Feb 27

Shoulder-Tapping: The Way to Get More Workers!

Every church struggles to get and keep volunteers. In most churches it goes something like this: Announce from the pulpit and run in the bulletin for a couple of weeks with no results. Finally an announcement from an elder or preacher shaming–begging–guilting someone into volunteering for the job gets someone. Yet, the church depends upon volunteers to do most all of its necessary jobs; from being elders all the way down to cleaning tables.

Our method of recruitment is simple, straightforward, and very ineffective! Bulletin and spoken announcements requesting volunteers is not the best method. You open yourself up to getting and accepting whoever volunteers. You demonstrate to the church that no one really wants to do this job, so they are begging for someone to take it again just like they did a few months ago. Rarely do you ever get any new volunteers or produce a system to train potential volunteers, you just continue to ride the burned out soldiers who feel bad to let the church down.

Isn’t there a better way?

The better way is called “shoulder-tapping.” Shoulder-tapping is when your existing leaders and volunteers believe it is their responsibility to “tap the shoulders” of other church members to invite them into ministry. This method is (pardon the pun) head-and-shoulders above the announce-and-beg method. When church members take the lead to find new blood to come alongside them in the ministry they tap into a desire that Christians naturally have of wanting connection and to work alongside others. They remove the anxiety and fears associated with stepping out there and doing it by themselves, and are mentored and trained naturally to accomplish the task. With this method the church gets a higher quality of service and more Christians feel connected to the body and as fulfilling their purpose for Christ.

My wife is great at shoulder-tapping. She is an outstanding children’s teacher. When she teaches she typically finds her own aid, someone who has not taught or been in the class before. She intentionally tries to find young ladies who we need to be teaching now and in the future. This past quarter she invited a young wife and mother to serve as her helper in the 1st-2nd grade Wednesday night class. She witnesses how Amanda teaches the lesson, controls the classroom, and does reinforcement activities. Then as the quarter progressed, the young lady began doing the memory verse reinforcement each week. Now as the new quarter started for the Spring, Amanda made her a complete copy of the curriculum. This next week, she is going to do the entire class with Amanda only teaching the Bible story. The goal they have discussed, as Amanda has let her determine her desires, is for her to be able to teach the entire class soon. That’s shoulder-tapping! This young lady had never signed up or volunteered to teach from a bulletin or oral announcement made quarter after quarter, but now she is going to be teaching a class because she was able to comfortably plug herself in, watch from a safe distance, and be trained over time.

Who’s shoulder are you tapping? The answer to the volunteer shortage we have in our churches is not more powerful sermons inspiring workers, not more training meetings, not more elder announcements; NO, it is shoulder-tapping one Christian to another!

Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/shoulder-tapping-the-way-to-get-more-workers/

Feb 20

Who was Luke?

Most people have heard of the gospel of Luke, it is one of the four gospels which tells the story of Jesus in the New Testament. It’s author, Luke, also wrote the New Testament book of Acts of the Apostles which tells the early history of the church. We have read his words often, but who was this man we know as Luke?

Luke was the only Gentile writer of the New Testament (Col. 4:10-14). His name itself tells us he was a Greek man. Greek scholars point out that his writing style is distinctively Greek in nature and demonstrates a high level of education. He was a trained physician (Col. 4:14). Being that he was a Gentile, it is no surprise that he emphasizes the humanity of Christ and his gospel stresses the universal mission of Christ to all people (Luke 19:10).

Luke was an incredible author inspired by the Holy Spirit to write fifty-two chapters or one-third of the New Testament. He carefully investigated and researched his works (Luke 1:1-4). He was a constant traveling companion of the Apostle Paul, so he had first-hand knowledge of much that he wrote in Acts. Yet, he never mentions his own name in either work. He is only mentioned three times in the entire New Testament all in the writings of Paul. Luke knew the story wasn’t about himself, but about Christ!

Luke was a gospel preacher that had a great heart for the oppressed, poor, and outcast of society. Luke tells use about the good Samaritan, the lost son, the tax collector named Zacchaeus, and the thief on the cross. It is Luke who wrote the truth that “God shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34) and recorded the message of the gospel going to the Gentiles through the conversion of Cornelius (Acts 10-11).

Luke was Paul’s close companion, fellow worker, and personal physician who was always loyal and faithful to the hard-working Apostle. Luke had no problem letting Paul have the greater role and significance. Each time Luke is mentioned in the Bible Demas and John Mark are also mentioned (Col. 4:10,14; Philemon 24; 2 Tim. 4:10-11). John Mark had earlier deserted Paul on a mission trip (Acts 15:38), though he will later be useful to Paul. Demas departs Paul and the Christian faith because he fell in love with the present world (2 Tim. 4:10). Luke never departs! He is always faithful to Paul throughout his life. Be a Luke!

Luke was content to be behind the scenes. His desire was to shine the spotlight on Christ and His saving work. His desire was to focus attention on the birth and growth of the church through the power of the Holy Spirit in Acts. As Christians today we should adopt the attitude of Luke, remembering the spotlight isn’t supposed to be on ourselves, but on Christ.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/who-was-luke/

Feb 05

Why Did God Strike Uzzah?

Was God just having a bad day when he broke out against Uzzah striking him dead for touching the ark when it was tipping over? Critics accuse God of having capricious anger. Modern Christians are perplexed at this story; often ascribing these actions to an Old Testament version of God reacting out of wrath and judgment. But isn’t there more to this story?

The ark had actually been in Uzzah’s house. It had been away from the tabernacle for almost two decades and not mentioned in scripture since First Samuel seven. David has become king and is making one of his first acts to bring the ark of God into the tabernacle in his newly crowned capital Jerusalem. Thousands were celebrating this occasion. In many ways it was the coronation of God as king with David as his prince and shepherd (2 Samuel 5:2). But David failed to consider God’s rules in moving the ark. Either out of ignorance or neglect, David chose to move the ark on a cart, as it was last moved by the Philistines (1 Sam. 7:1-2).

During the move the oxen stumbled, Uzzah reached out to steady the ark and touched the holy ark (2 Sam. 6:1-11). He was struck dead. This sparked the anger of David at the Lord. He was probably embarrassed politically and spiritually before his nation. Why would God do such a rash act? In actually, it seems God’s patience had reached its limits. He had withstrained his anger, but it “burst forth against Uzzah” (2 Sam. 6:8). You see David, Uzzah, and the other participants were disobeying God’s laws. The ark of the covenant was never to be placed on a cart. At its creation by Moses, rings were installed on the side and poles were given to be used to carry the ark. The priestly levitical tribe were to carry the ark (Exodus 25:12-14; 37:4-5; Number 4:6, 15). David used the wrong people and the wrong method. He presumed upon his close relationship with God and overstepped the line of God’s holiness. The ark was a sacred, holy emblem and was to be treated with extreme care and reverence.

After three months, David carefully considered his prior mistakes and decided to try again to move the ark to Jerusalem. David then said, “no one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, for the Lord had chosen them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister to him forever” (1 Chron. 15:2). They consecrated themselves and offered sacrifices before the ark. Chronicles records, “Because you did not carry it the first time, the Lord our God broke out against us, because we did not seek him according to the rule” (1 Chron. 15:13). This time the Levites carried the ark on poles as “Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord” (1 Chron. 15:15).

God wasn’t just having a bad day or acting rashly, man messed up and God had enough! We must realize that sincere good intentions, even out of ignorance or negligence, does not make wrong actions right before God. We must take his commands seriously.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/why-did-god-strike-uzzah/

Jan 23

Keeping a Young Spirit

Wendell Needham had grown old. He was an old man facing Parkinson’s and numerous other physical ailments. Yet, each day he read and study his Bible to learn more. He had been retired from ministry for several years and now struggled to go about life’s daily tasks, but his spirit was vibrant. He led daily devotionals for the residents of the assisted living center, prayed fervent prayers, and talked to whomever he could about Jesus. He longed for his reward with Christ.

Brother Needham is one of many examples I could give of people who grew old physically, but maintained a vibrant, youthful spirit. Our spirits are not bound by age!

James A. Garfield, the former President, said “If wrinkles must be written on our brow, let them not be written on our heart. The spirit should not grow old.” 

Our brows gain wrinkles, our hair turns grey (or falls out), our bodies ache, and our faculties diminish; but our inward spirit is not bound by this body.

Paul said, “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16). Our spirits can be strong and vibrant despite the fact that our outward bodily housing is deteriorating. John wrote to the beloved Gaius, who apparently was in poor health physically, because John prays that his physical health will match the good health of his spirit (3 John 2).

What is the secret fountain of youth? Paul tells us the secret when he writes, “our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16). We have to feed our spirit daily. When we stay in the Word of God, keep communicating to our Father in prayer, and walk by faith our spirit will thrive. This truth should give us hope! In a world that puts so much emphasis on youth, body shape, outward beauty, and physical health, we can take comfort in knowing that though our outward body will grow old and perish, our spirit can be strong, vibrant, and free. Are you renewing and strengthening your spirit?

Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/keeping-a-young-spirit/

Jan 14

Killing Buffalos and Babies!

One of the most publicized historical facts of American history is the great decimation of the buffalo herds that roamed the Great Plains. When I was a child learning history from TV, museums, and school, it seemed I heard repeatedly how we had callously, foolishly, and rapidly destroyed the herds in the late 1800s. The herds that used to number in estimate between 30 – 60 million in the mid-1850s was decimated to a tiny population of 200 by 1900 confined to Yellowstone National Park. The plains had been littered with rotting carcasses of dead buffalo for the past several decades. The Native American Indian population who depended upon the buffalo for survival was decimated too and pushed onto reservations (1).

I bring up this bit of history because it is so publicized and well-known. I heard it growing up as a child. My children know it from their history studies and education. I was reminded of it again this week in watching a National Park documentary.

I am thankful the buffalo were not driven to extinction. Today over 200,000 buffalo exist. Somehow I don’t think we would want 60 million buffalo still roaming the Great Plains today with our big cities, interstate system, and agriculture usage of the Plains.

Sadly, I believe there is a far greater tragedy and decimation of a huge populace going on within our country today. While it gets lots of attention during election years, on average most of us go through our days without stopping to consider it. I am speaking of the decimation of human lives! Each abortion stops a human heart. Since 1973, there have been over 61 million legal abortions (2). Thankfully, the annual number of abortions has been on decline in recent years. But we still killed 862,000 lives in 2017 (3).

This fact of us killing 60 million lives in the last part of the 20th and first of the 21st century is far more significant than us killing 60 million buffalo in the last of the 19th century. Let us pray that our moral failure and the great tragedy of these actions can be seen by our nation. May future generations publicize regularly in documentaries and history books about the tragedy that led to the obliteration of 60 million precious lives. May God help us to wake up and realize we are leaving a path of decaying carcasses of unborn infant children all because of our selfish and foolish actions.

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(1) – https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/where-the-buffalo-no-longer-roamed-3067904/.

(2) – http://www.numberofabortions.com

(3) – https://apnews.com/7e45fe6f70cf45f1823a45ef9ad2187c

Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/killing-buffalos-and-babies/

Jan 07

What’s Playing in Your Ears?

Millennials are known for constantly wearing ear pods. They listen to 75% more music than the Boomer generation does (1). They walk around stores, work at the office, and exercise all while having at least one ear filled with a speaker. Many office managers have come to accept that their employees are going to work at a desk with one ear pod in at all times. Friends and family have grown accustomed to having to wait after the initial “hey” or wave for the ear pod to be taken out or the music stopped before a conversation can start. Incredible amounts of audio content is being consumed from music, podcasts, sermons, and audio books.

Listeners choose ear pods because they can control what they are hearing. Olga Kahazan writing in The Atlantic about here constant usage of ear pods nailed the present obsession by concluding, “Just like we choose everything else, I choose exactly what to put in my ears. All other noise is canceled”(1). The obsession is about power, control, and choice.

Without getting into the social etiquette issues and generational divides on this issue, I want to probe this issue of choice, power, and control. Christ regularly admonished us to use our ears for hearing (see Mark 4:23). But Jesus didn’t stop there, he went on to say, “Take care what you listen to” (Mark 4:23). Whatever we choose to put into our minds will impact and come out in our lives. This power and control comes with a great responsibility.

Consider Christ’s further explanation of the importance of our listening.

“Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more.To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.”

Mark 4:24-25 NLT

If people will listen to Christ and his teachings they will gain wisdom and more insight, but if they are not listening to Christ, but filling their minds with worldly concepts and ideals, then what little understanding they have about truth will be taken away from them.

Every ear pod, every car speaker, every phone speaker is a blessing and a responsibility we have been given by God to choose wisely what we listen too. It will impact us for either good or bad. Amazing how Jesus was ahead of the Ear Pod generation two millennia before they came into existence!

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(1) – https://www.lindseypollak.com/headphones-at-work/

(2) – https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/05/what-happens-if-you-always-wear-headphones/589474/

Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/whats-playing-in-your-ears/

Dec 04

Four Priceless Gifts That Don’t Cost a Thing!

Christmas is the season of giving. We purchase gifts for our family and friends and think much about how much they cost. Do you know that you can give some priceless gifts all year long that will not cost you a thing? Here are four priceless gifts that will not cost you a dime!

  • A Sincere Compliment – Research has shown that sincere appreciation expressed for a job well done, love given, or character displayed can mean more to a person than public recognition or a financial reward. People love sincere encouragement and compliments. Choose to be a Barnabas who goes around encouraging and uplifting others with your words (Acts 4:36). You can find something worthy of a compliment in any person, you just have to look!
  • A Golden Deed – Jesus taught us the golden rule (Mat. 7:12), which simply says we are to treat others the way we want to be treated. Good deeds or kind acts don’t have to cost money or even take lots of time. They do require care and thoughtfulness for the other person. Our lives should be described as Dorcas, who was a woman “abounding with deeds of kindness and charity which she continually did” (Acts 9:36).
  • A Listening Ear – James teaches us to be “quick to hear” (James 1:19) But we struggle to follow his advice? God gave us two ears and one mouth, yet we still use our mouths far too much! Listening is a gift to others, and thus a skill we must develop. It involves our attention, affection, and attitude. Focused listening with an open heart and a loving attitude can be a gracious gift that fills up an empty soul. Often all people need is someone to listen to them! You can gift that priceless gift.
  • A Cheerful Disposition – Proverbs says, “A joyful heart makes a cheerful face” and “A joyful heart is good medicine” (Prov. 15:13; 17:22). A pleasant and cheerful disposition can change the entire group. A smile is free to give and blesses all those who see it. The choice of a positive attitude transforms your day and all those who pass your way.

Christmas shouldn’t be the only season of giving! Jesus taught us that it is “more blessed to give than receive” (Acts 20:35). Let’s be givers every day! Let’s give these four priceless gifts that don’t cost us a dime, but have the power to change lives, including our own, for the better.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/four-priceless-gifts-that-dont-cost-a-dime/

Dec 03

Idealized Preacher Talk or Real Life Practice?

The difference between what we preach and do truly determines the level and depth of our faith. As a preacher, I understand that churches can be guilty of “preacher talk.” “Preacher talk” is when the preacher speaks in this ideal and convicted way about what the Bible says and what we should do, but the church, and often the preacher, doesn’t take it serious enough to do it. The works of the church actually demonstrate the convictions and faith of the church more than what is preached.

Patrick Lencioni’s made this statement about secular companies that reminded me of this truth.

Once an organization successfully identifies and describes its core values and separates them from the other kinds, it must then do its best to be intolerant of violations of those values. It must ensure that every activity it undertakes, every employee it hires, and every policy it enacts reflects those core values. Few organizations actually take this important step, instead allowing their values to be minimized as mere idealism rather than building blocks of operation and culture (The Advantage, p. 101).

Sadly that quote hits close to home for most churches. In reality, there will always be some gap because we are sinful humans, but we should not allow a large gap between the “ideal” (what God requires in His Word and we preach) and what we do. James teaches us to be “doers of the word and not hearers only” (James 1:22).

Leaders must live their faith and hold the church accountable to Scripture. If they don’t practice what is taught they unwittingly foster a “gap” culture where the church is comfortable with hearing, but not doing.

  • If you preach evangelism, but do little actual evangelism.
  • If you teach church discipline, but never practice church discipline.
  • If you preach the necessity of worship attendance, but allow appointed church leaders to be exempt from those standards.
  • If you speak against the sins of the tongue, but allow those who gossip to go unrebuked and uncensored.
  • If you say we follow the Biblical qualifications for elders and deacons, but allow an influential and wealthy man to be appointed who is not qualified.

You get the point. Jesus called such living hypocrisy! We are all guilty to some measure. I certainly am hypocritical in many of the sermons I preach. But if this becomes the norm for your church, your convictions are watered down and your faith is a show. Your leadership loses all credibility. Growing churches are ones that hold clear convictions and aren’t ashamed to enforce those. Leaders will be challenged, just like a toddler challenges a parent who makes a rule, the more you fail to live the convictions and values you set, the more the church loses its way!

Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/idealized-preacher-talk-or-real-life-practice/

Nov 25

My Antique Ruler and What it Means to Me!

I came to work with the 7th and College Church of Christ in Mayfield, Kentucky in November of 2003. The church was in the midst of beginning a building program which would involve lots of my time and effort over the first few years. We moved into our new building and adopted a new name, 7 Oaks Church of Christ, in July of 2006. Through that process I somehow took to using a yardstick I found from the resource room of the church.

This was an old antique yardstick. It was from a Chevrolet dealership advertising 1968 Chevrolets in Madisonville, Kentucky. I don’t know how it ended up at the church, but it became a constant companion of mine.

It was easy and worked well to lay out spaces and measure blueprints. I was protective of this old yardstick and it became a favorite symbol of the building process and memories from those years. I have kept this yardstick in my office in the new building ever since. It became a symbol to me of an important lesson to remember.

This yard-stick reminds me of the Word of God and my role as the preacher of that word. People can guess the length of an object or room space, but the yardstick can be used to determine the truth. It is the standard. This standard was used 50 years ago for length and it is the standard used in 2019. People can debate; the yardstick determines the truth.

The Word of God is the standard of truth which will be used to judge us all on the day of judgment (John 12:48; Rev. 20:12). People say all kinds of things and believe all kinds of different teachings and doctrines, but the Word of God is the standard. Just like my ruler, which was housed in the 7th and College building for decades didn’t change, neither has the Word of God changed. I preach the same gospel message that was preached throughout all those years and it is my duty to continue that tradition.

My prayer is that we can always compare what we hear in current debates with the inspired yardstick of God–His Word. It will always be our guide and teach us what is right and what is wrong. It is truth (John 17:17).

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Nov 20

The Making of David

What ingredients went into making David a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14)? We must put these same ingredients into our own lives and use them as parents to raise our children. In the opening chapter of David’s life, when he is anointed by Samuel to be the future king, we see six ingredients that combined to make him a great man of God (1 Sam. 16).

  1. Shape your heart (v. 6-7). God looks at our hearts. He doesn’t focus on outward appearances as the world does, but instead focuses on the heart. We must seek to shape the motives, desires, attitudes, and purity of our heart (Mark 7:14-23). We must control our influences and keep a tender heart.
  2. See value in work (v. 11). David was out tending the sheep when Samuel came to anoint him. As a young man he learned the value of hard work and responsibility. As parents we do our children no favor, by failing to require chores, work, and responsibility.
  3. Spend time alone and outdoors (v. 11). David spent hours outside watching the sheep. He had lots of time to reflect on the beauty of nature, which flowed to his pen in the Psalms. Nature renews us. It helps us to find our emotional and spiritual center. We need time away from the hustle and bustle of the crowd to reconnect with the grandness of our God. Children today desperately need unstructured play outdoors for health, exercise, and creativity.
  4. Seek God’s Spirit (v. 13). David was given the Lord’s Spirit. We must realize we cannot accomplish our dreams and God’s plans without walking with God. We are nothing without Him. Both in our own lives and in the lives of our children we must install a deep faith that says, “I can do all things through Christ” (Phil. 4:13).
  5. Develop valor (v. 18). David is described as a man of valor. Valor is an old term that involves courage in the face of danger. As the world grows more wicked the church needs men and women of valor. Teach your kids to be courageous, or the world will eat them alive! It takes valor to stand against sin, against the crowd, and with the Lord. David defeated Goliath, because he possessed valor!
  6. Gain wisdom from unpleasant experiences (v. 21-23). David is drafted into King Saul’s service to play music in order to ease Saul’s depressed moods. This will involve difficult service for David who will even have spears thrown at him by Saul. But what a learning experience for David! David learned what not to do or be as a king by watching the example of Saul. Often we grow the most by doing the hard task.

These six principles were the ingredients that made David a great man of God. Are they a part of your life? Are you trying to put these ingredients into the life of your child?

Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/the-making-of-david/