All of us answer to God. How are we doing?

Paul wrote a letter to a young minister named Timothy and in the midst of the letter provided evaluation standards to be measured by:

If you explain these things to the brothers and sisters, Timothy, you will be a worthy servant of Christ Jesus, one who is nourished by the message of faith and the good teaching you have followed. Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives' tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly.

"Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come."

This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it. This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people and particularly of all believers. Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them. Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them (1 Timothy 4:6-13 nlt).

Paul gives Timothy nine standards worthy of evaluation:

Explain these things to the brothers and sisters.
Be a worthy servant of Christ who is nourished by the message of faith and the good teaching you have followed.
Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas.
Train yourself to be godly.
Work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God.
Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them.
Don't let anyone think less of you.
Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.
Focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them.

I don't know about you but measured by those standards, I definitely come up short. Here is the lesson though. Paul did not write to point out our shortcomings. Paul illustrated the standards we are to strive for and to point out, we are not alone in our journey. God is with us in the midst successes, failures, good evaluations and not so good evaluations.

A few years ago, I copied the following poem:

It takes a lot of courage, to put things in God's hands,
To give ourselves completely, our lives, our hopes, our plans.
To follow where God leads us and make His will our own.
But all it takes is foolishness, to go the way alone!

You already demonstrate great courage by putting your life in God's hands. In so many ways, you give yourself completely: your life, your hopes, your plans. Good evaluation or bad, you are called to follow where God leads and make His will your own. Finally ... You are not foolish because you are never, ever alone.

There are many who love you, pray for you and support you. There are others who are greatly impacted by your life and ministry. There are more in the future who will be impacted by you. Finally, God called you, continues to strengthen and encourage you, and always walks with you.

To give ourselves completely, our lives, our hopes, our plans.
To follow where God leads us and make His will our own.
But all it takes is foolishness, to go the way alone!

After writing this, I confess to still feeling anxious about evaluations. After knowing God's standards, feeling God's grace and receiving God's promise to always be walking beside me, I am no longer afraid.

Larry Davies is a used-car salesman turned preacher. He serves at Timberlake UMC, and is the author of several books and the online devotional site Sowing Seeds of Faith.

Website: Sowing Seeds of Faith

Miracles from a Lighthouse

LarryDavies@SowingSeedsofFaith.com (Larry Davies) — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Drayton Hawthorn, wrote describing tense moments he experienced while waiting for his wife's surgery. "It was ten o'clock at night and she was outside looking at the stars! I thought it was settled and done. Robin's surgery was a few short days away and although the doctors assured her this was a routine procedure, she was still looking as if they were going to amputate something!"

"As her husband, I assumed my duty was to hide concern while showing a strong front. Like most men, I substituted statistics and reason for assurance and thought it was enough. Now she was worrying again. I walked toward her ready to offer more of my male logic."

That's when the miracle happened:

Everything I planned to say vanished. Unknown words came from my lips, as I silently wrapped my arms around her waist and kissed her cheek. "God loves you. Everything will be all right. You will see a shooting star as my promise that you will be ok."

In an instant the most spectacular shooting star we ever saw blazed across the sky from horizon to horizon. A surprised and delighted, "Ooh!" came from Robin! For a long moment neither of us spoke. What could we say?

Moments before, I was an insensitive, scolding husband walking towards a fearful, anxious wife. Somehow, God miraculously intervened and changed us both into vessels of His gracious love.

Usually, our influence as a lighthouse is seen through a steady, consistent beam of light. People know and remember us by our day-to-day actions among our family and friends. We could be a family member continuously offering love and acceptance or a boss supplying encouragement when needed most or we could be the friend who telephones when others are at a low point.

But, occasionally, there are life-changing moments when God's extraordinary light suddenly shines into our darkest need and the only word that adequately describes what happens next is -- miracle.

Drayton and Robin witnessed a miracle. Here is another.

What started as a normal day at a local high school became a tragedy for a young sixteen year old boy full of enthusiasm and friendly mischief. During tennis practice he suddenly dropped to the ground clutching his chest. Within minutes this vivacious young man was gone.

Lighthouses quickly appeared from all over the county. School officials opened up the high school auditorium and encouraged the students to gather. A minister's wife got word to fellow pastors. The students themselves began to gather in small groups sharing condolences, memories and tears.

But, just as we were starting to leave, Russell, a father of one of the students stood and said: "Before we go, I think we should pray. Let's form a circle and hold hands. I'll start and the rest of you join with me."

This was out of character for Russell but miracles often come from unexpected sources.

Hundreds of crying parents, students, pastors and school officials formed a giant circle, bowed their heads and earnestly began to pray. For a few moments, we could all feel the Holy Spirit of God in our circle of mourners:

Russell became a lighthouse of God amidst the grief.

As a lighthouse you and I are occasionally given the opportunity to be a ray of hope in the midst of darkness.

Drayton Hawthorne went on to write:

Being an instrument of God's will, at times may not be voluntary or even expected. I always believed God would use me as a prophet only if I asked and was spiritually clean.

Sometimes, this is undeniably true but not in my case. God abruptly interrupted my mission and lovingly substituted His own. I wanted to comfort Robin with common sense and almost interrupted a miraculous moment of faith. No matter the reason for why it happens, when God, uses you for whatever purpose, you will feel blessed because of it.

Thinking of the wonderful moment Robin and I shared with God is very emotional for me. Several times in telling our shooting star story Robin would need to finish because I became too 'choked up' so once more I will let her finish.

Robin smiled and then said:

After we stood there a few moments just soaking in what happened. I turned to Drayton and whispered, "Do it again!"

Jesus said it this way:

Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! (Matthew 5:16 MSG).

Larry Davies is a used-car salesman turned preacher. He serves at Timberlake UMC, and is the author of several books and the online devotional site Sowing Seeds of Faith.

Website: Sowing Seeds of Faith

Windshield or Bug?

LarryDavies@SowingSeedsofFaith.com (Larry Davies) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0500

It was Monday morning and I was feeling on top of the world: no calls of distress and the pile of paperwork was finally beginning to shrink. Then came the shrill ring of the phone.

"Mr. Davies, this is the high school. Your son is not in school today."

"You must be mistaken," I said, trying to sound calm. "He left the house on time. Are you sure, he's not there?"

"Yes sir. We have a new policy of notifying parents when students are absent or tardy. Our records show your son as absent," replied the calm professional voice.

As my heart pounded my voice remained surprisingly calm: "Thank you for letting me know."

Like any reasonable parent with a sixteen-year-old son, I responded by panicking! My car nearly did a wheelie as I spun out of the driveway and flew down the highway toward the high school.

"Has he been in an accident on the way to school?" I thought. "Oh God, please protect my son."

"Maybe he's skipping school with friends," I wondered. "I'm gonna kill him! I'll take his car keys away and he'll ride the bus! He'll be grounded for a month! A year! For Life!"

While screeching into the parking lot, tire's a-smokin', I noticed the familiar brown car that could only be my child's. After running into the office and checking with the secretary, I was assured my son was safely inside the classroom.

"Whew! I can breathe again!"

Have you heard the country song:

Sometimes you're the windshield.
Sometimes you're the bug?

I'm beginning to understand what that statement means. In the few short seconds of one phone call, the peace and tranquility of my "windshield" morning was shattered. Instead of being in control, I was a helpless "bug" hurtling down the highway with no way of knowing what tragedy would occur next.

This time, I was fortunate because nothing happened; but what about next time?

"What about you?" It's true, you know. As much as you may try to remain a "windshield," you will occasionally be the "bug." You may even get squashed!

This is why you and I need God! Jesus told a story about two builders. The foolish one built a house on a foundation of sand. The winds and the storms came and the house collapsed. The wise builder used a foundation of rock:

And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock (Matthew 7:25 ).

Both builders faced the same storms, but only one house survived. God is our foundation. God never promised a storm-free, bug-free life. However, God does provide a solid survival plan.

Are you feeling like a "windshield" or a "bug"? Your continued struggle to follow God in the midst of either experience will become your solid foundation of rock against inevitable storms.

Larry Davies is a used-car salesman turned preacher. He serves at Timberlake UMC, and is the author of several books and the online devotional site Sowing Seeds of Faith.

Website: Sowing Seeds of Faith

Why Are They Not Coming?

LarryDavies@SowingSeedsofFaith.com (Larry Davies) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0600

I have a lot of friends -- 2813 so far. Isn't that great?! Not really. I don't even know many of them. Maybe, I should explain. I am now on Facebook. After signing up, I decided to accept most every offer of friendship I received. My children think I've finally gone off the deep end. My daughter laughed when I mentioned Facebook and asked why I signed up to become a fan of a local grocery store. Answer: I have no idea.

However, my new friends came in handy recently. I asked for feedback on why so many people, especially young people seem to be walking away from the church and/or God. I asked for those who do not attend church regularly to respond to the question: "Why? Why don't they attend church?" I received a lot of answers. Here are two people that could easily represent most of the responses I received.

Mike: I either was always saved or got saved every week, until I learned how to fake it! It wasn't until I was in my 30's I realized church was about relationship and I was a faulty product, incapable of being perfect. I believe today's youth have a much more realistic view of what the church has become; a country club. It's where people go to gather and build large beautiful buildings that outshine other large buildings. Where they feed the hungry 2-3 times a year and themselves each week. Where people who claim to be Christians on Sunday, rarely live it on Monday.

Here are the words that stood out for me: "Fake it. Church is a country club. Build large beautiful buildings. Feed the hungry 2-3 times per year and themselves each week. Claim to be Christians on Sunday but rarely live it on Monday." Ouch! But as I talk to people who are not involved with a local church, I hear these statements. Here is another example.

Susan: As a high school guidance counselor, I have a lot of thoughts on this, especially since I no longer attend church. I was a youth director for two different churches over the years. I raised both older ones in the church, even after their father left. We were not always treated kindly. My two year old has been once in his life, at 2 months old for baptism but I found it was hollow and I couldn't pretend that I wanted these people to help me "raise" him. I am FAR, FAR from perfect but I crave authenticity, I rarely find it and almost never in all the churches I have attended. Our youth don't attend for some of the same reasons. They KNOW and SEE when we are lying, they see FEW adults that are truly HAPPY in their lives, they are NOT inspired by us! I have sat with SO many kids and had the most spiritual conversations WITHOUT invoking the word GOD in a public school. THEY CRAVE it, our Creator, they CRAVE direction and they CRAVE our HONEST attention. NO ONE talks very openly or honestly about anything.

Susan was very involved at one time, even raised two children in the church. She went through a crisis and the church did not "treat her kindly." Susan brought her youngest to church for Baptism and found the whole experience "hollow." She knows she is not perfect but craves authenticity within the church and can't find it. The youth she works with, see our lies, see that we are not happy and are not inspired by us. Our youth crave spiritual conversations, crave direction and crave honest attention from us. But they don't receive it. "NO ONE talks very openly or honestly about anything."

These are tough accusations to digest! But after sharing these comments with others inside and outside the church, I believe they represent a huge block of people no longer satisfied with the current state of church as usual.

After Mike shared what was wrong with the church, he offered this advice:

We (the church) need to go back to the basics. Give me people who "know" God and desire to see others come to this knowledge. Let us then go and "live" the word through our actions daily, integrated into a lost world, loving it.

Not a bad action plan, is it?

We need to go back to the basics of being the church.

We need to "know" God and desire to see others come to this knowledge.

We need to go and "live" the word through our actions daily, integrated into a lost world, loving it like Jesus did.

Larry Davies is a used-car salesman turned preacher. He serves at Timberlake UMC, and is the author of several books and the online devotional site Sowing Seeds of Faith.

Website: Sowing Seeds of Faith

How Can We Best Prepare for 2010?

LarryDavies@SowingSeedsofFaith.com (Larry Davies) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0600

How can we best live out the New Year, 2010?

John Maxwell wrote in his final entry for his book, "The Daily Reader":

I believe that every person leaves some kind of legacy. For some, it's positive. For others it's negative. But here's what I know: we have a choice about what legacy we will leave and we must work and be intentional to leave the legacy we want.

I find this to be a sober reminder of our God given mission on earth. We are to leave a legacy, more importantly we are given a mission from God. We can choose to carry it out or not carry it out and in the end, like it or not, that will be our legacy.

Joshua said to the Israelites in a final speech:

So now: Fear God. Worship him in total commitment. If you decide that it's a bad thing to worship God, then choose a god you'd rather serve -- and do it today. As for me and my family, we'll worship God (Joshua 24:14).

Minnie Louis Haskins wrote a poem in 1908 entitled, "The Gate of the New Year"

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year
"Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown."
And he replied, "Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!"

I find a lot of truth in those four lines of verse. We want that sure light to see our way into the darkness, but instead we are offered the hand of God. This is better than any light and in the end will be safer than going by a known path:

Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!

Psalm 150 talks about trust another way.

Hallelujah! Praise God in his holy house of worship,
praise him under the open skies;

Praise him for his acts of power,
praise him for his magnificent greatness;

Praise with a blast on the trumpet,
praise by strumming soft strings;

Praise him with castanets and dance,
praise him with banjo and flute;

Praise him with cymbals and a big bass drum,
praise him with fiddles and mandolin.

Let every living, breathing creature praise God!

Hallelujah!

Beyond trust is praise! Praise is trust so pure, so intense you are eager to give credit to the source.

So, how can we best live out our New Year, 2010?

Leave a legacy to be proud of.
Put our hand in the hand of God and trust.
Work to move beyond trust to praise.

Hallelujah! Praise God!

My prayer for you is that 2010 is a year where you consciously work to leave a legacy to be proud of; where you put your hand in the hand of God and trust; where you see the results of your trust and have no option but to give joyous praise to the source.

Hallelujah! Praise God!

Have a blessed 2010!

Larry Davies is a used-car salesman turned preacher. He serves at Timberlake UMC, and is the author of several books and the online devotional site Sowing Seeds of Faith.

Website: Sowing Seeds of Faith

The Joy of the Party

LarryDavies@SowingSeedsofFaith.com (Larry Davies) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0600

Working for the church, I am required (required?) to attend a lot of Christmas parties. (Hey, stop groaning. Somebody has to do it!) I certainly have no complaints since the food is great and the people are pleasant. But, there are parties -- and there are parties. Several years ago I attended a Christmas party for teachers at an elementary school where my wife, Mell, used to work. I just want to make one little comment about school teachers.

They really know how to throw a party!

We opened silly gifts and sang Christmas carols. But, then we were split into small groups to see who could decorate the best Christmas tree. That doesn't sound so wild, does it? Did I tell you the actual tree was a person selected from our group? One poor teacher had garland wrapped around her body and tinsel hanging everywhere. An angel was perched on her head and three candy canes were sticking out of her mouth while two more were hanging from her glasses. Please pause a moment and try to picture this in your mind.

I had no idea school teachers could be so much fun?

I say this because schoolteachers can be intimidating -- something about grades, stern looks and being sent to the principal. (Or is it principle? What did my English teacher say? I will never be a principal because I have no principles? Whatever!) To this day, I cringe upon seeing red pens. Every teacher used them in my days of school. Red means you've done something wrong on your paper and is usually followed by an X or F, which always means -- bad grade for a bad boy! (How do I know this? Don't ask.)

After marrying a teacher and being around her colleagues, I've discovered school teachers are actually normal human beings. (What a surprise!) Most are extremely dedicated to their profession and work hard at being good role models for their class. After a hard few months of trying to teach and keep control of twenty to thirty screaming children, I understand why they need to unwind.

When the timing and the occasions are right, these teachers know how to have fun. But, isn't this the way it should be -- for teachers, for preachers, and for all of us?

Paul sent this reminder to one of his churches:

Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith (Philippians 3:1 NLT).

People who believe in God have a serious task to do. We have been called to witness to the ends of the earth. One part of our witness needs to include an ability to give joy. In other words, we stern, stuffy Christians need to laugh, not just occasionally, but often and enthusiastically.

Laughter has a way of lightening the load and reducing tension. Laughter increases the production of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers. Humor can also be an excellent way to break down barriers. A willingness to laugh at yourself often allows others the chance to feel comfortable around you, which invariably leads to more opportunities to be a witness for God.

Final Thought:

"You're 76 years old!" A little girl said to her grandma after reading her driver's license.

"That's exactly right!" said the proud grandma.

"Grandma, you also made an F in sex!"

Oops! There are those grades again! Now, try to tell me you don't feel just a little better!

May God bless you throughout the Christmas season and may 2010 be your best year ever!

Prayer:

As we approach the time many celebrate Christ's birthday, I offer prayers for those involved in conflicts around the world. I pray for those still struggling to find jobs in the midst of our financial crisis. I pray for peace only God can give. I pray for courage to be a witness for Jesus wherever you and I go. I pray for love and understanding before judgment and condemnation. I pray for joy in the midst of hardship. I pray to be a light shining in the darkness. May God give you and me the true spirit of Christmas this year and prepare our heart for service in 2010.

Special Note: I wrote this for two reasons ...

As a tribute to my wife Mell and her extraordinary dedication as an elementary school teacher.

I also wrote it to encourage an atmosphere of joy and laughter as we get ready for Christmas.

Larry Davies is a used-car salesman turned preacher. He serves at Timberlake UMC, and is the author of several books and the online devotional site Sowing Seeds of Faith.

Website: Sowing Seeds of Faith