Money: the (bad and the) good side

   Have you followed the story from the campus of the University of Missouri? It started back in August with racial slurs, inappropriate actions, some really disgusting stuff, and finally a failure at the top of the University's leadership to respond, all brought about protests calling for action and justice. Before it was over, it seemed like everyone was protesting:

• the Student Body president
• ad-hoc student groups frustrated over racial tensions
• a coalition of on-campus Jewish groups
• nine faculty Deans of various schools/departments on campus
• the University Faculty Senate
• people speaking on behalf of the Republican party
• people speaking on behalf of the Democratic party
• on November 2, one student went on a hunger strike
• elected members of the Missouri State Legislature

But, nothing really happened. Until the threat of the school losing money entered the conversation.

   On Saturday, November 7, thirty football players announced they were boycotting team events (practice, games, etc) until a resolution was delivered. The next day, November 8, the entire team made it clear that they stand united: no football until people resign. So, after more than two months of trouble and protests, which included literally tens of thousands of people, the President and Chancellor both resigned within hours. It is unfortunate that it is widely-held that two people losing their jobs and status was what right looked like. I am glad that the right thing was done. I am not glad that it took the potential loss of millions of dollars of football revenue to finally prompt it. It is clear that money held sway in bringing about a resolution. Sports is powerful, but what does it say when it takes the threat of cancelling a football game before the right thing is done? Money has power, because we let it. [I don't blame the football team - they used the money they generate for good. I worry that we would not see the role we have in propping up an industry that wields such power through profit.]
   The scriptures are clear, it is not money that is the root of all evil, but the love of money (see 1 Timothy 6:10).
   How do you use money? For good? Do you invest in others? Do you give money away as a sign of your belief in God's ongoing abundance? Do you save money as an antidote against the deadly illness of over-consumption? Do you have a healthy relationship with money, or does it control you in ways that are not healthy? Money is neutral - it is the place that we give it in our life and the ways that we use it that cause it to be good or bad. The Ten Commandments start with, "You shall have no other gods before me."
   Grace and peace, Scott

Am I Talking To You?

   The spiritual life is not a life before, after, or beyond our everyday existence. No, the spiritual life can only be real when it is lived in the midst of the pains and joys of the here and now. Therefore we need to begin with a careful look at the way we think, speak, feel, and act from hour to hour, day to day, week to week, and year to year, in order to become more fully aware of our hunger for the Spirit. As long as we have only a vague inner feeling of discontent with our present way of living, and only an indefinite desire for "things spiritual," our lives will continue to stagnate in a generalized melancholy. We often say, "I am not very happy. I am not content with the way my life is going. I am not really joyful or peaceful, but I just don't know how things can be different, and I guess I have to be realistic and accept my life as it is." It is this mood of resignation that prevents us from actively searching for the life of the Spirit. 

   Our first task is to dispel the vague, murky feeling of discontent and to look critically at how we are living our lives. This requires honesty, courage, and trust. We must honestly unmask and courageously confront the many self-deceptive games. We must trust that are honesty and courage will lead us not to despair, but to a new heaven and a new earth.

   - Henri Nouwen, from Making All Things New

   Our first task is to look critically at how we are living our lives. We must stop deceiving ourselves. We must be honest with ourselves. If we follow truth it will lead us to heaven. Sounds good, but....
 None of this easy. 

   First, many people who read all the way through the article to this very point are not even aware that these words or warning could apply to them. I don't talk like this often (maybe I should more), but the ruler of this world (Jesus says that is Satan in John 12) is working against us at the most basic levels. The world does not want us to think deeply. It wants us to never ask ourselves about our own motivations. The bad guys would be happy if we never thought about our attitudes and certainly if we never learned that we have the final say over our approach to God, neighbor and self.
   There is good news: there is a power available to everyone that overcomes, short-circuits, and crushes the spiritual forces of wickedness that would keep us dumb to our own self-defeating tendencies and drag us into the lowest depths imaginable. The power for good has been written into our software: the Holy Spirit is within us, if we would turn it on through repentance and commit to the Way of Jesus.
   Am I talking to you? Maybe. Grace and Peace, Scott

Thanksgiving for the harvest is more than child's play

   With November soon upon us, the theme turns thanksgiving. Children will grab crayons to color turkeys and puritans and glue corn onto construction paper in order to hold onto the history of our country. Of course, the first thanksgiving was a celebration of the harvest that enabled their survival. We are nourished by the work of farmers who, in turn, are enabled by the great gift of growth from small seeds planted in the ground.
   The Apostle Paul picks up the language of harvest in his letter to the church in Corinth when he says, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth" (1 Corinthians 3:6-7).  Ironically, he used the image of growth in love and grace to address a particular conflict that had arisen in the church!
   What elements bring about the growth in our hearts? Have we given through to the changes needed in our souls? George MacDonald writes in Life Essential,

The words of the Lord are the seed sown by the sower. Into our hearts they must fall that they may grow. Meditation and prayer must water them, and obedience keep them in the sunlight. Thus will they bear fruit for the Lord's gathering.

Are you regularly allowing the seeds (the Word of God) to take root in your soil (your heart and soul) in order that it may grow (in grace, peace and love)? What is stopping you? You're busy? Too busy to attend to the things that matter? Too busy to invest in the very substance that remains when everything else is gone?
   Find your way to worship on Sundays. Open your bible every morning. Offer a prayer asking God to orient your day around his best desires for you. God loves you.
   Grace and peace, Scott

Back to the Future...But What Has Changed?

   The Associated Press includes this snippet in the news today (Wednesday, October 21):

"The future is today - if "Back to the Future" is to be believed. The celebration of the so-called "Back to the Future" Day on Wednesday marks the date - Oct. 21, 2015 - that the characters Marty McFly, Emmett "Doc" Brown and Jennifer Parker famously journeyed from 1985 to 2015 in the sci-fi film trilogy's second installment in 1989. "Back to the Future Part II" envisioned a colorful 2015 with flying cars, hoverboards and self-tying shoelaces. While those doodads are hardly prevalent today, the film did accurately tease the rise of such technology as flat-screen televisions, biometric scanning and hands-free gaming."

As the article points out, some things have changed in the past twenty-six years, while some hoped-for discoveries or creations haven't yet been achieved. Of course, there is more news for today:

• REP. RYAN SEEKS UNITY FROM HOUSE GOP TO RUN FOR SPEAKER
• SYRIA'S ASSAD BOLSTERED WITH VISIT TO ALLY IN MOSCOW
• ISRAEL'S NETANYAHU HEADS TO BERLIN TO MEET KERRY
• BIDEN'S DECISION EXPECTED AT ANY TIME

While each of these headlines is news to a journalist, I am struck by how none of this is new. Each of these stories, and countless others that will be reported on today, all have a similar theme: people grasping for power in the same-old ways. Ryan would accept power but wants promises. Assad is hoping power can be restored through might and offense. Netanyahu wields power but is like a pendulum always swinging with external forces. And, Biden is hoping that looking like he doesn't want power as much as others will win him the day. Today might be the future, but not much has changed. 

   Contrast today's headlines with some of the teachings of Jesus. He tells Pilate, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above." He teaches the disciples, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth..." and later, "For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.” And who can forget when he said, "If someone slaps you on the cheek, offer the other one as well. If someone takes your coat, don't withhold your shirt either."

   The world spins but the news seems to stay the same. Humanity grasps at power while the teachings of the greatest (and most powerful) person to ever live say we should let go and give away. I believe we are confronted with a great choice; what we choose will shape our futures. Grace and Peace, Scott

Two negatives make a positive...only in math, though.

   Most of us remember some of the facts taught us when we went through mathematics classes as teenagers. Still, others of us have relearned these facts as parents whose children are in school. One of these basics of arithmetic states that two negatives make a positive; subtracting a negative number is the same as adding it. 

   However, that's in the world of math. In the rest of the world, it's not always true that doubling up negatives adds to the bottom line. When it comes to attitude and choices, negatives always take away. There are several common things we do to make a big negative impact on our lives. 

   All of this was on my mind when I came across this list of nine examples of negatives that are negative:

1. Blame everyone else for how your life is turning out.
2. Choose to believe people do not like you.
3. Get angry when your plans (even the little one) get interrupted.
4. Hold offenses close to your heart.
5. Refuse to share or give generously.
6. Be suspicious of people's motives, even if they are treating you well. After all, you never know.
7. Keep an eye out for signs that the people around you have more advantages than you.
8. Get mad at God when bad things happen to you.
9. Watch a lot of violent TV and movies.

These are offered by Marilyn Elliott in a list she titles, Nine Ways to Deform Your Soul. In case you skipped straight to the list, let me be clear - don't do these things! 

   May we choose life. May we choose to add value: to our own souls and into the hearts of our loved ones. May we live as bearers of light in a darkened world. Grace and peace, Scott

Where did it all start?

   Where did it all start? The bible offers a couple of different stories that each describe where it all started. Genesis 1 proclaims the world got its start when a word was spoken in the midst of chaos: the word brought order and goodness. Genesis 2 offers a complimentary version, one that describes a partnership between God and man and then one between man and woman, and describes the start of the world as happening in a garden.
   In worship on Sunday, we heard from our church's own history that our congregation got it's start in a pastor who had a vision and another congregation in the Sandy Run area that gave him permission. It was 121 years ago this week that the permission and vision of those two miles up the road were combined with the passion and perseverance of families here in Bonaire to form one church with a purpose.
   My own story starts in a chemistry class on the campus of Georgia Southern College back in 1966, when a young co-ed searched for a friendly face to partner with in lab in order to improve her chances of passing the class. Her eyes landed on a young guy from Screven County and here I am today. I must say, like my mom, I love math and physics a lot more than chemistry.
   What about your story, where did it start?
   Who was there at the beginning?
   Who had a vision for what needed to happen?
   Who were the permission-givers?
   What partnerships were formed that made the difference?
   Let us be thankful to God for the mighty acts of God that have brought us to this place. Let us not stop with thanksgiving for the past, though. Let us be counted as those who are helping to write new history. Let us be among those with vision and commitment and a sense of purpose. Paul, writing to the church in Corinth (2 Cor 5:17), said, "So then, if anyone is in Christ, that person is part of the new creation. The old things have gone away, and look, new things have arrived!" I believe God is calling us to help people "get started" all over again. I think that looks like one-one discipleship, or teaching children in Sunday School, or praying with people every other Friday in our food pantry and clothing closet, or growing in our giving, or starting a morning devotional routine.
   Grace and Peace, Scott

Runs like new again

"If an ax is dull and one doesn't sharpen it first, then one must exert more force. 
It's profitable to be skillful and wise." - Ecclesiastes 10:10

   While this was not one of the verses I lifted up in this past weekend's sermon that attempted to summarize the entire book of Ecclesiastes, it is a great example of the straightforward wisdom found within those pages. Solomon was talking about axes, but he could just have easily made his point talking about lawnmowers, that is, if they'd been invented at the time. A lot of things can go wrong with a lawnmower, but even if everything else is just right, it does not accomplish its purpose well with dull blades. 

   This was my life until earlier this week. I'd come to realize that the blades on the Troy-Bilt Zero Turn 42" mower were more than just dull - some of them were missing. Over time, the ends of the blades had chipped off and were gone. It was most noticeable when the two blades, spinning side by side, would leave a 4" streak of tall grass, like a mohawk haircut, on every pass around the yard. So, Larry and I set out to replace the blades. After finding the right YouTube video, buying a $2 cheater bar to loosen the hexnuts underneath, and about two hours of work, we accomplished the task. It felt glorious. 

   This story offers more lessons and applications for my life than I can count. The one speaking the most clearly to me is this: it feels good to get things back to right, again. We get dulled and dinged by life. Some of have 'proverbial' parts missing, having been knocked off by some conflict with others or even a self-inflicted hurt. While we cannot go to the parts store on North Davis and find one to match our individual model numbers, there is a method for being restored 'like new,' again.    
   As Mark tells the story, Jesus enters the scene preaching a message that went like this, "Now is the time! Here comes God's kingdom! Change your hearts and lives, and trust this good news!" We don't need to go looking anywhere else for the replacement parts; God's power can change us from within. God can sharpen our minds and care for our souls, if we would just trust this good news. 
   Pray this with me: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Grace and Peace, Scott

It all starts with volunteers

   Football players, cheerleaders, kids in the Band, parents in the stands, and even folks behind the counter at the concession stands: everyone knows that football season is upon us. High Schools and Middle Schools have been playing for a couple of weeks now and college teams start in full force this weekend. All of it to the delight of a hundred million fans watching from the bleachers, in their living rooms, or even on some tablet with their toes in the sand.

   To think that it all started with a volunteer somewhere: recreation sports coaches, a mom or a dad in the backyard, or even an older sibling or family member. Whatever passion a young person puts on display, it almost always finds its genesis with the encouragement and supervision of someone who wasn't paid.

   Our church is blessed by children of all ages who run through our halls, sit in our classrooms, and travel with our groups. But, none of it happens without the adults who show up to encourage and supervise. We teach them right from wrong and show them the love of Jesus. We listen to their silly stories, knowing that they are watching how we live out our own life-stories. We have fun with them and give them room to be serious, too. Each of those moments happens best when adults, in groups of two, are working with small groups of children.

   Every church says they believe in children. Every church proclaims that children are our future. The idea is not original to us: think about the place Jesus gave them in Mark 10:14. I love the church who puts their words into actions. Bonaire does that. We're offering two different opportunities for committed adults to receive training in one of the linchpin parts of how we protect children and youth and provide great places for them to learn and grow. Youth parents and volunteers are invited on Sunday, September 13 at 5:30 PM to a Youth Parent's Night that will feature a look ahead to great stuff being planned. Parents and volunteers with children are invited to the Celebrate and Update Event on Sunday, September 20 at 5:00 PM. Both events will include a component of training around the best methods for protecting children and our church.

   We are blessed to have children show up. It is a stewardship of the most important degree. I am thankful to every adult who is willing to be present with them in these early years in order to shape their later years for the good. Grace and Peace, Scott