Cheerleaders only seem to be happy when there are sunny days, raises in pay, NCAA championships, when they can have their cake and eat it, too.

Most of the religious cheerleaders on that first Palm Sunday didn't see that Jesus was crying. The Bible indicates that He was sobbing at one point. You see, the parade had started several miles from Jerusalem, and this cheering had been going on for some time. We read, "As He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it and said, 'If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace - but now it is hidden from your eyes" (Luke 19:41-43).

What in the world happened to many of these religious cheerleaders? They got caught up in the excitement of their religion. They were cheering away. Yet, Jesus was crying over many of them because the real message didn't reach their hearts.

Perhaps Jesus was also crying over some of us today. How many of us have clearly heard the Gospel message of eternal peace through Christ? We heard the Gospel, agreed with the Gospel, came to contemporary worship services and sang stirring hymns, yet still remain untouched.

When the chips are down, when the emotions run low, when disappointments come in droves, when the doctor says it's cancer, when your friends let you down, you and I sometimes disappear from the front lines of marching with Jesus.

Cheerleaders are notorious for disappearing after the excitement. They are notorious for abandoning the ship when trouble comes. What do you do when Jesus doesn't seem to be around, when He doesn't seem to help? But it was so much fun when we were cheering; it was so exciting when we seemed to be ahead, when victory was in plain sight and we had everything, and we knew it was the championship all the way.

Let's make a decision on whether we want to be part of an emotional movement that moves the adrenaline system or part of a Christ movement that ministers to a dying world that makes an impact that will last for eternity. Let's make a decision on whether we want to pour out our lives getting hoarse in the cheerleading section or whether we want to give our lives to meet the immense needs of the people in our community. A decision needs to be made, and I don't believe that we have got that much time left to make it.

The play-off game was not won on Palm Sunday, but at Calvary on Good Friday. It was a vicious match. The Heavenly Saints had a one-man team composed of Jesus Christ. It would kill Him while the devil received a fatal blow to the head (Genesis 3:15).

Now it's all over except for the homecoming. Some have already gone home; others are going this week; for some it will be a while. And there will be a real welcoming party when we get there. Our fellow saints, Jesus Christ Himself, and our specially prepared living quarters will all be ready. Until then, let's make sure that we and our church are doing everything possible to bring lost souls on to the winning team led by Jesus Christ. We are the victors, and we want many more people presently in unbelief to join us. Let's do it, individually and in our church! Oh, Lord, please help us do it - to Your glory and honor! Amen!

Easter is coming soon. The church across town has an Easter egg hunt. Your leadership team is talking about how this diminishes the focus on the true meaning of Easter. The culture is taking over the church! Then the discussion turns to the Easter bunny. Rabbits don't lay eggs. What is that all about?

Your leadership team makes an emphatic statement: "We're a church that's not going to let the culture invade this church." The leaders have totally missed the point. They are 180 degrees off in their thinking. They are defensive. They could learn a lesson from their Christian ancestors who took a posture of offense: to overcome culture.

"Easter" is a word that comes from Eostre - the concept of fertility and new life. It is thought that Pagans in the northern hemisphere celebrated this festival, which is related to the phase of the moon in the spring (the time when new life is bursting forth). This explains why Easter is all over the March/April celebration from year-to-year.

Details aside, here is the point: Christians who understood the real meaning of new life and the Resurrection aggressively took over the secular celebration and poured biblical meaning into it. I don't think anyone celebrates the Eostre Fertility Festival anymore. But billions celebrate Easter!

Focus on these issues:

1. Instead of moping around about how culture is invading the church, go on the offense and creatively find ways you can invade this secular culture.
2. How could your church or a group of churches in your area invade the mouthpiece of this culture, the media, during "festival rituals?"
3. What could you do, as a church, to reach people for Jesus during the Fourth of July celebration in the U.S.?
4. What demonstration - outside the church - could you make, in your community, during Thanksgiving?
5. How do you engage the rituals of Mother's Day and Father's Day?
6. What does your church do to impact and care for men and women serving your country overseas - not just those from your church, but those from your community?
7. In what ways does your church honor your mayor, law enforcement, school teachers, public high school basketball team that just went to state?

In the spirit of your Christian ancestors, who were on fire for Christ and had a passion to reach lost people, get aggressive, take the offense, and invade your culture. Abandon the fortress mentality.

Dr. Kent Hunter (LCMS) is nationally known as the Church Doctor. You can contact him at (800) 626-8515, or visit his website at www.churchdoctor.org

Suggestion: Print off a hard copy of each Newsletter and highlight or underline those sections that need further attention. And forward this Newsletter to a Christian friend and to leaders in your church.

Coaches confessing Christ: Colts coach Tony Dungy said on national TV: "I'm more proud of Christ than 'blackness.'" Bears coach Lovie Smith said on TV: "My relationship, first, is with Jesus Christ, and He is the center of my life." And Jesus said, "Whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father" (Matthew 10:32).

For over 300 video clips (each about 5 minutes in length) that serve as teaching illustrations at reasonable prices (many at $1.99 each) go to www.bluefishtv.com. Pastors - to save yourself time, put someone in charge of locating and playing video clips at worship, Bible studies, etc. For a sample, click Gracia Burnham for a great video clip.

For coffee lovers - the new premium roast coffee by McDonald's is a winner. Consumers Report rates it the best in the country. Only $1.40.

Easter children's talk: Growing rhubarb, growing money, growing a wrist watch, grandpa and grandma and you! Based on 1 Corinthians 15:52, "The dead will be raised imperishable." Written by Pastor Don. Be sure to print a hard copy. Hit Easter Children's Talk.

Research by Ellison Research shows that one third of American Protestant churchgoers may not continue to attend the same church in the near future and that among those who do change churches, only one in four said they would choose a church of the same denomination.

To remember names do three things:

• When meeting someone new, say their name aloud.
• Write the person's name down on a "name log."
• Review the names on your name log frequently.

"To avoid criticism do nothing, say nothing, be nothing." - Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915)

You will make great plans for an inspiring Easter Service. Put similar effort into the services following Easter. For churches large and small, work for no post Easter let down. The messages, use of instruments, special music including soloists and singing groups should all continue to worship the Lord with purpose and joy. Have a team of committed Christians come together with the pastor and music leader. Plan and pray together. Growing churches give people reasons to continue to expect great messages and worship services after Easter.

"What makes a small church successful is what will eventually halt its growth. Everyone in a small church knows everyone else. This makes fellowship close and builds a family-type atmosphere. Small churches, without realizing it, intuitively resist growth at some point since continued growth threatens the closeness they so much enjoy." - Michael Fletcher, Overcoming Barriers to Growth (Bethany House, 2006)

44 Ways to Increase Church Attendance by Lyle E. Schaller is a best seller and is filled with practical suggestions. Subjects include how to cancel the summer slump, create a "new congregation," begin with the worship service, offer more services and choices, expand the advertising budget, minimize internal competition, become a "high expectation congregation," create places for men, and much more. Only $16. To order hit 44 Ways.

Last week I had lunch with a pastor who told me of a class in seminary in which the professor assigned the students to groups of three for the semester. Their task was to rotate roles: counselor, counselee, and observer. Throughout the semester, the counselor was to ask the counselee this one question, "Why do you want to be a pastor?" Once a week; thirteen weeks. Same question.

He said it took a while to get beyond Sunday School answers. "What happened next?" I asked. "About half of the class decided they weren't really called to be pastors. They finished the semester, then transferred out."

Apart from our specific field of service, pastors tend to have generally the same internal compass as other "caring professionals." Desire to help people; make a difference; relieve suffering, etc. Most pastors have a specifically spiritual overlay on that list: God's call and a desire to preach/teach the Bible. Additionally, pastors share many of the same family-of-origin dynamics as other "caring professionals." Over-representation from moderately-to-severely dysfunctional families. Addictions (all sorts); abandonment (all sorts); family secrets and loyalties, and so on.

One essay in a journal for pastoral counselors theorized that clergy responded to the dysfunction in their family-of-origin by adopting stereotypical "helping" roles such as "family hero" ("Don't worry, Mom/Dad, I'll help you"), or "family saint" ("Don't worry, Mom/Dad, God will help us"). According to the author, out of this autobiography comes the call to ministry. There's nothing wrong with this scenario, unless a pastor is unaware of how it might have played out in his own call to ministry. In such instances, the family hero/family saint turned pastor might derive his self- worth, not from the sola gracia of the Gospel, but from a family script.

One time I counseled a man who was ministering out of his "hero" role in the family script. Driven. Perfectionist. Anxious. Angry. Depressed. I ask him to describe how he saw Jesus in ministry. He gave me a pile of Sunday School answers. At the end of that session, I gave him the task of re-reading the Gospels to find instances in which Jesus intentionally disappointed people's expectations of Him.

Lazarus was on his death bed. Yet, Jesus stayed where He was two more days, then took a leisurely two more days to get to Bethany. Martha's remark had some teeth, wouldn't you say? Some of us would have been fired for delaying only one day.

If our self-worth as a pastor is based primarily on our fulfilling other's expectations of us, our cup will always "under-floweth." The same sola gracia we proclaim must be the foundation of our own lives and calling. Pastoral ministry out of a heart brimming with the personal experience of God's un-deserved love and grace is lively and life-giving. Any other motivation will leave us acting like the Prodigal's older brother.

Out of the sola gracia of our call to faith flows the call to ministry. Our self-worth as pastors will grow only to the degree that this is a reality in our minds. You've got to know who to please. And who to disappoint.

Dr. Craig Loving is a pastor as well as a therapist in private practice in the Denver area. You can reach him at 303-349-7398 or by visiting his website at www.drcraigloving .com

Our strategy goes against conventional wisdom, but it seems to be working. More than 70 percent of attendees come from an unchurched or dechurched background.

Mark Batterson serves as lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC. The above is a small excerpt from page 40 of REV! magazine March/April 2007.

Dr. Joe McKeever is director of missions of the Greater New Orleans Baptist Association. The above excerpts are used with his permission.

A Time to Laugh... or Cry Bible study Part 1 by Pastor Don has ten in-depth lessons:

1. In the Beginning With Adam and Eve
2. In the Garden When Everything Went Wrong
3. At the Flood With Noah
4. When God Made A Promise to Abraham
5. When Abraham Faced the Supreme Test
6. When Jacob Received the Biggest Blessing
7. With Joseph the Slave, the Prisoner, and the Prime Minister
8. When God called Moses to Lead Israel
9. When Israel Was Saved by the Blood of the Lamb
10. When God Gave the Law on Sinai

This is not just Bible history, but Bible history applied to our daily lives today. It sells for $5.50 and is a March freebie for you. Just email us with your address and ask for #154.