“Stop Selling What You Have.  Start Selling What They Need!” is what the IBM ad proclaimed in the Newark International Airport.  I was sitting at a restaurant table on my way to a General Commission on Religion and Race meeting a couple of years ago; the ad was directly in front of me.  It seemed to be speaking not just to business but also to the Church—local and connectional.

The ministry I now have the privilege of sharing with you gifts me with a fair amount of time on the highways, city streets and back roads of the Detroit Conference.   While I like to spend much of that time in quiet reflection, praying for you and this ministry or simply riding with God, I do listen a great deal to National Public Radio in order to keep aware that the rest of the world keeps moving along even in the midst of “Budget Season”! 

This is that nostalgic time of year when we polish off images of “making room at the inn”, telling ourselves and our churches that we will strive to be more open when Jesus comes our way.  We strive to be “hospitable” to strangers that come to our churches as well as tolerant of those “strange” relatives that come to our homes.  However, is it possible that we are confusing hospitality with tolerable politeness?

 What difference does it make when we expand the focus in our ministries from simply “faithfulness” to also intentional “fruitfulness”?

There is no question that many of our local churches are in difficult waters, yet some continue to find ways to thrive in the midst of the challenges.  They exhibit the generative capacity of God With Us, adapting as necessary to the changing waters, rather than simply dropping anchor to ride out the storm.

What if we trust that God is with us in this journey of faith and community transformation?  Would it give us the courage to makes changes and even make mistakes?

What if you and your church offered vocabularies of hope in difficult times?  How might it change life?

I have always assumed, and have strived to live out, that when adversity presents itself in our particular life situations, then it is time to face it with clarity and creativity.  It calls upon us to engage our faith in God’s initiative, and then our best selves and our best partnerships to bring forth life.