There is a major difference between observing ministry and owning it.

All too often in contemporary church settings, people do a great deal of observation.

They observe the band as it leads in music. They observe the preacher as he or she delivers a message. They observe the high quality children's programs. They observe student ministry. They even observe how warmly they are welcomed into the worship space by others.

It's a passive form of Christianity.

And it's one that all too often I have encouraged and enabled.

People who own the church's ministry are entirely different. They recognize that the New Testament teaching on the Body of Christ really means what it says: that all parts of the church are interconnected. All parts are vital. If one part is hurting -- or absent -- then the whole body suffers.

So people who get this concept own the ministry of which they are part. They show up at the nursery. They are on time to greet. They give themselves to students in their family group. They serve with their own small group. They understand that if they rely on "someone else" to help with the children, then no one helps with the children.

Last week's Vacation Bible School had about 500 children and 100 volunteers.

The vast majority of those servants owned the ministry that week.

I want to dedicate my time here to moving more and more people away from observation and into ownership.

So we cancelled all activities yesterday, as did the majority of churches in the Charlotte region.

All of which gets me thinking about preachers and weather. I never dreamed when I entered ministry in 1990 that I'd waste so much emotional energy worrying about weather on Sundays.

But I have.

What kind of weather do we want on Sundays?

Weather that's not too good -- because if it's too nice, people will go to the beach or the mountains.

Weather that's not too bad either -- because if it's raining or storming or that dreaded "wintry mix" they'll stay home instead of venturing out.

The worst is weather that's threatening but not so bad you have to cancel. That way, you have services but about 50% of the people come. We've had one Sunday like that per year for the last few years. If you've got your best stuff prepared, you want the most people possible to experience it.

So the best weather for a preacher is about 50 degrees, overcast-but-no-precipitation, and not workable for either the sunning on the beach or hiking in the mountains. In other words, like we have in Charlotte a lot between December and February.

This past Saturday evening, when the roads were covered with ice and the forecast for Sunday morning was nine degrees, it was actually a pretty easy call. It wasn't safe for anyone, as proven by all the folks who spun out on the little road our house is on.

So what's the forecast for next Sunday? 50 degrees, cloudy, and dry.

I hope.

Still in Moscow. But posting from Charlotte a week earlier.

I'll be returning on Friday, August 1. And I'll preach on Sunday the 3rd, continuing our series Things Jesus Never Said. Did you know that he never said, "I came to bring peace on earth"??? This Sunday you'll see what he really did say

A lot of you have asked how it is that I give messages like the one coming up without using any notes. Since this is a week that really challenges that process (spending the week either in Russia or on the plane coming home), this is a good time to answer.

Getting up and giving a message without notes involves the following:

• Working way ahead. I am usually working on sermons a month in advance. For example, the next one I need to prepare is for September 7 -- the first one in a cool new series called Heroes.
• Preparing a manuscript. I do actually write it out. I spend a lot of time studying, scribbinng, searching, and then when everything is ready, I type it up on the computer. Nine pages, double spaced. Yes, I'm OCD about it. Remember -- the manuscript I write in a given week is for a sermon that will be delivered about a month later.
• Going over the manuscript for the coming Sunday every morning at home before I come to the office. If my schedule doesn't allow it in the early morning, I'll go over it at some point later in the day. By the time I stand up at 8:30 on Sunday morning, I've already gone over it at least six times, usually making some changes along the way.
• A bizarre memory aid with tiny writing on a note card that people on the staff can let you know about. It's almost like taking notes on my notes. Weird but it works.
• Pray especially hard on Saturday. I have a list of other preachers that I pray for on Saturday but I generally don't forget myself!
• Have a least one thing in that message that I just can't wait to say. Either because it is bold or controversial or a deeply held belief. There has to be that one moment -- and hopefully more -- that gets my adrenaline going.

Hey -- I think the one coming for Sunday has several of those moments. It better, since it will be travelling with me from Russia with love.