Sunday, September 7, 2008

About Squirrels

I saw a YouTube video today of a squirrel delaying a major league baseball game between the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago White Sox (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4QjUmlZAF4&feature=related). It reminded me of the Ray Steven’s song “Mississippi Squirrel Revival.” I trust everyone has heard it, but If not, you need to find a copy of it and listen to it! Too often, like the people in the song, we get a bit self righteous in our own churches. We believe that we are “perfect” and look down at those who are not like us. What most churches need is what the song calls, “It was a fight for survival that broke out in revival.” When congregations are worried about just surviving, they are afraid to do the things that the Lord calls them to do. They begin to look for ways to “keep the doors open” rather than ways to take the gospel into the world. When a church enters the survival mode, the true work of the church is compromised. Money that should be dedicated to reaching out with the gospel is jealously clung to in order to make sure the bills will be paid. Don’t get me wrong, paying our bills is important! But if we are more worried about paying the electric bill than we are about reaching the lost, we have lost the true vision of what God has called us to be and to do. A congregation in survival mode is a congregation that needs revival. We need to change our thinking. We have to move from survival to revival thinking! How can we do that? I think it is time for the Lord to set loose a legion of squirrels in our churches!

2 comments:

Amy Florence said...

Sounds like a great idea but see if you can get the squirrels like the one that was at the baseball game...he was soooo cute! (Especially in the infield when he laid spread eagle with his tail curled up over his back.)

Rosella said...

Well, we have the squirrels, but I don't think we have remembered to do the revival. Perhaps we need to set them loose again. Good song, good message.