Sermon: “You Will See Great Things”

August 25, 2013 / Rev. Evan Dolive

Below is the link to the sermon I preached entitled You Will See Great Things.

(Recorded by Voice Record Pro by Bej Bej Apps for iOS)

In Christ,

Rev. Evan

Sermon: “All Encompassing Praise”

August 14, 2013August 11, 2013 / Rev. Evan Dolive

Praise The Lord (Photo credit: jubileelewis)

Below is the link to the sermon I preached entitled “All Encompassing Praise” based on Psalm 150 and Luke 17:11-19.

[audio http://k002.kiwi6.com/hotlink/0m2721je3j/all_encompassing_praise.mp3|titles=Children of the Light|loop=no|animation=no]
(Recorded by Voice Record Pro by Bej Bej Apps for iOS)

In Christ,

Rev. Evan

When Sports and a Personal Relationship with God Don’t Mix

August 11, 2013August 12, 2013 / Rev. Evan Dolive

When I was in high school in small town East Texas, there was only one thing to do on a Friday night during the Fall: high school football. Football in Texas is so big they made a television show about it. Texas high school football is akin to what Basketball is in Kentucky and Kansas, everyone is involved with it and if you arent– you fake it until you make it.

Much of the South is enamored with football; sadly in most areas where football is king, the football program is treated like mini royalty. They are lauded with the most funding, the newest equipment and workout facilities. I am not just talking about college here; this is happening on high school campuses around the country. There is a small town in East Texas in the process of completing a nearly 2 million dollar stadium build. Did I mention that this small town’s football team a couple of years ago went winless? This is the power that football has in Texas and much of the South.

In one school in Alabama, football and religion are supposed to mix, but there is a bit of twist. East Memorial Christian Academy is located in Prattville, Alabama- population 34,000. The school is apart of East Memorial Baptist Church. Recently the newly promoted Athletic Director was fired not because of inappropriate actions, allegations or mismanagement, but because he did not attend the “right” church. According to reports, Scott Phillips the former head football AND basketball coach was relieved of duty because he refused to transfer his family’s membership to East Memorial Baptist. Reportedly there was no provision in his contract regarding this matter.

Phillips tried to work it out by attending an early service at the church of his choosing and then attending East Memorial; after some time it became too difficult and he told the school he couldn’t attend East Memorial on Sunday mornings. This didn’t sit we’ll with the school and they let him go.

Most Christian or Religious schools (for good or for ill) have “statements of faith” that all employees must affirm or suffer the consequences. Generally these statements center around an employee adhering to the school’s stated belief system and theology. This statement is thus seen as the foundation of the school and its instruction. East Memorial does have a statement of belief listed on its website but nowhere on the site does it state that teachers, administration or even athletic directors must attend East Memorial Baptist. Actually I can’t find anything on the schools website that even claims they are affiliated, run, staffed or related to East Memorial Baptist.

What good does it do for the athletic director (and I am assuming other administration) to attend a particular church, especially if this requirement is not enforced or even asked of anyone else? I would think that a church that runs a school would be glad that their teachers attend anywhere on Sunday mornings.

What message did the school think it was sending when it fired the coach? The message that most people got from this situation was difference of theological and religious opinion is not tolerated. School is a place to learn and to have our eyes opened to the possibilities of what lies ahead. Where’s the questioning, the growing, the learning, the challenging of old ideas and constructions? This is not simply limited to the realm of academia but to all facets of theology as well as theological education and formation.

The motto of East Memorial Christian Academy is “shaping the hearts and minds for a lifetime of Christian service.” Perhaps this should be amended to read, “shaping the hearts and minds for a lifetime of Christian service as long as you attended the “right” church and/or have the “right” interpretation of the Scriptures, God and the like. ”

In my opinion this school failed its students and Coach Phillips. The school was intolerant to difference and the action of the school was nothing more than a status and turf war. It was childish and wrong. A person should be free to worship how they want without interference with their employer. The coach (as far was we know) adhered by the school’s theological belief system and his only ‘crime’ was winning a state championship.

One of the founding principles many Americans hold on to is the freedom of religion. People in this country are allowed to express their faith in a way that they find meaningful and comforting. So for me, come Sunday morning I go to the church of my choosing; I have my own theological understanding of God, Christ, salvation, worship etc. This freedom is also extended to high school athletic directors in Alabama.

The coach and his family have a church family where they are loved and accepted. They found God there and wanted to continue to worship and serve God there. How can that be wrong? Why would someone want to uproot a family for the sake of high school athletics? If the coach had gone to East Memorial Baptist and it was found out that he didn’t agree with a pastor’s teaching or didn’t give enough would he be fired for that too? Apparently the administration of East Memorial Christian Academy have a firm grip on what it means to embody the spirit of grace, welcoming, acceptance and love that Christ commands his followers to do.

Surely God is bigger than one church.

In Christ,

Rev. Evan

EDIT 1- Formatting (8-11-13 @ 807PM)

Sermon: “Where Are You?”

August 6, 2013August 4, 2013 / Rev. Evan Dolive

English: This is the title screen from the ABC series Lost. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Below is a link to a sermon I preached entitled “Where Are You?” based on Exodus 17:1-7 and Philippians 2:1-13

http://k002.kiwi6.com/hotlink/a8721p1rkv/where_are_you.mp3
(Recorded by Voice Record Pro by Bej Bej Apps for iOS)

In Christ,

Rev. Evan

Have I Become The Christian I Dislike?

August 3, 2013August 6, 2013 / Rev. Evan Dolive

I live in Texas. To many of its millions of residents it is the greatest state in the union. We like things big and we like them to be bigger than every other state blessed to be in the Union. Texans are proud of their state; chalk it up to early indoctrination of Texas history throughout the life cycle of Texas Public Education.

But being in Texas, especially East Texas, means that we are sitting squarely and firmly in the buckle of the Bible Belt. The Bible Belt is a term used to describe the area where conservative Christianity is the prominent player in the state’s religiosity; generally this term refers to a high level of conservative, evangelical Christians. This does not mean that you can’t find conservative, evangelical Christians outside of this arbitrary boundary but for some reason they seem to cluster in these areas in high concentrations.

I didn’t grow up in a church that beat people over the head in church or judged people for they way they acted. I felt loved and welcomed in a place where people were friendly and they loved serving God. I learned about Christ and God’s love for humanity. It wasn’t until I was older that I began to hear more Christians speak more and more on the necessity of evangelising to people or even being “saved correctly.” I can remember on several occasions a certain church in the town I grew up in going door to door and asking people if they were to die tonight would they go to Heaven. I can remember thinking that it was an odd tactic to get people to come to church. It seemed so stand offish and so self righteous that it left a bad taste in my mouth.

As I have grown and matured this “I know more than you” mentality of Christianity has been something that I can not stand, especially when it flies in the face of my theology. Theology is a deeply personal thing. Hopefully, people have grown, honed and crafted their theology over time, adjusting and modifying it as time progresses and as contexts and situations change. I know some people will be turned off by the previous statement; please don’t read it to say that I believe the message of God and/or Christ changes. The message of God’s love, acceptance, forgiveness and reconciliation never changes but how we find and understand it does. People’s life experiences influence their interpretation but as we grow and hopefully mature in faith we must recognize these changes. It is when people are unwilling to see another side of the theological coin when Christianity turns into a stalemate. (Don’t believe me? It is happening in churches all over this country.)

But as I have grown and changed and my level of disdain for pushy, in your face, literalistic, anti homosexual, “turn away from sin you sinning sinners” rhetoric has also grown, I have come to the realization that maybe I am just like those Christians that I dislike. Maybe I believe my way is the highway we should travel, disregarding others along the way.

The denomination that I serve and I am ordained has freedom of belief as main tenet of faith. Maybe this is why I get so upset- many people are being disenfranchised with church or Christianity because they believe or feel that Christianity is whatever is shown on TBN or the 700 Club. It’s hard not to react when I hear people speaking of the president as the anti Christ (which the word “anti Christ” is never mentioned in the Bible) or how one day we will have to have the mark of the Beast to buy produce at the store or how things were better back in the good ol’ days when “everyone” went to church.

As one of my professors in seminary said just because we have freedom of belief doesn’t mean that there is no such thing as a bad theology. I guess at the core of Christianity we are all called to follow Christ but many Christians claim to be Christ’s followers in name only. Their actions do not match the gospel professed on Sunday mornings.

So maybe I am like those Christians I can’t stand but still I want to foster an environment that welcomes differing thoughts to the table. If in the light of a civil discussion or bible study we can come to a different agreement then that’s ok with me. However, sadly, this is not taking place in many of our churches. We have all been in churches where people of like mindedness get together and espouse the same doctrine and belief structure they have always done. Why are we going to the Bible to only reinforce what we already know? (I’m asking myself this questions as well.)

Being aware of my faults I will continue to strive to live out the gospel message as faithfully as possible and along the way I hope to bring others to know the same God of love and acceptance that I do. I know too many people that have been “burned” by a “well intentioned, God fearing Christian.” If the church is to survive another 2000 years then we will have to start somewhere.

Let’s come to the table under the banner of Christ in all its many forms. Just as Christ humbled himself so we must put aside anxieties, stereotypes and preconceived notions about others; just as Christ did not think too highly of himself (even though he was divine), neither should we think that we are more than fallible human beings. We have no secret knowledge, just an understanding that God manifests Godself on this rock to show humanity a new vision– giving and serving others. Thinking that we have it all figured out or our ticket is punched is a rejection of the grace of God and the teaching of Christ.

In Christ

Rev. Evan

This piece is also published on Sojourners

Sermon: “Children of the Light”

August 1, 2013 / Rev. Evan Dolive

A powerful light shines in the dark. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Below is the link to the sermon I preached entitled Children of the Light.

(Recorded by Voice Record Pro by Bej Bej Apps for iOS)

In Christ,

Rev. Evan

Edit 1: Updated .mp3 link at 8:30pm

Milestone: 3.9 Million

July 25, 2013July 25, 2013 / Rev. Evan Dolive

Sometime yesterday I passed a blogging milestone; this site (evandolive.com) broke the 3.9 million hits mark.

Passed a Blogging milestone recently.. passed 3.9 MILLION page views! Next stop… 4 MILLION! Thanks for reading, sharing and liking!

— Rev. Evan Dolive (@RevEvanDolive) July 25, 2013

I again want to thank you, the readers, for continuing to support this site. Because of the impending 4 million milestone. I have created a new page with a 4 Million hit thermometer.

As of 12:36pm (CST), the count was at 3,904,341 (95,659 hits to go). When I will hit the 4 million mark? I really dont know, but if you think you know be sure to leave a common on the Operation: 4 Million Page.

Thanks again and happy reading!

In Christ,

Rev. Evan

EDIT: Spelling and formatting (thanks for the heads up James)
EDIT 2: As of 2:45pm (CST), hit grand total is 3,904,575 (95425 to go)

Sermon: “Jeremiah’s Call Is Our Call Too”

July 21, 2013July 21, 2013 / Rev. Evan Dolive

Below is the link to the sermon I preached entitled Jeremiah’s Call Is Our Call Too based on Jeremiah 1:4-10.

[audio http://k003.kiwi6.com/hotlink/e9ic8x6nfa/20130721-110916.mp3|titles=Jeremiah’s Call Is Our Call Too|loop=no|animation=no]
(Recorded by Voice Record Pro by Bej Bej Apps for iOS)

In Christ,

Rev. Evan

Edit 1: Updated .mp3 link at 8:30pm

Guest Post: “Is Our Worship Real? (For Real)?

July 19, 2013July 22, 2013 / Rev. Evan Dolive / Leave a comment

This week’s guest post is from my sister Caitlin Dolive. Enjoy! If you want to write a post be sure to click here for more info!

I decided to put my thoughts down on paper and post them on my brother’s blog in hopes of helping others and in hopes of getting some feedback from clergy, pastoral and ministry friends and followers of evandolive.com. Let me first start with my personal views on worship.

I LOVE PRAISE and WORSHIP. It is my favorite part of most church services. I often get more from (as in hearing from the Lord, encouragement, and hope) just by hearing or singing hymns to give praise to God. Though I still connect to the word or message provided by the pastor, I often times feel myself connecting more in a moment in worship. I feel worship is intimate and can be powerful all in the same breath. But as Christians, I think we often check out or miss those moments that God is trying to stir in us a moment of worship. God wants us to Praise him and honor him. Why should we hold back or wait for the right time?

Growing up I was not raised in church that lifted their hands arms, danced or jumped around to give praise to God, but this is not something I am ashamed of, if anything I am grateful for the foundation that I had growing up in church. I am thankful that God has opened my eyes up to other ways to worship him. Throughout my worship experience both now and in the past, I have learned worship does not have to be anything more than you thanking God for his many blessings, sitting in the quiet listening for his sweet voice, or even lifting your voice with praise all with a grateful heart. The key is to worship with a grateful heart and to not got go through the motions. If you’re praising God with just words what justice does it serve?

Your worship should also be in your actions ( your life as a Christian.) . Billy Graham says it best “The highest form of worship of unselfish Christian service. The greatest form of praise is the sound of consecrated feet seeking out the lost and helpless.”

Psalm 95:6 -7 states “Come let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before our maker for he is our God.”(NLT) When you worship are really bringing yourself in to God’s presence? If the King of Kings came into your place of worship would he be pleased and honored with your worship or in some cases would he be welcome? As Christians we shouldn’t wait until Christ’s return or when we leave this world for eternity to Worship God and spend time in his presence.

Also, John 4: 21 – 24 states, “Believe me, dear women the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming – indeed it’s here now – when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit , so those who worship him must worship him in truth.” ( NLT)

I can’t imagine what the worship is like or will be like when I get to Heaven. But if I can have glimpse of it here on Earth I want do whatever it takes to manifest his glory and honor until that time. God wants all of our worship, everything in us to praise and worship him. Let’s make a point to worship God by opening the floors of heaven with our worship, honoring the person who deserves all that we can truly give him.

I want my worship to be FOR REAL and I pray that you experience his presence in a way you never experienced it before. The video below is for the song Fire Fall Down by Hillsong United. I love this song and to me it represents what worship is all about.

I pray it blesses you.

May God Bless you and keep you always.

Caitlin Dolive