Month: February 2010

Tebow’s Turmoil

/ Dennis Griffith / 1 Comment

Who knows where such nonsense gets started?  But whoever it was that first suggested Tim Tebow’s throwing flaws are the fault of Florida Coach Urban Meyer is, to say it kindly, misguided.

It was reported that, at a recent press conference, Tebow explained he had a lot of work to do and acknowledged that his years at Florida had not prepared him for the NFL.  Some quickly took Tebow’s words as a slap at Coach Meyer, or at least that Tebow’s words reveal that he had somehow been slighted by Meyer.

Pundits suggested Tebow flaws provide recruiting fodder for Alabama’s Nick Saban.   

It is reasoned, if Florida did not get Tebow NFL ready who could they get ready? Then, adding the fact that Tebow’s highly touted predecessor, Chris Leak, failed to make an NFL roster after his college career, these self acclaimed experts point the finger at Florida’s spread offense, and declare that Urban Meyer’s system is to blame.  And thus, if Meyer can’t prepare QB’s, even of the calibur of Tebow & Leak, for the NFL, why should any prospect who has aspirations of playing on Sundays even consider Florida,  if he has the opportunity to play elsewhere – especially, say, Alabama?

I agree with sportswriter Mike Bianchi who says: “It is not Urban Meyer’s Job to Make Tim Tebow NFL-Ready“. Bianchi makes a good case, but I would g even further.

I don’t know if Tebow will make himself into an NFL star or not.  But fortunately Tebow know that the NFL is not the real measure of success in life. 

Second, those who are blaming Meyer have no idea what it takes to be an NFL QB.  They seem to assume that good coaches can just crank them out.  Or maybe they just grow on trees.  But the truth is that there are many, many reasons that some great college QB’s never cut it in the NFL, while other merely adequate college QB’s thrive. (See Tom Brady for example.)

Finally, while I have my doubts that Nick Saban is involved in this stuff at all, I would suggest he – and any coach – look at his own legacy before he take aim at Urban Meyer.  Who was the last successful QB Alabama sent to the NFL? Richard Todd?  How about Saban himself?  Did any of his LSU QB’s shine at the next level?  I’d hate to claim that I can make a kid into the next Jamarcus Russell, if I were Saban.  That’s a sure way to get a kid to go elsewhere.

7 Ways to Be a Great Host

/ Dennis Griffith / 1 Comment

There is an ancient rule among the Benedictines: 

“Let every guest who arrives be received like Christ. For He is going to say, ‘I came as a guest and you received me’.”

This would be a good concept for all churches to remember and instill.

Unlike most churches in our country, the church I have the privilege to pastor frequently and regularly has new visitors.  But like most churches, we have much to learn before we could claim that the Rule of Benedict is an accurate description of our congregational practice.

I am confident some would feel it is true of us already. I have never been part of a church that better demonstrates a love for one another than Walnut Hill Church does. And that love is frequently extended to our guests.  That’s why many of them are now part of the family.

But I also suspect that there are others, for whatever reasons, who have come and gone without necessarily having experienced the same thing. While it is obvious that we will never get to the point where we will keep everyone, I am concerned about those who do not stick because they did not feel loved, or perhaps even welcomed.

Studies indicate that the typical church needs to keep 16% of first-time guests in order to have a growth rate that roughly keeps pace with the annual national birth rate.  Churches that are growing and healthy generally see a 25-30% rate of assimilation/integration of those who visit.  (By the way, on average, 85% of guests who return the following week generally join with that church.) 

Gary McIntosh, in his book, Beyond the First Visit, offers seven suggestions about how church members can move beyond being friendly to becomming great hosts:

  1. Invite your guests with a personal invitation.
  2. Arrive early and make sure everything is prepared for your guests’ arrival.
  3. Greet the guests warmly at the entrance and escort them to their seats.
  4. Assist guests with understanding what is taking place.
  5. Anticipate as many questions as possible in advance, so guests do not have to ask.
  6. Do something extra to make your guests’ visit special.
  7. Walk guests to the door and invite them back.

Let me suggest that these suggestions be adopted by individual church members. Don’t try to program this as much as cultivate it.  There is no need to wait for the pastor, or some formal committee, to be hospitable.

The Least We Can Do

/ Dennis Griffith / 2 Comments

If Jesus could rise from the dead, we can at least rise from our bed, get off our couches and pews, and respond to the Lord’s resurrection life within us, joining Jesus in what he’s up to in the world. We call on others to join us—not in removing ourselves from planet Earth, but to plant our feet more firmly on the Earth while our spirits soar in the heavens of God’s pleasure and purpose. We are not of this world, but we live in this world for the Lord’s rights and interests. We, collectively, as the ekklesia of God, are Christ in and to this world.

 -Leonard Sweet & Frank Viola, from A Jesus Manifesto

Sullivan Central’s Andrew Griffith Latest Local Brevard Signee

/ Dennis Griffith / 5 Comments

By Steve Wilmoth – TriCitiesSports.com

With a head coach and three assistants with ties to the Northeast Tennessee area, Brevard College has made serious in-roads acquiring local talent for their 2010 football recruiting class.

The latest is Sullivan Central wide receiver/defensive back, Andrew Griffith, who inked with the Tornados in ceremonies at school on Friday.

Griffith joins Sullivan North place-kicker Arrick Blevins, Daniel Boone lineman Isaac Bowman, and Science Hill lineman Joel Shrum as local signees with Brevard. Like Blevins, Griffith said Brevard came on strong late in the recruiting process.

“I really wasn’t considering them at first, but I went for a visit and I just kept getting more and more interested,” said Griffith.

Griffith was recruited by Marshall Doss, a former player at Emory & Henry. In addition to Doss, Brevard has on staff former ETSU lineman Jim Beverly and defensive backs coach Teddy Gaines, a former player at Dobyns-Bennett and the University of Tennessee. All are under the direction of former ETSU head coach Paul Hamilton.

“He thinks I can come right in and contribute,” said Griffith of Doss who recruited the former Cougar as a wide receiver. “Hopefully I can make an immediate impact.”

Griffith came to Central as sophomore transfer from Pennsylvania and was also considering Geneva College, close to his former Pittsburgh home, Emory & Henry and University of the Cumberlands were also in the picture.

“Since Brevard was a Division II school, I chose them,” added Griffith. “I just decided I would rather play Division II than Division III.”

Griffith has plans to major in elementary education while at Brevard.

***

This article first appeared in Tri-Cities Sports.com on February 20.  Tri Cities Sports.com is a subscripton based publication that covers colege, high school and middle school sports around the Mountain Empire.  This article is published here in whole with thank to Steve Wilmoth.  Links have been added.

Unchurched Next Door

/ Dennis Griffith / 1 Comment

According to Thom Rainer, your unchurched neighbors are not all alike. At least that is what the research from Rainer Group indicates.

In his book, The Unchurched Next Door, Rainer puts the unchurched in our lives into five distinct categories:

U1 – Highly receptive to the Gospel. In fact this group includes some who may well be Christians who, for one reason or another, are not presently part of any expression of the Visible Body of Christ. These folks are the very essence of the word Seekers.

U2 – Receptive to the Gospel and to the Church. They may even see the church as a value, and admit that they “ought to go to church”.  However, they probably have not been to church,  nor taken any initiative in finding a church, and finding a church is not on thier immediate agenda whatsoever.

U3 – Neutral about church and spiritual things. They show neither signs of interest nor opposition. They may be open to some conversations about spiritual things but they do not feel their lives are lacking without Jesus being in their lives or their lack of involvement in the life of a local church.

U4 – Resistant to the Gospel, but show no antagonistic attitudes about those who profess faith and/or who go to church.

U5 – Highly antagonistic about church and the Gospel.

At first thought one might assume this is a matter of common sense, if not common knowledge. What difference does it make to consider these categories?

Those were some of my initial musings.

But then I began to think about how I, and how others I know, relate to unchurched friends and neighbors. Am I conscious of where they are on their spiritual pilgrimmage, of do I functionally lump them all into the category of “THEM” as opposed to “US”? Do I wish they would come to church, or do I understand where they are coming from? Am I willing to converse with them at their interest level, or do I use a half-hearted one-size-fits-all approach when spiritual matters come up? Like most Christians I know, I have often been guilty of the all the wrong things.

While being careful not to judge people, I have found that applying Rainers insights has made interacting and relating with unchurched neighbors and friends has become more enjoyable. Probably for them too. I listen more attentively to what they are saying. I converse more freely. I say fewer dumb things that lead to alienation. In short, I think Rainers categories are not only on-target but practically helpful.

Interestingly, The Rainer Group study has shown that 75-80% of our unchurched neighbors and friends would be open to an invitation to go to church if invited by a Christian friend.  This does not mean that all of them would be equally excited about the invitation. And this does not mean that if you ask four people to come to church this week that you will see three of them there on Sunday.  It means that if genuinely and sensitvely invited most would at some time or another be willing to go with you to your church.

So now here is the probing question for you & me: When was the last time you invited an un-churched person to church?

We in the churches are agonizing over ways to reach the un-churched, yet research indicates a simple invitation may be the most “cutting edge” approach we can employ.

Keller on Being Salt & Light

/ Dennis Griffith / 1 Comment

Working through the Sermon on the Mount on Sunday mornings, a few weeks ago I preached from Matthew 5.13-16, the Salt & Light passage. What I explained to our congregation is that, after instrucitng us about what our attitude ought to be as citizens of the Kingdom, Jesus goes on to reveal the Influence he expects his people to have on the communites where we live, and on the world around us.

In this video Tim Keller offers his thoughts about being Salt & Light.

The Gospel Saves From Morality

/ Dennis Griffith / 1 Comment

It sounds like a contradiction, doesn’t it?  The Gospel saves you from morality.  Can this be true?

It is true. And it is an important truth.  And understanding what John Piper is saying in this video can free people from the crushing weight of trying to be good. For others it will free them from self-righteousness, which is a cancer that eats away at the spiritual sensitivity system.