Dead cliches

[Michael B. Ross]

Responses to Scott's post on NazNet stats for October triggered my thinking about cliches no longer heard around the church. I guess cliches have their purpose; passe ones probably are replaced by new ones.

While we older NazNetters might relate more to this idea, I thought it would be fun to begin a list of cliches no longer heard around the church. I will post one or two as suggestions, but let's try to add to the list. The cliches should be church related. The ones more specific to Nazarene-dom would be especially welcomed.

My suggestions would include:
"Let go, and let God."
"Grab hold of the horns of the altar." (I never did understand that one.)

What cliche from the past could you add?

[Kevin Bowser]

"Bloom where you are planted"

[Barb Bouldrey]

Pray the Glory Down
Leave the unknown bundle on the altar


Barb

[Wilson L. Deaton]

I will post one or two as suggestions, but let's try to add to the list. The cliches should be church related. The ones more specific to Nazarene-dom would be especially welcomed.

My suggestions would include:
"Let go, and let God."
"Grab hold of the horns of the altar." (I never did understand that one.)

What cliche from the past could you add?

Here's a few that came to mind rather quickly:

We have mulitple calls to pray but it's been a while since I've heard someone suggest, "Let's approach the throne of grace."

Now we shake hands. We used to, "extend the right hand of fellowship."

No one at my church refers to my family as, "the parsonage family."

Time to take a love offering: "Let's express our love in a tangible way."

After prayer meeting people used to remark, "Brother So-and-so really prayed heaven down."

I don't think this was widespread, but the Nazarene pastor in the church I grew up in would have new mom's & infant come up front so he could dedicate, "This precious piece of pink humanity."

Wilson

[David Ward]

Though maybe not exactly a cliche, a phrase not heard as often as in years past due to technology is ...

"Turn over in your hymnbooks to ...."

However, I can never hear this phrase that I don't recall what Grady Knutt once said. He responded that he never knew anyone small enough to fit in one.

[Michael B. Ross]

Oh, yes. The old "unknown bundle." Hadn't thought of that in a while.

Pray the Glory Down
Leave the unknown bundle on the altar


Barb

[Michael B. Ross]

You folks are making me smile. "Right hand of fellowship," and "the parsonage family." Good ones, Wilson.

Here's a few that came to mind rather quickly:

We have mulitple calls to pray but it's been a while since I've heard someone suggest, "Let's approach the throne of grace."

Now we shake hands. We used to, "extend the right hand of fellowship."

No one at my church refers to my family as, "the parsonage family."

Time to take a love offering: "Let's express our love in a tangible way."

After prayer meeting people used to remark, "Brother So-and-so really prayed heaven down."

I don't think this was widespread, but the Nazarene pastor in the church I grew up in would have new mom's & infant come up front so he could dedicate, "This precious piece of pink humanity."

Wilson

[Andrea Larabee]

"If the Lord brought you to it, He'll get you through it."

[Joel Merrill]

How about, "Name it and claim it."

Joel

[Andrea Larabee]

"I'm headed home after church to take a "Naznap"

[Roland Hearn]

"If no one comes we will conclude the service"....(me praying:...please God don't poke anybody else, please please please...oh blast one more time through "Just as I am.")

[Marsha Lynn]

I see that hand.

I sense that someone is under conviction here this evening.

If you take one step toward the altar, Christ will meet you there.

[Brad Mercer]

"I'm saved, sanctified and love the Lord tonight." -- as someone's entire testimony during testimony service every single Wednesday night for years. Terrific as a state of grace, not very inspiring as a testimony after the thousandth time. ;-)

"ugly as homemade sin" -- oh, wait, that probably wasn't a church cliche; that was probably just something of Daddy's. ;-)

[Roland Hearn]

"Turn to the person beside you and tell them that you love them."

[Barbara Moulton]

Pray the Glory Down
Leave the unknown bundle on the altar


Barb

I had never heard of the "unknown bundle" until I became a Nazarene.

[Dennis M. Scott]

So, I should now stop preaching about "the unknown bundle?" I guess it has been awhile, and I always started out by saying, "The old timers used to talk about . . ."

I guess these days most folk have enough difficulty laying on the altar those things the DO know about.

[Brad Mercer]

So, I should now stop preaching about "the unknown bundle?" I guess it has been awhile, and I always started out by saying, "The old timers used to talk about . . ."

I guess these days most folk have enough difficulty laying on the altar those things the DO know about.

Hey, just because it's a cliche doesn't mean it doesn't represent something valuable and true.

And I don't really believe people have any more difficulty with absolute trust than they ever did. Another cliche, with scriptural origins, talks about "dying daily". I think a lot of what entire sanctification is about is absolute trust in the character of God to be on my side, to be FOR me. Still, however complete my surrender was back there, I still struggle with surrendering again as each issue becomes real and now, rather than abstract or theoretical.

Some things that are true and important are no longer processed when the words by which earlier generations become cliche and rote and reflexive and instinctive. The things they meant still need to be communicated and processed, but sometimes we need fresh new ways of saying them in order to facilitate that process.

Brad

P.S. "I just wanna be a blessing." How's that for a cliche!

[Gerald Spear]

Brother and Sister (Jones), now we use paster jones, or mister and mrs jones

[Marsha Lynn]

"I'm saved, sanctified and love the Lord tonight." -- as someone's entire testimony during testimony service every single Wednesday night for years. Terrific as a state of grace, not very inspiring as a testimony after the thousandth time. ;-)

The version I always heard was "I'm saved and sanctified and on my way to heaven." I agree with your assessment, particularly when the life didn't line up with the words. My conclusion after trying to reconcile words of testimony with everyday words and actions was that being sanctified didn't do much to hone off the sharp edges.

[Jeremy D. Scott]

I see that hand.

In relation to yours, there was always the "every head bowed, every eye closed" prior to asking for raised hands. Speaking of being affected by the individualistic tendency of Western culture! Since when is stuff like this a "private" matter? I have a good youth pastor friend who asks for the hands and then has the teens all look around. What a moment of celebration!

[Marg Webb]

Standing Tall!!! "I'm glad I'm a Nazarene"

[Barb Bouldrey]

Hey, Andrea!!!

I still take my Naznap every Sunday possible and call it that. It is not a dead phrase.

LOL

"Let us stand to our feet and bow our heads...no one looking around."

When I was a teenager, an evangelist by the name of Elvin Leichty was preaching Sunday morning and said, "Let us stand on our heads and bow our feet."

That was the end of the altar call and the end of the sermon. We all left laughing.

Barb

[Cindi Hammons]

"Turn to the person beside you and tell them that you love them."

But....what if you didn't.....? :)

[Marsha Lynn]

"Turn to the person beside you and tell them that you love them."But....what if you didn't.....? :)

Ah ... telling fibs under pressure in church. That problem may not be quite so dead as we'd like.

"If you're happy in the Lord this morning tell the person next to you, 'I'm thrilled to know Jesus.'"

"If you love Jesus, stand up and testify about what he's done for you this week."

"If you're fighting the devil with all your might, stand up to sing this last verse."

"If the Lord has convicted you for being a worthless servant of Christ this morning, join me and all of the other honest people at the altar for a final prayer."

"Shake hands with at least five people and tell them, 'I'm saved and sanctified and on my way to heaven!'"

Sigh. Sometimes church is more of a challenge than other times. Fortunately, I don't regularly encounter this type of coercion, but I certainly wouldn't say that it's dead. I've maybe even detected a hint of pressure to make the "correct" response on NazNet now and then. Maybe. Or maybe I'm just overly sensitized to it.

Marsha

[John Kennedy]

Knew of one preacher who used to exhort people to live in such a way that they would be "under the spout where the glory comes out."

[Marg Webb]

Our Pastor just returned from his FAther-in-laws wedding.
He announced "We have been in Florida at my Father-in-laws funeral".

[Bob Evans]

God said it

I believe it

And that settles it for me

[Dana Grant]

God is bigger than what's the matter.

[Vivian Cornwell]

Standing Tall!!! "I'm glad I'm a Nazarene"

Marg, that reminded me. My husband, Bob, sang in several quartets in the 60's, and 70's. One member of one of the quartets (I won't name him) was testifying and said, "I'm so glad that I'm a member of the Naz of the Churcharene." He did not do this on purpose. It just came out. We have teased him about this for over 30 years. No, it was NOT Bob.