Pastor Ralph Diehl » growth

THE HICKORY TREE

pastordiehl — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 12:00:13 +0000

Several years ago I transplanted a first year sapling hickory tree from the woods behind my house to our property. I’ve got little growth on it because deer keep biting the top off, or it dries up in dry weather, etc. So, this year I have it shielded in a 6″ corrugated tile and have treated it with liquid fertilizer weekly.

A couple of weeks ago I checked on it and noticed that it had begun to grow, but the leaves had dried up. I got discouraged and gave up on the tree. I quit watering it and fertilizing it, and stopped checking on it.

I peeked down in the tube later, and lo and behold, that thing has sprung to life and has grown a foot! I’m really pleased to see such progress. What made the difference? All I can figure is I left it alone.

Although we need to stay involved in other Christian’s lives, sometimes the best medicine is to leave them alone to fix their own problems. God will teach them just as He has taught us. If we get out of the way. What’s that old saying? ‘Let go and let God.’

GROW TIL YOU DIE

pastordiehl — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:00:05 +0000

In his book The Fisherman and His Friends, Louis Albert Banks tells about a man who was spending a summer near the shores of Lake Superior. One day he came upon an old pine that had been blown down by a recent storm. Knowing something about trees, he was intrigued by that huge evergreen lying on the ground. He examined it closely and figured it was at least 250 years old. What impressed him most, however, was what he discovered when he stripped away the bark. It was evident to him that on the day the tree fell it was still growing.

That’s the way it should be in the life of a believer. The years pass and our physical strength declines. The outward man perishes, but the inner man should keep on developing – mentally, emotionally, and above all, spiritually – until the day we depart.

How have you been growing this week?

PETER PAN SYNDROME

pastordiehl — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:00:12 +0000

Remember Peter Pan? Remember his song?

I won’t grow up,
Not a penny will I pinch,
I will never grow a mustache,
or a fraction of an inch,
for growing up is awfuller
than all the awful things that ever were,
I will never grow up, never grow up,
never grow up, not me!

Peter led his young disciples in that song. With great gusto they proclaimed that they wanted to stay children forever. They could not imagine anything as bad as becoming adult.

The Peter Pan Syndrome has crept into the church. There are believers that want to treat Jesus like Santa Claus and only want to tell Him what they want, never the other way around. These Christians never want to grow up. An essential ingredient of Christianity is an insatiable desire to grow in maturity.

How’re ya doin’?

BONSAI CHRISTIANS

pastordiehl — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Have you ever seen a Bonsai tree? Done correctly, they have all the appearances of a fully grown tree, but only a fraction of the size. They are kept miniature in size by regular pruning of the roots and branches, and by being potted in very small pots to limit root development. Because of their artificially stunted growth, they would die in one day without water. It is amazing to look at these trees, but they’re not much good for anything else. They’ll never give shade, be a resting place for birds, or provide fruit or nuts, for they have become sterile.

Some Christians are like that. Because they’ve become entangled in the cares of this world, they have allowed their spiritual growth to be stunted and become Bonsai Christians. Although they look good on Sunday, they serve no spiritual purpose and can never bear fruit.

How have you seen yourself grow lately??

LEADERSHIP LESSONS

pastordiehl — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:05:04 +0000

This past week in staff meeting I shared some simple lessons from Acts 6:1-4; you know, the story about the first Deacons who were chosen to rectify the problem that arose over apparent favoritism that had arisen over care for some poor widows. Here are the lessons I shared:

1. Growth Always Results in Disputes. What worked well back then, doesn’t work anymore when we grow larger. The rank and file are the first people to notice these breakdowns. The Apostles weren’t doing anything wrong, they were just overwhelmed and had become inefficient. This is the inevitable price of growth!

2. Brothers will Murmur Against Brothers. Because we all tend to personalize problems, we seek to blame people, rather than help to identify and fix the problem. Murmuring leads to division (two visions), and was judged severely in the Old Testament. We should, rather, seek to identify the problem and help to heal it.

3. Leaders Deal with the Problems. Followers gripe and complain about the problems. Leaders, however, step up to the plate and try to alleviate the problem. These Apostles did not get defensive and justify their actions; they instead took immediate action to resolve the problem. They listened!

4. The Complainers Were Appointed to Solve the Problem. The Hellenist (Greek) converts murmured against the Hebrew converts. So each of the seven Deacons put forth and appointed by the Apostles had a Greek name. Who can better fix a problem than the one who sees it? If you’re going to complain about a problem in your church, you ought to volunteer to fix it.

5. Leaders Cannot Do Everything: So They Delegate. It is unfair to expect one pastor to do all the ministry in a growing church. A good leader will release ministry to competent parts of the body. The ultimate in spiritual pride is saying: Nobody can do this but me! The Apostles did not relinquish their responsibility, but they appointed others this specific task. Appointees must give account.

6. Leaders Commit to Prayer & the Word. There are so many things for a pastor to do, but prayer and ministering the Word are top priority. You can delegate everything else, but you cannot delegate these things and fulfill your calling. A good leader will build a team and release them, so that these priorities can be maximized.