Live Your Passion, Tell Your Story, Change Your World

Live Your Passion, Tell Your Story, Change Your World was the theme for the weekend revival at the Camden Point Baptist Church.


Friday night began with a magic show and continued with music and testimonies from some other guests. It's always interesting to hear how God has impacted other lives and changed them. There were some great original songs and inspirational stories.


The turn out was pretty light but I'm sure that all that showed up had a meaningful time. Some even made the commitment that they would live more like Jesus.


At some point I heard the comment that the people that God wanted to be there were there. Truthfully, I think that it is that kind of rationalization of our poor participation/planning/promoting that keeps the church in the crisis that it is in today. If all of the people that God wanted to be there showed up, we would have had to rent out Arrowhead Stadium and still turn people away. Let's face it. We are presenting a God that nobody feels that they need and one that nobody wants. Are we going to tell those that weren't there, "You really missed a great evening." Or will we tell them, "God didn't really want you there in the first place!"


Our schedules and the events that we plan in our own busy lives are infinitely more important that coming to be entertained by a lame magician, some local song writers and then being forced to listen to them go on and on about some god that has changed their lives. God owns so little of the lives of those that claim to follow him, that even they won't show up for a "church" event. We shouldn't be surprised when those outside of the church have something better to do.

I can hear it. Can you?

"So what?! You invite some outside person to come tell us the same thing that you've been saying. Do you think that we're going to fall for it? How good can a gospelmagician be? I'll just wait and catch Criss Angel on A&E."

Don't get me wrong. I believe that Todd Gordon did promote the event. I even believe that he promoted God in the process. The people that were guests really love God and love serving Him. The problem is that people are tired of hearing about church events. What they really want to see is God--in action! We have to be the face of God in our communities. They don't want to hear about God. They want to see Him. While we may walk by faith and not by sight, they are still walking by sight. Let's show them God. Let's not expect them to come to church for anything. Let's take God to them! No programs. No events. No propaganda or tracts. Let's just show them God by the way we live our lives.

Whew! Sorry about the rant.

Saturday was spent at Christian Family Day in Smithville. I'll post more about some of the great people that I met there in another post. I did enjoy talking to folks and sharing a little bit of magic as I walked around. The music was wonderful. Many different bands shared the stage throughout the day, each with their own unique style.

Sunday morning service at the church, a pot-luck dinner afterwards and another brief magic moment with yours truly. Sunday evening was a meeting with the youth. My part was relatively small with the majority of the time going to singer/songwriter Jeff Kelley. Jeff has a great talent for sharing the Word through the music that he writes. The evening turn out was again pretty light. Too bad, I really enjoyed the time of worship through the music and testimony.

I think that Camden Point Baptist Church is like so many of our churches. A very few are on fire and want to do whatever it takes to bring Jesus to the world around them. Unfortunately their spirit, their fire, is being quenched by the majority of the "church". We need to have the faith of the Old Testament Prophet when confronted with all of the prophets of Baal. His faith was so strong that all of the wood, the altar and the trenches surrounding the altar were soaked with water. In spite of those that would quench the fire of God, the fire fell and consumed everything.

The church is in crisis and the time has come for us to do something different.

Until next time,
John