One thing I have told Pat over the years is that we can't spend money twice. Meaning that we can't buy two different things with the same money. We have to make a choice.
This week we're seeing the beginnings of the budget battle on Capital Hill. I've been getting emails from some of my fb friends about the rumored budget cuts for NPR and PBS. "Save public broadcasting". Today I saw Secretarys Clinton and Gates saying that if the military budget gets cut like they are proposing it will harm our nation's security. I can just hear my right wing friends crying over that one. "Save the military".
What is this world coming to? Reality. None of us can overspend our budgets for long. The housing crisis has made that clear. Too many people overcommitted for the house of their "dreams" and they became nightmares. Others lived high on the hog as we used to say in the south and the chicken has come home to roost. Even Pat and I are feeling the tightening income because we didn't save what we should have for a cushion.
Our government, on the other hand, has continued to overspend its budget for years...and that includes Democrat and Republican presidents, House and Senate. As a management gifted person I see lots of fat that could be trimmed out of the budget and lots of areas where we could be more conservative in our spending on all levels.
Let's take unemployment for an example. And I'm talking about me right now. I am being supported by the government because I don't have a job. I can take 5 minutes every two weeks, fill out the forms and get money deposited into my account to the tune of $996. We can live on that...without health care, that is. The government is not asking me to do anything for the next 26-99 weeks except fill out the online questionaire and collect my money. Our economy can't support that.
Again, on a personal level I don't want to be unemployed. I want to work so I am actively looking for employment so I can become a contributing citizen again.
We've got welfare programs that are feeding people, caring for them physically, supporting their life styles and encouraging them to continue to look to the government for what they are due. We've got government leaders who are slipping in programs to study why groundhogs eat grass (not really, but some just as crazy). Or to build bridges to nowhere. I just went under an overpass yesterday that was build over 20 years ago for a road that was never finished. Sheep graze where the lanes of traffic were supposed to be. And when or if that road ever gets built the bridge will have to be rebuilt because it is too low according to today's standards and it is deteriorating while being unused. That's not just fat; that's waste. Somewhere it has to stop.
What if the government didn't have welfare or medicaid or social security? Who would step in to take their place? If I read my Bible correctly, it is our responsibility to care for the poor, the orphans and the widows. We are to take care of each other...and the others around us. Is there fat in the budgets of most churches? I would guess there is.
For example, how about the many congregations who are holding on by a shoestring with fewer members than they need to support their physical plant (the church building). Should that building be turned over to others to use to minister to the poor? Should those members be merged into another body of Christ where their resources can be shared? What about all the church facilities that sit idle for most of the week? Could they be put to better use serving others?
Our son Ben recently helped a local soup kitchen in Chicago turn an unused side lot to their building into a garden plot. This spring they are going to plant vegetables to be used in the soup kitchen to feed others. That space was just growing weeds and some semblance of grass that needed to be mowed, etc.
We are the government...or more pointedly...we are the church and we have a responsibility as members of the Kingdom of God to do our share. We are not supposed to just leave it up to the government and let them take care of it. I was encouraged this week when I saw the Egyptian people out cleaning up Tahrir Square of all the debris from their protests. They didn't wait for the "government" to take care of it. They are the government in a democracy.
Will we have to see NPR and PBS disappear to balance the budget? Will we need to see welfare, social security, medicaid and medicare cut to balance the budget? Will we need to do without all the multitude of police and firemen that are being cut from city budgets to balance them? Can we all afford for the government to support us in our oversized homes? Something has to change. Will it be you and I as followers of Christ?
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Pastoring
I'm in a writing mood today...or at least my thoughts have been active this weekend.
I've had two calls recently to consider pastoring churches. One was here in PA and one in OH. They weren't inquiries by a committee. They were phone calls from people who know me and know the hunger in their hearts for their churches to be on the cutting edge. They know I tend to be out there on the edge and that's where they want to be.
Years ago when I served the Board of Congregational Resources for Lancaster Conference I spent a lot of time in churches encouraging them to reach out to their neighbors and their communities. I don't think I ever spoke in a church where I didn't attract people who wanted more out of their church experience. They were hungry for a meaningful, personal relationship with Christ. They were frustrated by what they were experiencing and hungry for a deeper connection. They were tired of the conflict over "maintaining" the traditions. Many told me they would have left their churches if they had known where they could go.
So why don't I jump right into one of those situations? Because for one thing, my wife would leave me. Seriously, she bore the brunt of much of the conflict that was directed at me when I pastored before. I could come home and dump on her what I was experiencing and go away relieved. She, however, didn't have anyone that she could take the burden to. She and my kids bore the force of the battle I waged every week in trying to bring the church to growth and to impact our community. We stood alone even though we had friends in the church.
Secondly, when someone who knows me asks me to consider pastoring again they aren't usually in leadership. The leadership in most churches is entrenched. They are focused on making everyone happy and not stirring the pot. The only way that a pastor can survive if he is a change agent is to have the leadership of the church backing him. Now don't get scared. That doesn't mean the pastor has a free hand to do whatever he wants to do, but he needs a supportive group of elders who can back him when the dogs start nipping at your heels.
Thirdly, when people say they want to change they really don't know what they are saying. As much as they might want to believe they want change when faced with it, it becomes another matter. Why is that? Because change takes energy. Change is hard. Change upsets the apple cart. Change confronts you with brokenness in your life that you have kept buried and would like it to remain so. Change is gut wrenching. When your sin is exposed it can bring lots of shame from others who don't want theirs exposed.
After leaving my pastorate I went into depression. I had run out of tricks in my bag to survive. I was stripped naked of all my emotional supports. All my brokenness was exposed. I was on my face.
By God's grace I found people who were in the same shape as we were who walked with us through the changes I needed to make. I needed help and I knew it. I had been crying out for help but others didn't want to face their need along with me. When I found a group of people (and it wasn't restricted to my community or my state) I latched on to them. They were broken and knew it. They asked for help. The Father showed up.
It was messy, really messy. It didn't have anything to do with singing hymns or scripture choruses. It didn't have anything to do with the color of the nursery. It didn't matter whether we had chairs or benches to sit on because most of the time we were on the floor crying over the brokenness we knew we had. We were crying out for mercy from our loving heavenly Father. We knew there was no other answer to our plight.
We were among people who were violent...toward themselves and others. Anger was prevalent. There were ugly sexual issues from infidelity, pornography, pedophilia, masturbation addiction, sexual abuse, sexual addiction and more. It wasn't your typical Sunday School where we are talking about the baby Moses in the basket.
It's kinda tough to have a regular service that follows a routine each Sunday when you are dealing with the brokenness of people. It doesn't fit in neat categories and it doesn't understand time restraints. If I pastored a church again, all hell would break loose. You know why? Because the Kingdom of God would be coming and pushing out the darkness.
Do you think I would get past the pastoral search committee? Probably not.
Right now I am interested in being on the street with others who are looking for help. I'm still looking to my Father for healing and I will be for the rest of my life. I know I don't have it all together even though I might look like it sometimes. I'm tired of the facade--mine and others. I want real people who are serious about seeing change in our world...starting with me.
I've had two calls recently to consider pastoring churches. One was here in PA and one in OH. They weren't inquiries by a committee. They were phone calls from people who know me and know the hunger in their hearts for their churches to be on the cutting edge. They know I tend to be out there on the edge and that's where they want to be.
Years ago when I served the Board of Congregational Resources for Lancaster Conference I spent a lot of time in churches encouraging them to reach out to their neighbors and their communities. I don't think I ever spoke in a church where I didn't attract people who wanted more out of their church experience. They were hungry for a meaningful, personal relationship with Christ. They were frustrated by what they were experiencing and hungry for a deeper connection. They were tired of the conflict over "maintaining" the traditions. Many told me they would have left their churches if they had known where they could go.
So why don't I jump right into one of those situations? Because for one thing, my wife would leave me. Seriously, she bore the brunt of much of the conflict that was directed at me when I pastored before. I could come home and dump on her what I was experiencing and go away relieved. She, however, didn't have anyone that she could take the burden to. She and my kids bore the force of the battle I waged every week in trying to bring the church to growth and to impact our community. We stood alone even though we had friends in the church.
Secondly, when someone who knows me asks me to consider pastoring again they aren't usually in leadership. The leadership in most churches is entrenched. They are focused on making everyone happy and not stirring the pot. The only way that a pastor can survive if he is a change agent is to have the leadership of the church backing him. Now don't get scared. That doesn't mean the pastor has a free hand to do whatever he wants to do, but he needs a supportive group of elders who can back him when the dogs start nipping at your heels.
Thirdly, when people say they want to change they really don't know what they are saying. As much as they might want to believe they want change when faced with it, it becomes another matter. Why is that? Because change takes energy. Change is hard. Change upsets the apple cart. Change confronts you with brokenness in your life that you have kept buried and would like it to remain so. Change is gut wrenching. When your sin is exposed it can bring lots of shame from others who don't want theirs exposed.
After leaving my pastorate I went into depression. I had run out of tricks in my bag to survive. I was stripped naked of all my emotional supports. All my brokenness was exposed. I was on my face.
By God's grace I found people who were in the same shape as we were who walked with us through the changes I needed to make. I needed help and I knew it. I had been crying out for help but others didn't want to face their need along with me. When I found a group of people (and it wasn't restricted to my community or my state) I latched on to them. They were broken and knew it. They asked for help. The Father showed up.
It was messy, really messy. It didn't have anything to do with singing hymns or scripture choruses. It didn't have anything to do with the color of the nursery. It didn't matter whether we had chairs or benches to sit on because most of the time we were on the floor crying over the brokenness we knew we had. We were crying out for mercy from our loving heavenly Father. We knew there was no other answer to our plight.
We were among people who were violent...toward themselves and others. Anger was prevalent. There were ugly sexual issues from infidelity, pornography, pedophilia, masturbation addiction, sexual abuse, sexual addiction and more. It wasn't your typical Sunday School where we are talking about the baby Moses in the basket.
It's kinda tough to have a regular service that follows a routine each Sunday when you are dealing with the brokenness of people. It doesn't fit in neat categories and it doesn't understand time restraints. If I pastored a church again, all hell would break loose. You know why? Because the Kingdom of God would be coming and pushing out the darkness.
Do you think I would get past the pastoral search committee? Probably not.
Right now I am interested in being on the street with others who are looking for help. I'm still looking to my Father for healing and I will be for the rest of my life. I know I don't have it all together even though I might look like it sometimes. I'm tired of the facade--mine and others. I want real people who are serious about seeing change in our world...starting with me.
Model T
I finished reading a book about the life of Henry Ford this weekend. It was published in 2005.
My memory may be failing me but most of the biographies I have read usually leave the subject in pretty good light. Their accomplishments are highlighted and their foibles are minimized. This biography was a balance and I appreciated learning about Ford's weaknesses and failures as much as his successes.
Ford is probably best known for his contributions to mass production. He envisioned manufacturing a car for the common man by mass producing it on a assembly line where he could pass on the economies of scale. Over the roughly 15 year history of the Model T he produced millions of them, hitting a peak of over 2M one year. He also was able to cut the price on the car and double the wages of his workers. He became known as the $5 a day man. He wanted his workers to be able to afford his automobile as well as other consumer goods. His economies brought the price of the Model T down to under $300.
Part of what drove him was the desire to have his own company and to make all the decisions. He held an iron fist around all the choices that needed to be made including the smallest part on each of his cars. This continued long after he was employing over 10,000 workers. On the positive side it allowed him to control the outcome of his vision and not be deterred by others in his organization who had a different vision. On the negative side he held on too long to his vision without changing with the times.
Long before he stopped production of the Model T and moved to a more advanced Model A the sales of his cars had begun to drop significantly. Other manufacturers had begun to develop lines of cars that were more expensive but also offered more of the features the buying public wanted.
That seems to always be the case. Our greatest gift becomes our greatest failure. We hold on too long to something when we should be moving on with the times. Or as I like to say, moving on with the vibrant, ever in motion Holy Spirit.
What is our Model T in the church today? Hymns? Sunday School? Meeting on Sunday mornings? Wearing suits to church? What is the competition doing that we aren't doing? Are we still expecting the way we did things 150 years ago to suffice for today's seeker? What is today's seeker looking for? What are their needs, fears, desires? They are probably much like ours.
I heard somewhere recently that the Muslims have been working toward world domination for 60 years or more. With the unrest we are seeing in Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan and other mid east countries we are also seeing that the radical Muslim groups are standing by on the sidelines waiting to "assist" in bringing stability to their countries. What are we doing to bring the Kingdom to bear on these situations and bring freedom to the captives?
That's ultimately what God wants to bring to us all...freedom. He wants us to be able to enjoy his heart, to have intimacy with him and with others, to enjoy the desires of our heart. Is that what we are offering? Is that what you are receiving? He's calling out to us today.
My memory may be failing me but most of the biographies I have read usually leave the subject in pretty good light. Their accomplishments are highlighted and their foibles are minimized. This biography was a balance and I appreciated learning about Ford's weaknesses and failures as much as his successes.
Ford is probably best known for his contributions to mass production. He envisioned manufacturing a car for the common man by mass producing it on a assembly line where he could pass on the economies of scale. Over the roughly 15 year history of the Model T he produced millions of them, hitting a peak of over 2M one year. He also was able to cut the price on the car and double the wages of his workers. He became known as the $5 a day man. He wanted his workers to be able to afford his automobile as well as other consumer goods. His economies brought the price of the Model T down to under $300.
Part of what drove him was the desire to have his own company and to make all the decisions. He held an iron fist around all the choices that needed to be made including the smallest part on each of his cars. This continued long after he was employing over 10,000 workers. On the positive side it allowed him to control the outcome of his vision and not be deterred by others in his organization who had a different vision. On the negative side he held on too long to his vision without changing with the times.
Long before he stopped production of the Model T and moved to a more advanced Model A the sales of his cars had begun to drop significantly. Other manufacturers had begun to develop lines of cars that were more expensive but also offered more of the features the buying public wanted.
That seems to always be the case. Our greatest gift becomes our greatest failure. We hold on too long to something when we should be moving on with the times. Or as I like to say, moving on with the vibrant, ever in motion Holy Spirit.
What is our Model T in the church today? Hymns? Sunday School? Meeting on Sunday mornings? Wearing suits to church? What is the competition doing that we aren't doing? Are we still expecting the way we did things 150 years ago to suffice for today's seeker? What is today's seeker looking for? What are their needs, fears, desires? They are probably much like ours.
I heard somewhere recently that the Muslims have been working toward world domination for 60 years or more. With the unrest we are seeing in Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan and other mid east countries we are also seeing that the radical Muslim groups are standing by on the sidelines waiting to "assist" in bringing stability to their countries. What are we doing to bring the Kingdom to bear on these situations and bring freedom to the captives?
That's ultimately what God wants to bring to us all...freedom. He wants us to be able to enjoy his heart, to have intimacy with him and with others, to enjoy the desires of our heart. Is that what we are offering? Is that what you are receiving? He's calling out to us today.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
The Sparrow
"His eye is on the sparrow and I know he's watching me."
As I thought about the events of the day this line from a song came to me. And as I lay in bed, not being able to sleep, I figured I would capture my thoughts while they are racing through my head.
Today was not the best of my days...at least it wasn't looking like that until later in the day. I'm struggling with not having a goal to put my work toward. Being unemployed for four months has begun to take it toll on one part of me. On the other hand I have had time to think which usually doesn't happen when I am so busy.
I had trouble getting motivated today. Finally, after lunch, I went to the library to find some books to read. I looked in the biography section. In fact, I looked at every book in the biography section. I ended up with one about Henry Ford published in 2005 and another about Thomas Edison from 1957. Both guys were friends and both of them have inspired me with their accomplishments.
I got lost in the book until sometime around 5 pm when I began to watch the news. Then shortly before 6 a phone call came in. Pat took the call and after a couple of minutes handed the phone to me. It was a friend I hadn't talked to in 30 years.
Shirley called. I met her in 1975 and we sold real estate together for a few years. I never went to church with her. Never saw her much during the 5 or so years I was associated with Dutchland Realty. But she called me tonight. Why? God had put me on her mind recently and she had been praying for me.
Again, we hadn't talked to each other or seen each other for 30 years. She didn't know whether I was in OH, CA or overseas somewhere. She didn't know whether I was still following Christ or not. She had no idea...except this prompting to call me and pray for me before she called.
It took her a little bit to find me. First, she ran into a former neighbor, fellow realtor and member of a church we attended. She got the number of the realty firm's owner's wife in FL from him. Then she called her and got our number in PA. Then she called on the phone. Tonight.
Her church was in need of a pastor and my name came to her mind. She realized that she could just forget she heard that and not call. But she persisted, found me and called. She didn't know if I was pastoring, retired or tending bar. But she called to see if she was following the signals right.
To me that says, straight from my heavenly Father, that he knows where I am and he hasn't forgotten me in the loneliness I have felt the last several months. He knows my gifts and abilities and he knows exactly where he wants me to be. He just wanted to remind me that I wasn't forgotten...by using an obedient servant of his from 30 years ago to find me and call.
That's pretty cool. That's the loving heart that I follow. That's the Father I love.
Two things to think about. Who has God been prompting you to call or get in touch with or what has he been prompting you to do that you've put off? It's those little nudgings that he uses to get us involved in his ministry to others. And secondly, how has God been showing you that you are not forgotten? Celebrate it right now!
"His eye is on the sparrow and I know he's watching [you].
As I thought about the events of the day this line from a song came to me. And as I lay in bed, not being able to sleep, I figured I would capture my thoughts while they are racing through my head.
Today was not the best of my days...at least it wasn't looking like that until later in the day. I'm struggling with not having a goal to put my work toward. Being unemployed for four months has begun to take it toll on one part of me. On the other hand I have had time to think which usually doesn't happen when I am so busy.
I had trouble getting motivated today. Finally, after lunch, I went to the library to find some books to read. I looked in the biography section. In fact, I looked at every book in the biography section. I ended up with one about Henry Ford published in 2005 and another about Thomas Edison from 1957. Both guys were friends and both of them have inspired me with their accomplishments.
I got lost in the book until sometime around 5 pm when I began to watch the news. Then shortly before 6 a phone call came in. Pat took the call and after a couple of minutes handed the phone to me. It was a friend I hadn't talked to in 30 years.
Shirley called. I met her in 1975 and we sold real estate together for a few years. I never went to church with her. Never saw her much during the 5 or so years I was associated with Dutchland Realty. But she called me tonight. Why? God had put me on her mind recently and she had been praying for me.
Again, we hadn't talked to each other or seen each other for 30 years. She didn't know whether I was in OH, CA or overseas somewhere. She didn't know whether I was still following Christ or not. She had no idea...except this prompting to call me and pray for me before she called.
It took her a little bit to find me. First, she ran into a former neighbor, fellow realtor and member of a church we attended. She got the number of the realty firm's owner's wife in FL from him. Then she called her and got our number in PA. Then she called on the phone. Tonight.
Her church was in need of a pastor and my name came to her mind. She realized that she could just forget she heard that and not call. But she persisted, found me and called. She didn't know if I was pastoring, retired or tending bar. But she called to see if she was following the signals right.
To me that says, straight from my heavenly Father, that he knows where I am and he hasn't forgotten me in the loneliness I have felt the last several months. He knows my gifts and abilities and he knows exactly where he wants me to be. He just wanted to remind me that I wasn't forgotten...by using an obedient servant of his from 30 years ago to find me and call.
That's pretty cool. That's the loving heart that I follow. That's the Father I love.
Two things to think about. Who has God been prompting you to call or get in touch with or what has he been prompting you to do that you've put off? It's those little nudgings that he uses to get us involved in his ministry to others. And secondly, how has God been showing you that you are not forgotten? Celebrate it right now!
"His eye is on the sparrow and I know he's watching [you].
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
PTSD
I finally finished reading the 37 book series on WWII by Time/Life Books. There are so many things I can write about but a prayer request by a friend sparked this one.
Our work with emotionally broken people exposed us to so much. I'm sure we heard of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome) along the way. I know I worked with a woman once who had been shot in the head by her mate in an effort to kill her. He then committed suicide right before her eyes. We wept with her as she told her tragic story. I can't imagine the images that she deals with as she remembers that experience.
A friend asked us to pray for her son-in-law recently as he was off to Afghanistan. She also included her daughter and grandchildren because of the impact on them. I can relate to that.
I was the child of a man who experienced WWII...a member of a whole generation of fathers who experienced things in the war that no human should have to face. That's why many of them never talked about their experiences with anyone but their fellow GI's. The things they saw and endured were not for dinner table discussions. They also shut down emotionally. It was the only way they could cope with what they had experienced.
When Saving Private Ryan hit the movie theaters a few years ago many WWII vets went to see the movie. The first five minutes or so of the film depict the horrors many troops experienced when they landed on Normandy on DDay. I remember reading accounts of men who finally wept when they saw that depiction. It was the first time they had faced something that triggered the deeply held emotional pain. Some of them talked for the first time since they returned from the war about what they had experienced.
"War is hell" as someone has said. And we have men in my generation who have experienced the horrors of Vietnam, living on the streets, trying to have a life with families while carrying the devastation of that war around in their hearts.
Now we have a whole other generation who are returning home from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan with the emotional baggage of what they experienced knowing their life was on the line every moment they walked around. Not sure if they could trust a local or even a child not to be carrying a weapon to kill them.
I have also read that we are saving more soldiers from their battlefield wounds because of improved medical treatment on the battlefield. Some of those saved are facing a lifetime of coping with the debilitating injuries that they were saved from dying of. Emotional scars for sure. Head injuries. Loss of mobility. Loss of multiple limbs.
Something needs to be done to avoid having another generation of children raised with detached mothers and fathers (yes, some women have suffered battlefield wounds as well). What can we do? How do we need to pray? How can we support those who have returned from those experiences and give them the opportunity to receive the healing touch from a loving heavenly Father?
I may soon have the opportunity to be in Washington DC. One of the thoughts I have had is to spend some time at Walter Reed Hospital where many of those veterans are being treated. Do you know anyone in your circle of friends or acquaintances who may be suffering from PTSD? Can you give them the opportunity to have you listen to the pain of their hearts? How would the Father have you pray for them as you relate to them? I hope to soon find out.
Our work with emotionally broken people exposed us to so much. I'm sure we heard of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome) along the way. I know I worked with a woman once who had been shot in the head by her mate in an effort to kill her. He then committed suicide right before her eyes. We wept with her as she told her tragic story. I can't imagine the images that she deals with as she remembers that experience.
A friend asked us to pray for her son-in-law recently as he was off to Afghanistan. She also included her daughter and grandchildren because of the impact on them. I can relate to that.
I was the child of a man who experienced WWII...a member of a whole generation of fathers who experienced things in the war that no human should have to face. That's why many of them never talked about their experiences with anyone but their fellow GI's. The things they saw and endured were not for dinner table discussions. They also shut down emotionally. It was the only way they could cope with what they had experienced.
When Saving Private Ryan hit the movie theaters a few years ago many WWII vets went to see the movie. The first five minutes or so of the film depict the horrors many troops experienced when they landed on Normandy on DDay. I remember reading accounts of men who finally wept when they saw that depiction. It was the first time they had faced something that triggered the deeply held emotional pain. Some of them talked for the first time since they returned from the war about what they had experienced.
"War is hell" as someone has said. And we have men in my generation who have experienced the horrors of Vietnam, living on the streets, trying to have a life with families while carrying the devastation of that war around in their hearts.
Now we have a whole other generation who are returning home from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan with the emotional baggage of what they experienced knowing their life was on the line every moment they walked around. Not sure if they could trust a local or even a child not to be carrying a weapon to kill them.
I have also read that we are saving more soldiers from their battlefield wounds because of improved medical treatment on the battlefield. Some of those saved are facing a lifetime of coping with the debilitating injuries that they were saved from dying of. Emotional scars for sure. Head injuries. Loss of mobility. Loss of multiple limbs.
Something needs to be done to avoid having another generation of children raised with detached mothers and fathers (yes, some women have suffered battlefield wounds as well). What can we do? How do we need to pray? How can we support those who have returned from those experiences and give them the opportunity to receive the healing touch from a loving heavenly Father?
I may soon have the opportunity to be in Washington DC. One of the thoughts I have had is to spend some time at Walter Reed Hospital where many of those veterans are being treated. Do you know anyone in your circle of friends or acquaintances who may be suffering from PTSD? Can you give them the opportunity to have you listen to the pain of their hearts? How would the Father have you pray for them as you relate to them? I hope to soon find out.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Oprah
I'm always looking for ways that the Father is demonstrating his love for us through out the world. I didn't used to do that until I heard John Eldredge speak about how when the church isn't speaking out, God will use any vessel to declare his glory and tell his story. The story is God's and he gets to tell it however he wants to.
I know Oprah is a controversial character. There are plenty of things she says on her show that go beyond Orthodoxy. Of course, if you evaluated everything I say or have said you might consider me unorthodox as well. I think that is a plus. When we assume that we have found the complete truth about something and there is no need to evaluate it we are in danger of missing the movement of the Holy Spirit. He is dynamic, meaning that he doesn't stay still. I'm expecting him to move TODAY and not just bring me stories of how he moved in the past.
Anyway, back to Oprah. I enjoy getting to watch her especially since I am home in the afternoons when she is on. The thing I appreciate most about her is her realness. She came from a very poor background in MS. She didn't have much when she began but she hasn't let her wealth go to her head. She reminds me of a little kid who doesn't care what anyone thinks of her. She has a twinkle in her eye that shows that she is enjoying life. Of course, I guess I could enjoy life too if I had her wealth and had the opportunity to give it away.
I'm sure her critics are right when they say that she is probably giving away some of her wealth to save taxes. I guess I do the same when I tithe. I get the tax benefit of giving to a charitable organization. But she seems to go beyond what just she can do. She uses her influence to solicit donations from corporations and individuals to needy situations.
This week I watched her series on the trip to Australia. To start with she took 302 people out of one of her audiences with her on the trip. And I didn't notice anything that wasn't done excellently, in fact, over the top. Not withholding anything. So in the final gathering she had arranged for several people to get a diamond necklace. Didn't stop there! Everyone in the audience of 6,000 got one too. Incredible.
The most touching things to me are how she arranged to get Jay Z, the rapper, to visit a school for disadvantaged kids. They had admired his music and I'm sure also noticed his business acumen. Their teacher wrote a letter to Oprah to talk about her class's admiration of Jay Z...so Oprah got him to visit the school. Plus she got Microsoft to donate a laptop to every kid in the school, as well as the teachers.
I cry when I see that kind of giving. It is a demonstration to me of how my heavenly Father wants to give to me and everyone else. Have I gotten a big gift like Oprah gives out? Not yet. But it is comforting and brings hope to me to know that that is how my Father feels toward me. He has given me life and will give me his best gifts.
On second thought I had a Father gift a few years ago. When we visited Zimbabwe I had the opportunity to sail on the largest man-made lake in the world, Kariba, between Zim and Botswana. I didn't have to buy a ticket. I was one of 9 who got the opportunity to enjoy being served for 4 days. We fished, saw incredible wild life, ate like kings and queens and saw Africa up close and personal on a 73' boat. As I recall that wasn't in the package I bought from the travel agent!
Thank you, Father, for speaking to me and all of us of your great love for us through things we can see and identify with. Can you remember a time when the Father has shown you his unfathomable love? Rejoice in it and tell someone about it today.
I know Oprah is a controversial character. There are plenty of things she says on her show that go beyond Orthodoxy. Of course, if you evaluated everything I say or have said you might consider me unorthodox as well. I think that is a plus. When we assume that we have found the complete truth about something and there is no need to evaluate it we are in danger of missing the movement of the Holy Spirit. He is dynamic, meaning that he doesn't stay still. I'm expecting him to move TODAY and not just bring me stories of how he moved in the past.
Anyway, back to Oprah. I enjoy getting to watch her especially since I am home in the afternoons when she is on. The thing I appreciate most about her is her realness. She came from a very poor background in MS. She didn't have much when she began but she hasn't let her wealth go to her head. She reminds me of a little kid who doesn't care what anyone thinks of her. She has a twinkle in her eye that shows that she is enjoying life. Of course, I guess I could enjoy life too if I had her wealth and had the opportunity to give it away.
I'm sure her critics are right when they say that she is probably giving away some of her wealth to save taxes. I guess I do the same when I tithe. I get the tax benefit of giving to a charitable organization. But she seems to go beyond what just she can do. She uses her influence to solicit donations from corporations and individuals to needy situations.
This week I watched her series on the trip to Australia. To start with she took 302 people out of one of her audiences with her on the trip. And I didn't notice anything that wasn't done excellently, in fact, over the top. Not withholding anything. So in the final gathering she had arranged for several people to get a diamond necklace. Didn't stop there! Everyone in the audience of 6,000 got one too. Incredible.
The most touching things to me are how she arranged to get Jay Z, the rapper, to visit a school for disadvantaged kids. They had admired his music and I'm sure also noticed his business acumen. Their teacher wrote a letter to Oprah to talk about her class's admiration of Jay Z...so Oprah got him to visit the school. Plus she got Microsoft to donate a laptop to every kid in the school, as well as the teachers.
I cry when I see that kind of giving. It is a demonstration to me of how my heavenly Father wants to give to me and everyone else. Have I gotten a big gift like Oprah gives out? Not yet. But it is comforting and brings hope to me to know that that is how my Father feels toward me. He has given me life and will give me his best gifts.
On second thought I had a Father gift a few years ago. When we visited Zimbabwe I had the opportunity to sail on the largest man-made lake in the world, Kariba, between Zim and Botswana. I didn't have to buy a ticket. I was one of 9 who got the opportunity to enjoy being served for 4 days. We fished, saw incredible wild life, ate like kings and queens and saw Africa up close and personal on a 73' boat. As I recall that wasn't in the package I bought from the travel agent!
Thank you, Father, for speaking to me and all of us of your great love for us through things we can see and identify with. Can you remember a time when the Father has shown you his unfathomable love? Rejoice in it and tell someone about it today.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Francis Schaeffer
I've written about Francis Schaeffer in some of my other blogs but I'd like to focus on him today.
If you remember I mentioned that I became aware of Francis Schaeffer when I was in Piraeus, Greece (near Athens). Some young people who were hiking around Europe mentioned him and his work with young intellectuals. They gave me his book The God Who Is There and it opened my eyes to a new way to share the Gospel with those who needed to think about it.
Schaeffer was an evangelical Presbyterian pastor who came to a point in his life in his early 50's that he wasn't sure he was preaching real stuff. He wasn't sure the Bible was worth staking his life on. So he resigned his pastorate and moved to Switzerland. There he spent three years reading his Bible, praying and pacing around a chalet until he felt he had encountered the living God. He came to believe that the Bible was "true truth" as he used to say.
During that time his daughters were in college and they would bring their friends home to discuss life with Francis. They were searching for truth but needed it framed in something other than hell fire and brimstone. They wanted a faith that didn't negate their intellect.
Francis began to study philosophy, art and culture to discover ways that the God who was there was speaking to the intellectuals. His God-given anointing was to be able to understand a philosophy and those who adhered to it, take them to the end of the philosophical thought and show them how it fell short of the Gospel. He didn't do it by beating them over the head with a Bible but he addressed them where they were. They were asking legitimate questions that needed legitimate answers. It reminds me of what Paul did in Athens when he told those seeking truth that he could introduce them to the one who was truth. (Acts 17)
I had the opportunity to travel by train to Switzerland soon after I met those other kids in Piraeus. I spent time with other young people from around the world listening to lectures, having tea with Edith and Francis Schaeffer in their chalet and being stretched intellectually. I have often wondered who has taken up that mantel to the intellectuals. I have had the opportunity when he was living to hear him lecture here in the states. I remember Pat saying that she couldn't even understand some of the questions people were asking Francis let alone the answer. I couldn't either.
I have discovered that the Gospel can reach anyone, at any level of intelligence, in any circumstance. It is as magnificent as the landscape around us and the beauty of all creation. I have never been found wanting for what the Gospel is capable of doing in the lives of those who hear, see and experience it.
My prayer is that your faith is as vibrant today and even more so than when you first believed.
If you remember I mentioned that I became aware of Francis Schaeffer when I was in Piraeus, Greece (near Athens). Some young people who were hiking around Europe mentioned him and his work with young intellectuals. They gave me his book The God Who Is There and it opened my eyes to a new way to share the Gospel with those who needed to think about it.
Schaeffer was an evangelical Presbyterian pastor who came to a point in his life in his early 50's that he wasn't sure he was preaching real stuff. He wasn't sure the Bible was worth staking his life on. So he resigned his pastorate and moved to Switzerland. There he spent three years reading his Bible, praying and pacing around a chalet until he felt he had encountered the living God. He came to believe that the Bible was "true truth" as he used to say.
During that time his daughters were in college and they would bring their friends home to discuss life with Francis. They were searching for truth but needed it framed in something other than hell fire and brimstone. They wanted a faith that didn't negate their intellect.
Francis began to study philosophy, art and culture to discover ways that the God who was there was speaking to the intellectuals. His God-given anointing was to be able to understand a philosophy and those who adhered to it, take them to the end of the philosophical thought and show them how it fell short of the Gospel. He didn't do it by beating them over the head with a Bible but he addressed them where they were. They were asking legitimate questions that needed legitimate answers. It reminds me of what Paul did in Athens when he told those seeking truth that he could introduce them to the one who was truth. (Acts 17)
I had the opportunity to travel by train to Switzerland soon after I met those other kids in Piraeus. I spent time with other young people from around the world listening to lectures, having tea with Edith and Francis Schaeffer in their chalet and being stretched intellectually. I have often wondered who has taken up that mantel to the intellectuals. I have had the opportunity when he was living to hear him lecture here in the states. I remember Pat saying that she couldn't even understand some of the questions people were asking Francis let alone the answer. I couldn't either.
I have discovered that the Gospel can reach anyone, at any level of intelligence, in any circumstance. It is as magnificent as the landscape around us and the beauty of all creation. I have never been found wanting for what the Gospel is capable of doing in the lives of those who hear, see and experience it.
My prayer is that your faith is as vibrant today and even more so than when you first believed.
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