"Pay No Attention to that Man Behind the Curtain!" (Part 2): Clueless in Munchkin Land

By David Ryser & Ken Hornsby

The whole thing began innocently enough.  (Those who know us can attest to our wide-eyed innocence.  We are the poster children for innocence.)  We are former professional pastors whose unquenchable thirst for God’s presence and passion has taken us on a journey that ultimately lead us out of the conventional church.  Our love for God’s Church has increased, but we abhor the religious system and its dead traditions.  We connect often by phone to encourage one another and talk about what God is doing in us and showing to us.

During one such phone conversation, we began to consider how the movie, The Wizard of Oz, reminded us of the Christian faith journey and the modern American church.  (For those of you who are concerned that you will “get a demon” from reading something that connects Oz with church, we have good news.  If you get a demon, at least you will have more at the end of this article than you probably have now.)

Consider the Munchkins, for example.

When Dorothy arrives in the Land of Oz, she finds herself in Munchkin Land.   (The movie has now shifted from black-and-white to Technicolor.  This makes Munchkin Land appear non-traditional, but it is an illusion.  Beware of churches that advertise themselves as “a different kind of church.”)

Munchkins are cute and cuddly…and clueless.  (They remind us of the churches and Christians depicted on a Norman Rockwell calendar.)

So shy are the Munchkins that they do not come out of hiding to meet Dorothy until after the arrival of Glenda (who reminds us of the Holy Spirit).

Yes, we know, Glenda is a witch.  Relax.  In the movie, witches represent the spiritual forces of good and evil.  In the spirit realm there are beings that are good (God and His holy angels) and beings that are evil (the devil, along with the unholy angels and the demons--the flying monkeys).

It sounds basic, doesn’t it?  But just try and explain to the typical Pentecostal or charismatic Christian that not everything that is spiritual is God.  And then try to explain to the typical traditional Christian that not everything that has spiritual power is the devil.  (Throw religion and tradition into the mix, and the delineation between good and evil becomes even less clear.)

The whole thing can give you a headache.  (A brain-bursting, stress-induced headache caused by religious over-analyzing)

Anyhow, the Munchkins remind us of the traditional church that does not experience the very real power and presence of God.  Not only do they not experience God’s power (or Him), they have no desire to do so.  At best it is nothing more than an abstract doctrine only experienced by the early church.  They have gone beyond the “primitive” church (easy enough to do since the original apostles are dead, and thus cannot defend their idea of church).

For one thing, they are very organized.  They have a mayor (pastor), a town council (elders), an army (church staff and workers), the Lullaby League (women’s’ group), and the Lollipop Guild (men’s fellowship).  And it is quite obvious from their civic pride parade that they feel they have it all together.

They even have a coroner (just about any seminarian will do).  Every dead church should have a coroner, don’t you think?

The Munchkins are comfortable around Glenda.  And she is obviously very fond of them.  They hear her words and rejoice when she proclaims that “the wicked old witch is dead!” (speaking of the Wicked Witch of the East who perished in a home accident). But being comfortable around Glenda and rejoicing at her words also exposes an inconvenient and very apparent truth.

The Munchkins are familiar with Glenda, but they don’t really know Glenda.

Because when the Wicked Witch of the West (the devil) shows up, the Munchkins fall to the ground… paralyzed with terror.  And Glenda is standing right there among them!  They remain in this state of hiding in fear until Glenda shoos the bad witch away.  Then they get back up on their feet, but they are still badly shaken.

When are some people going to learn that God is a lot bigger than the devil?

Having heard Dorothy’s story, Glenda concludes that Dorothy should go to the Emerald City of Oz and consult the wizard who lives there.  (Yes, Glenda knows that the wizard is a fraud.  She has her own agenda for sending Dorothy, as we will see later.)   She describes the wizard as great and wonderful (although she never describes him as all-powerful, as he later claims to be), and as mysterious but good (sort of like how God speaks so highly of us even though we know we are pond scum).

The Munchkins’ reaction to the name of the Wizard of Oz is instructive and revealing.  At the mention of the wizard, the Munchkins bow their heads in respect.  They obviously have heard of him.  (Perhaps they have read his books or seem him on TV.)  They don’t really know him.  They know where he lives.  They even know how to get to the city of Oz.

“Follow the yellow brick road!” (The Romans Road?).  So why has no Munchkin ever been to Oz?

Perhaps Munchkins don’t go to Oz for the same reason that many Christians don’t experience the things of God the way that the people in the Bible did.  They’ve heard of God’s power.  They’ve even read His book.  They respect His power, but don’t experience it.  They do experience God’s Spirit at some level, but are fearful and oppressed whenever the devil shows up.

Except when he shows up at church business meetings.

They seem content to live their spiritual lives within an organized religious structure and accompanying programs.  And as long as the Holy Spirit comforts them and “shoos away” the devil, life is good.

“Tra-la-la-la-la, La-la-la-la-la-la, Tra-la-la-la-la-la-laaaaaaa…” (Munchkin song service…first, second, and last verses only.  Please refer to the bulletin for important information and announcements).

Or perhaps a Munchkin has had the misfortune of having met someone who lives in Oz.  And has decided that the people in Oz are loony-toons.  Whatever else Munchkins may be, they are not crazy.  Perhaps one reason why some Christians are uncomfortable with the power of God is that the person who is telling them about it does not appear to be quite sane. (In fairness, a passionate lover of Jesus sometimes appears to be deranged to the typical religious person.  Whatever the reason, a Munchkin rarely encounters the person, or power, of God.)

If you appear deranged, people not only do not want what you are selling, they also hope that what you have is not contagious.

Munchkin Land is safe.  It is a nice place, filled with nice people.  They spend their time operating their town and creating more Munchkins.  (They call the latter “evangelism,” a Greek term that roughly translates into the Munchkin language as “hunting spiritual scalps.”)  Except for the occasional visit from a wicked witch, it’s not a bad life.  And, after all, they always have Glenda to chase the bad witch away.

But Dorothy’s adventure does not end in Munchkin Land.  It begins there.  She must leave this place to start on her journey.

“We’re off to see the wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz!”

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com

"Where's the Beef?": Looking Between the Buns of the Religious System

By David Ryser

The Church is buried under 1700 years of institutional sediment. (Owen Allen)

It’s the tag line from one of my all-time favorite TV commercials.  A woman is standing in line at an unnamed mega-burger joint.  When she receives her burger, she discovers that nestled between the buns is a dinky little meat patty.  She looks up at the server and asks a simple, but profound, question.

“Where’s the beef?”

That’s a good question.  As I look between the buns of the American religious system, I often ask the same thing.  Only it sounds more like, “Where’s Jesus?”

Someone recently suggested that my criticisms of the religious system tend to throw out the baby with the bathwater.  I’m open to constructive input, and I just adore babies (People are so cute when they’re little.), so I decided to examine the religious “bathwater” to see if I could find a “baby” inside.

It’s a dirty job.

Mucking through the brackish, toxic waters of the spiritual cesspool of man-made religion is disgusting work.  It is not a task for someone with a sensitive gag-reflex.  Fortunately, I did not find a baby in the bathwater (though I did discover enough spiritual poison to kill every infant on the planet).

What I found in the bathwater was three kinds of spiritual sludge that are worth remarking upon.

The first is the dead traditional church.  This is the church that proclaims and practices a form of godliness, but denies the power (and by extension, the practical existence) of God.  God’s presence and power are experienced neither in the church services, nor in the daily lives of the church members.

You might get a little salvation message once in awhile.  Usually you are offered a very expensive self-improvement pep talk.  I say expensive because they do preach tithing.

I think that 10% of your income is a steep price to pay for the drivel you are subjected to on a weekly basis.  Don’t you?

The second form of religious slime I discovered is the typical “Spirit-filled” church (also known as the “all blow and no go” church).  This church believes it is superior to the traditional church because it preaches about the presence, power, and blessings of God (although it experiences none of these).  In some places there is a heavy emphasis on God’s blessings.

As it turns out, the favor of God can be bought.  God’s blessings are purchased by offerings (in addition to your tithe) that you pour down the black hole of the religious machine.  You pay.  God blesses.

It’s a tidy business arrangement.  It’s not much of a relationship.

Now, I’m all in favor of proclaiming the presence, power, and blessings of God.  But proclamation without demonstration is worthless.  Simply believing in God’s presence and power is not enough.  We must experience them.

The one who believes in the presence and power of God, but does not experience Him…or operate in it…is no better off than someone who does not believe in either.

The third kind of glop I found floating in the religious bathwater might be the most insidious of all.  For lack of a better term, I call it the “revival” church.  The toxins in this church can be hard to detect because the church seems so alive.  The “worship service” is animated and exuberant.  The preaching is passionate.  In many cases, the after-service ministry is powerful.

And, typically, God did actually show up…at least in the beginning of the revival.

The problem is that the wrong thing usually gets revived in the end.  In a genuine move of God, the people of God are revived.  They come back to fullness of life and are transformed into the image of Jesus.  They are equipped to pour out the life of Christ that is within them onto a world full of people who desperately need Him.

And they meet God…really meet Him.  And fall in love with Him.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t often turn out that way.  In the end, it is usually the poisonous religious system that is revived.  The people of God are not transformed.  Excited, yes; transformed, not so much.  And the leaders of the “revival” remain motivated by what the Bible calls selfish ambition, pursuing the fame and fortune of success in the religion business.  (More “floaters” in the religious bathwater.)

By the way, you can usually spot these religious hucksters because they will promote the “revival” and what it will do for you.  It’s not about Jesus. It’s not about a transformed life.  It is not about the death of self leading to a resurrected life.  It’s about you!  Or, more often, it’s about them.   (The whole thing makes me want to gag.)  There’s just too much leaven in this “loaf” to be palatable to lovers of Jesus.

And especially beware of so-called “moves of God” that take Visa and MasterCard!  (Don’t laugh.  I’ve seen it more than once.)

Let’s have the courage to face the truth.  All we’ve done is found a new way to do an old thing.  If God is in this stupidity, then I’m the reigning monarch of England.

To add insult to injury, the average non-Christian won’t go anywhere near the religious bathwater…no matter which flavor it is.  They see the death-producing religious system for what it is.  And they won’t have anything to do with it.  While we believers splash happily in the toxic ooze of the bathwater, the unbelievers display a remarkable level of spiritual discernment and run as fast as they can in the other direction.

They don’t even get into, much less drink, the putrid bathwater of religion.

I have had the privilege of talking about the things of God with unbelieving friends and acquaintances.  (It’s easy to do if you’re not a sanctimonious jerk.)  I find that they usually do not hate God…or even dislike Him.  They do, however, have a visceral disdain for religion.

So do I.

They abhor sanctimony.  They detest hypocrisy.  And they can spot a phony a mile away.  They know filthy bathwater when they see it…and they don’t want any part of it.  Don’t even try to introduce your non-Christian friend to religion.  They're too smart for that.

Instead, try introducing them to Jesus.  (This assumes, of course that you know both parties.)

As for the religious bathwater, go ahead and throw it out.  Without fear.  There’s nothing alive in that goo.

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com

Death of a Revival: More Noise, Less Anointing

By David Ryser

Maybe the less you have, the more you are required to boast (John Steinbeck).

“The power is increasing!”

This claim was made from the platform during a revival service.  The move of God had been ongoing for more than four years.  The “fire” had broken out in a small rural town.  It had attracted people from all over the world.  They came to see what God was doing.  They received powerful ministry as God restored them to wholeness according to their individual need.  Over time, the small-town church facility couldn’t hold the crowds. 

It was time for a change.  What should we do?

The decision was made to move the church to a much larger city 100 miles away.  There would be plenty of land on which to build a suitable facility.  There was a major airport in the area, so people from out-of-town could more conveniently access the church and experience God’s power.

It was a good plan.  But was it God’s plan?

The leaders of the church began to receive e-mails and other correspondence from supporters of the revival who were concerned that a move to the big city would adversely affect this precious gift from God.  Rather than be grateful that these people cared enough to share their concerns, the church leadership interpreted these misgivings as criticism.  Their attitude was, “We are the experts.  We know what is best.”

It hadn’t always been that way.

In the early days of the revival, God had come powerfully into a small church located in a small town.  The atmosphere in the services was charged with the presence of God.  Signs and wonders were a routine part of what He was doing.  The congregation humbly welcomed God into their midst.  They were grateful every time God was present…and He always showed up.  They never took Him for granted.  They were awed that He had chosen to abide with them.  As time went on, the presence and power of God increased.

Then we moved.

The revival services continued.  First we met in temporary facilities, and then in a beautiful church building.  God continued to come powerfully into the services.  But something was different.  Something was wrong.  Although people were still coming to the services and receiving ministry, there was a noticeable diminishing of His power.

“The power is increasing!”

This declaration was met with a shout of agreement.  But I knew it wasn’t true.  I felt it in my spirit.  I could see it in the eyes of my fellow congregants.  We knew God’s presence and power was waning, and we didn’t know what to do about it.  We praised louder.  We worshiped more vigorously.  We put more effort into everything we did.

The harder we worked, the less of God’s presence and power we experienced.

Revival is not a place.  It is the work of God in His people that renews them and makes them fully alive in God again.  Even so, many times God moves among a people in a particular place for His own purposes.  The Bible is full of stories of God moving in power among His people in the place of His choosing.  The ongoing story of the Israelites following the cloud and the pillar of fire during the Exodus is perhaps the most well-known of these.  When the cloud/fire would move, the people would move.  When the cloud/fire would stop, the people would stop…and they would stay for as long as the cloud/fire stayed.

The Israelites followed the cloud/fire.  We followed the money.

It wasn’t that simple, of course.  Oh, we did follow after the money.  We also chased the adoration of the crowds.  We pursued fame.  We sought acceptance with the leaders of the very religious system we felt called to reform.  Their flattery was effective, and we ended up seeking the approval of men rather than God.

And the power continued to wane.

The farther we wandered from God, the less we experienced His presence and power.  He slowly withdrew Himself.  We could’ve run after Him.  We didn’t.  We continued to go through the motions of revival while experiencing less of God.  We chased grand visions of ministry.  We pursued notoriety through a variety of media--newspapers, magazines, radio, television, etc.  Our services were animated, but less alive with each passing day.

Revivals, like people, rarely die all at once.

God in His mercy continued to meet people in the services and ministered His love and power to them.  But the spontaneity of the Spirit began to be replaced with conditioned behavior and church programs.  Over time, our church began to resemble the religious system we had lampooned.

We became what we had fled.

I suppose there are a great number of reasons revivals die, just as there are many causes of physical death. 

1.  A move of God can die out because the people begin to become so familiar with the presence and power of God that they no longer esteem and honor it…or Him.  We begin to go through the motions.  Our worship is more akin to the performance of a trained seal than the heartfelt worship in spirit and truth that it should be. 

2.  Sometimes the congregation wants to remain in a place, a system, or a methodology after God has moved on to something else.  Like Peter, wanting to build tents on the Mount of Transfiguration, we contend passionately for what God was doing long after He has left the building. 

3.  Other times we chase after things that are not God.  Shiny things.  Things that glitter and dazzle us.

Crying, “The power is increasing!” the whole time.

And sometimes a revival dies a dignified, natural death.  God moves on.  It is then that we discover whether we fell in love with Him or with His stuff.  When He goes on, will we follow Him?  Or will we stay camped in the old place and pretend that the cloud and the fire are still with us?

Selling religious souvenirs and trying to recapture past glories.

Or, worse yet, occasionally digging up the decaying body of something that once was living and vibrant…and parading the rotting corpse on television as a fresh move of God.

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com

Modern Prophets: Lessons from My Grandfather's Dunghill

By David Ryser

“Sometimes gift is just another word for curse.”  (Lisa Jackson).

A man was attending his first Pentecostal church service.  He listened and watched as prophetic utterances were given and manifestations of speaking in other tongues with the interpretation following were in evidence.  After the service, the man was visiting with the pastor.  “Was that God speaking during the service?” he asked.  The pastor proudly assured him, “Yes, it was.”  The man replied, “Well, if that was God speaking, why didn’t He say anything of consequence?”

That’s a good question.  And it deserves a good answer.

Some time ago, I was reading an e-mailed prophetic “list” named after a famous Old Testament prophet.  It was a compilation of prophecies given by the most recognized prophetic voices in the world.  I was astounded by what I was reading…not positively astounded, mind you, but astounded nonetheless.

As I read through this “prophetic “ newsletter, sifting through the mire and searching for the golden nugget that might or might not be buried deep within, I was increasingly reminded of my grandfather’s dunghill.

My grandfather was a dairy farmer.  Twice a day he would milk the cows and then muck out the barn.  He would shovel the cow waste into a wheelbarrow and then push the wheelbarrow to the back door of the barn where he would dump the waste onto the ground below.  Because the barn was built into a hill, the drop from the back door to the ground was about two stories tall (or seemed so to a young child).

Over time, the dunghill grew taller and taller.  Eventually it grew so tall that my grandfather was able to place a plank from the back door of his barn onto the top of the dunghill.  Then he could wheel his wheelbarrow out to the edge of the dunghill and continue to dump the cow waste.  Thus, the dunghill grew greatly in size.

Before I read the “prophetic list,” my grandfather’s dunghill was the biggest pile of crap that I’d ever seen.

As I consider the sad state of modern prophecy and prophets, I find myself greatly conflicted.  Prophets are in danger of becoming irrelevant.  And they have an important job to do in the Kingdom of God.  One part of their job is to encourage and edify the people of God as they proclaim the word of God (Acts 15:32).  They are also charged with declaring the mind of God as He reveals the future to them.  The prophet Agabus is a New Testament example of this (Acts 11:27, 28 and 21:10, 11).

And Agabus declared the mind of the Lord without giving any advice to people about what to do with the revelation he gave to them.  Unlike many modern prophets, he knew when to speak and when to shut up.

Perhaps the most important part of the prophet’s job is to equip believers to do the work of the ministry and build up the Body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11, 12).  They accomplish this by training the people of God to hear the voice of God for themselves.  If they do not do this part of their job, they are not New Testament prophets.

And if they don't do their job, their gift becomes a curse.

Because if they retain the ability to hear the voice of God unto themselves, it is not long before they begin to use this God-given gift as a platform for doing Christian fortunetelling in front of crowds of people in order to receive their admiration, their adoration, and their money.  They can easily forget that their gifting is not about them.  It is not a means to show off their spirituality.  And it is not given so they can put their “word” on a prophetic list that is little more than a Christian version of the children’s game, “Mine is bigger than yours!”

Who needs this?  A part of me just wants to tune out the whole prophetic thing.  But I can’t.

Shutting off prophecy because it has become more of a curse than a blessing has already been tried.  It was done in Thessalonica at the first century church located there.  Why?  Probably for the same reasons churches all over the country have either shut down or actively curtailed prophetic utterances in their services.  It just doesn’t seem to be worth the trouble. But in 1 Thessalonians 5:20, the apostle Paul commands the church to “Stop despising prophecies” (literal Greek translation).  Then he tells them to test the prophecies (and other spiritual things) and hang onto what is good (verse 21).

In other words, have the sense of an old cow.  Eat the hay and leave the sticks.

So I have determined to honor the true prophetic in the Body of Christ…when, and if, I can find it.  I have connected myself with people who possess the eyes, the ears, and (most importantly) the heart of God.  They are not well-known as yet because they are going lower in Christ at the moment.  And the lower they go into Him, the greater their power.  God is preparing them, and we will be hearing from them.

They are at the bottom right now, but God is about to turn His Church upside-down.  Where will they be then?  For that matter, where will you be?

To the other prophets I would suggest that this is a good time to judge, and police, yourselves (1 Corinthians 14:29, 30).  Or else.  You can, and will, be replaced if necessary.  Please take your rightful place in the Body of Christ.  Become the gift and blessing you were intended to be.

We really do need you…or at least your gifting.  But if your gift becomes a curse to us, we will do without you until God raises up your replacements.  We are willing to wait awhile, if we must, for the real thing.

But in the meantime, I’m not going to read your stupid newsletter…even if it does remind me of my beloved grandfather.

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com

"Pay No Attention to that Man Behind the Curtain!": Church Leadership in Oz

By David Ryser

“Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!” (The “wizard” in the movie, The Wizard of Oz, just prior to being exposed as a fraud).

“These people don’t need to attend three church services per week.  They need a 12 Step Program.”

Looking back, I can see that the person who said this was right.  I wasn’t able to accept it at the time because, whether intentionally or unintentionally, she was talking about me.

God was moving.  The church services were powerful, and the presence of God was so thick as to be almost tangible.  The congregation was excited to be a part of what God was doing on the earth, and we threw ourselves into what we thought was God.  We enthusiastically gave our hearts, souls, strength, and treasure to pursue after Him.  Imagine our disappointment when some of us finally realized that--rather than pursuing God--we were enabling a religious system that was being built to contain, control, manipulate, and merchandise the move of God.

We were being led astray by the church leaders from Oz.

In the movie, The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and her friends are sent on an adventure by a “wizard” who claims to be all-knowing and all-powerful.  He promises to grant their requests if they are able to perform a suicidal quest to prove their worthiness…without his help.  (Take another look at Luke 11:46 and Matthew 23:4 sometime.)  Unbeknownst to our heroes, the wizard is a phony who is hoping they will fail in their quest so that his cushy gig as the wizard in Oz will be preserved.

And he doesn’t care whether they live or die.  Just so they fail.

After succeeding in their quest, Dorothy and her friends go back to the wizard to receive what has been promised to them.  The wizard tries to put them off to another time.  When this doesn’t work, he resorts to intimidation and threats in order to dissuade them from pressing their demands.  In the midst of his rant, Dorothy’s dog Toto exposes the wizard as a fraud.  The wizard blusters out his final bluff:  “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!”  But it’s too late.

Game, set, and match.  What does this have to do with church?

In Ephesians 4:11-16, the apostle Paul lists 4 or 5 (depending upon your theological persuasion) ministry gifts and describes their function.  Although the gifts vary, they have a common purpose.  The function of the apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher is to equip the people of God for the work of the ministry and building up of the Body of Christ.  This equipping is to continue until the saints are fully matured.

Any apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, or teacher who does not equip the saints is a fraud.  “But wait a minute,” you say, “I don’t know any of these people who are equipping the saints!  Are they all frauds?”

Bingo!  (Church leader, if you only have gifting, you are a fraud.  A phony.  A humbug.  You are not called to be gifted.  You are called to be a gift.)

And these phony ministers are not, typically, even bad people.  When Dorothy accuses the humbug “wizard” of being “a very bad man,” his response is:  “Oh, no, my dear!  I’m a very good man.  I’m just a very bad wizard.”

Wow.

These church leaders are not bad people.  They are needy people.  They are insecure people.  They are fearful people.  But they are not bad people.

They are just bad leaders.

It is an obscenity when good, gifted people are co-opted by a bad religious system to take the spiritual gifts God gave them to equip others, and use these gifts to perform spiritual tricks for money in a religious dog-and-pony show.

And we pay them to do it while we watch!

Attending the average church service, or watching Christian television for that matter, typically amounts to little more than Christian voyeurism.  It is a kind of porn.  But instead of watching people copulate, we watch them worship or dazzle us with their gifting.  We get our thrills by watching something that someone else is experiencing.

And so we go along on the church treadmill being neither equipped nor transformed.  Yes, we are changed from what we were, but we are not becoming what we have been called and anointed to be.  Even in a move of God, we are hounded by our sins, failures, ambitions, selfishness, wickedness, and personal demons.  We come time and time again for prayer to overcome the same problems.

And in the end, we are little better.

If God is moving, and if we are growing in Him, shouldn’t we be getting better?  Shouldn’t we be experiencing some deliverance and healing over the things that torment us?  Instead, we get just better enough to be useful parts in the church machine, but never truly whole in Christ.  And the entire time our “wizards” hammer home the same message:  “God’s good.  You’re not.  Try harder.”

What a mess!

So we go to multiple church services and do other religious gymnastics, believing that doing the same failed thing more often will bring success.  Hence, my friend’s observation:  “These people don’t need to attend three church services per week.  They need a 12 Step Program.”

Even AA groups don’t usually meet three times a week…and they actually accomplish something worthwhile.

Too many of us, under the supervision of our leadership from Oz, find that in the end we’ve merely exchanged one form of addiction for another.  Where we once pursued whatever it was that bound us, we now just as vigorously pursue religious activities.  We seek to be accepted, admired, and valued based upon our devotion to the church system.  We think we are growing in Christ when in reality we are merely becoming useful cogs in a religious contraption.

I have an idea.  How about we admit that we have a problem? (Step 1)

Let’s pursue God and a personal, intimate relationship with Him.  Let’s run after Him until He catches us.  He wants us more than we want Him.  He desires to deliver and heal us from the things that are keeping us far from Him.  And let’s seek out godly and gifted leaders who will equip us to become what God made us to be.  We’ve submitted ourselves to leaders who have taken advantage of us and abused us.  How hard can it be to submit ourselves to leaders who will love us and be concerned about our welfare?

And, please, do pay attention to that man behind the curtain.

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com

Simplifying My Life: It was so Easy!

By David Ryser

A few weeks ago, I was walking through a Wal-Mart store.  I looked over their selection of books and found one written by a Christian author entitled "100 Ways to Simplify Your Life."

Imagine that!  I was able to simplify my life immediately…and in 100 ways!

How did I perform this amazing feat?  By not buying the book.

By not purchasing the book and making the recommended changes, I uncluttered my existence by at least 100 ways.

Who knew that simplifying my life could be so easy?

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com

I Knew I Should've Taken a Left Turn at Albuquerque: The Gospel According to Bugs Bunny

By David Ryser

My students and I stood staring at one another.  Where was God?  One moment we had been worshiping in the sweet presence of God.  In an instant, His presence was gone.

We had taken a wrong turn.  What should we do now?

It was our habit to come together every day, about an hour before class, to have a time of praise and worship.  God would meet us.  His presence would fill the room.  Today was no exception.  We basked in the nearness of God.  Our worship came to a place of transition, and one of the students suggested we take a particular direction in the worship.  I gave my assent.  We changed course.

The moment we did, the presence of God fled from the room.  What should we do now?

We were stunned!  We had come together to meet with God.  Now He was gone.  We didn’t know what to do.  Feeling somewhat responsible for our predicament, the student who had suggested the current direction of worship proposed we should go back to where we were in worship when we had last sensed God’s presence.  The idea was to get back “on track” and proceed from there.

I agreed we should give it a try.  We did.  It failed.  God was gone.  We were heartsick.  What should we do now?

I directed the students back to their seats in the classroom.  As I approached the podium, I sensed this was a teachable moment.  But what did God want to teach us?

As I took my place at the front of the room, God spoke softly into my heart.  I told the students to take out their Bibles and turn to Numbers 14.

Numbers 14 records the failure of Israel to enter Canaan.  Moses has led the people to the Jordan River.  In preparation for their crossing, twelve spies are sent into Canaan to observe the land (and its inhabitants) and bring back a report.  When the spies return, they all agree that Canaan is a land of abundance.

At this point, their agreement ends.  Ten of the spies describe the strength of the inhabitants of Canaan and advise against going across the river.  Two of the spies acknowledge the strength of the Canaanites, but argue in favor of crossing the river and taking the land God has promised to them.

The people of Israel choose to believe, and act upon, the majority report.  They refuse to cross the Jordan River.  Moses pronounces God’s judgment on them for their lack of faith and for their disobedience.  He prepares to lead them back into the wilderness.

At this point we typically stop reading and then teach a nice message on having faith in God and the consequences of disobedience.

But the story isn’t finished.

Numbers 14:40-45 tells us that on the next day, some of the people repent of their decision of the previous day and declare to Moses that they are now ready to cross over into Canaan.  Moses recommends against this course of action.  He informs them that when they cross over the Jordan River, neither he nor the Ark of the Covenant will accompany them.  They will be on their own.

The people ignore Moses’ advice.  They cross over into Canaan, and are soundly defeated by the Canaanites.  After mourning the defeat, the people of Israel turn away from Canaan and go back into the wilderness.

For 40 years.

Does missing God by just one day make that much difference?  Sometimes.

One of my professors used to say, “If God calls you to New York, and you go to Los Angeles, God’s plan for the rest of your life begins in Los Angeles.  And it may or may not include going to New York.”  When we take a wrong turn and miss God, should we go back to where we goofed up and try to get back on course?

It never worked that way for Bugs Bunny.

When I was a kid (a term used to describe the elapsed time between my birth and today), I enjoyed watching Warner Brothers cartoons.  One of my favorite cartoon characters was Bugs Bunny.  A typical Bugs Bunny cartoon would begin with Bugs tunneling underground and then popping up to discover that he had not arrived at his intended destination.  He would then pull out a map, look it over, and exclaim, “I knew I should’ve taken a left turn at Albuquerque!”

And then his adventure would begin.

But he never, not ever, began his new adventure by going back to Albuquerque.

And neither do we.

I was raised in the heavily forested region of western Washington State.  Hiking in the woods was a popular recreational activity.  Occasionally someone would get lost while hiking in the forest.  We were taught from an early age what to do if this happened to us.

When you first realize you are lost in the woods, the first thing you do is:  STOP WALKING!  To continue walking is to become more lost.  If you knew the correct direction to go, you wouldn’t be lost.

And so it is with God.

One of the greatest mistakes we make as individual Christians and churches is to plunge ahead when we miss God.  However we miss Him.  It might be a decision we made.  It might be the wrong choice of a song in a worship service.  It might be an entire congregation going a wrong direction.  Typically, we either charge ahead blindly into the unknown while becoming more lost, or we try to retrace our steps to get back where we were before we became lost.

It won’t work!

When we miss God (either individually or corporately) and find ourselves out of His presence, we need to stop.  Just stop.  Wait for Him to find us and tell us where to go and what to do next.

Wait.  Wait, in spite of life’s pressures.  Wait, in spite of the expectations of others.  Wait, in spite of the demands of ministry.  Wait, in spite of impatience and frustration.

God’s plan for you will begin right where you are.

Even Bugs Bunny knows that.

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com