So Long Crystal Cathedral, Hello St Patrick’s Crystal Cathedral

I’ve always considered the Rev. Schuller to be a gambling man. In the 60’s he had a pretty good sized church, but it wasn’t enough. He decided to roll the dice in an attempt to win the big pot. His church went into debt and built the Crystal Cathedral, on the idea that if you build something totally magnificent, the people will come. He rolled lucky 7’s and won big. However, in the 90’s his church growth was stagnant, and he needed to do something big again. He should have retired and let a new generation move the church into the new century. Instead he rolled the dice again. His church went into debt, to the tune of 20 million dollars, and he built a Southern California Visitor/Cultural Center. His reasoning was the same as last time, if it is magnificent enough, the people will come. However, this time he rolled snake eyes.

This week the Diocese of Orange as officially taken over ownership of the Crystal Cathedral. The deal will pay off the debts of the church, but they are losing their home. In three years it will become a catholic cathedral. It will be interesting to see if Schuller’s church will survive the transition. The church has been run by a board of trustees for many years. The membership has been shut out of the decision making process. I would think that many long time members would demand that the board of trustees dissolve and hand over power to the membership. If not, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the members walk away from this debacle.

Most Mega-Churches are run by small groups of trustees, with a powerful minister pulling the strings. I feel that the story of the Crystal Cathedral is a lesson to large churches. The power of the leadership needs to be balanced by power placed into the hands of the membership. Too much power in the hands of a few can allow a church to spin out of control.

To read more…

Church in a Bar?

Would you attend church in a bar? Don’t laugh, a church is trying this in San Jose, California. In my humble opinion, Beer and Jesus don’t mix.

Churches, like businesses, are always trying to attract new faces. Some use tactics like providing coffee and sweets, or they boast a variety of different ministries for all age groups. Others have worship bands of rock star proportions and lots of digital technology to keep parishioners entertained. But a new church in San Jose, Calif., has a very different approach – it provides beer for attendees – after the service, of course.

Bill Jenkins, a native Londoner, calls his month-old church plant in northern California Urbanlife. They meet in downtown San Jose in a bar call the Loft Bar and Bistro at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings. He told The Christian Post he wants to create “a safe environment for a dangerous message.”

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Church Website

Amazing Grace on Dulcimer by NC Hillbillies

Very funny and very talented, these two guys play a great Dulcimer.

God and the Proton Proton Chain

 
I am an avid gardener, and I create new plants all of the time. With some I divide the roots, the tubers, or the bulbs. With others I use cuttings in water to stimulate root growth. And some plants I try to grow with seed. You think using seeds would be easy, but they are the hardest way to create plants. You have to germinate them under the correct growing conditions for that particular plant. The temperature has to be right, the soil conditions have to be just so, the amount of water applied, etc… I have had more failures with seeds than successes. However, when a seed sprouts into a plant, the results are impressive. From a really small package comes a huge plant. Zinnias have been the most successful of my seed campaign. Zinnias can grow to over six feet in height! Not too shabby for a little seed planted in some dirt. I think this is a good metaphor for God’s work in the universe. From the smallest of things, God creates everything.
 
In the beginning of the universe, the only element that existed was hydrogen. In the brand new creation these single proton atoms clumped together to form clouds of hydrogen gas. The clouds created a gravity well that attracted more of the gas from the surrounding region. As more atoms were added, the center of the cloud saw its pressure increase, and as a result, the temperature increased as well. When the temperature became high enough (1 x 10⁷ K) two protons smashed into each other and fused to create deuterium while releasing an electron and a neutrino (p + p --> ²D + e⁺ + v). This was the start of a series of fusion and fission reactions that created everything we see around us. All that we are physically comes from the interiors of stars, like our sun. And it all starts on a very small level, the Proton-Proton chain.
 
Jesus says that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed, the smallest of seeds and yet, grows into an enormous plant (Matt 13:31-35). The Kingdom includes all of the faithful, but the Kingdom also describes what is within us. Our faith in God starts out small but can grow into universal proportions. Isn’t that what is meant when Jesus says; “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt 5:48). With our God given faith we can reach for the stars. And it all starts from a very small beginning, saying yes to a relationship with our heavenly father.
 
Seeds sprouting, proton smashing and faith growing; in a strange way it all makes sense. God has created an amazing universe for us to live in. The wonders of it continue to amaze. I hope you will enjoy studying how God makes it all work as I do. If you wish to learn more, you can contact me and I will try my best to explain how stars work. Or, you can read the book I am reading; Theory of Stellar Structure and Evolution by Dina Prialnik, Cambridge University Press. Not an easy read but worth the effort.
 
Peace,
 
Pastor Bill

A Pro Lifer Calls for Compassion for Women

 
A woman is standing in the bathroom, staring at the white wand in her shaking hand. Her disbelief gives way to anger, then despair. She has five children. She can't afford childcare—she'll have to quit her job. Her house is too small for another child. Her family's business is under threat, and her husband will be traveling more than ever. She's just come through another unplanned pregnancy. She is well past 40. How can she be pregnant at this age when using birth control? How can she go through another pregnancy, another birth? How can she raise another child?
 
Then a thought comes: This could all just go away. No one would know. She feels a lift. There is a way out.
 
That woman, of course, was me. Never did I imagine I would consider abortion, even for a few seconds.
 
Read the Article…
 
Pray for the Women who are facing such difficult decisions today. Peace.