This Advent I spent time learning more about who Jesus is through the commands he gives to us as his disciples. There are four times in our gospels where Jesus says – if you are to be my disciples, you will do this.
Today I want to look at his words from John 13:34-35.
“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’”
What’s interesting for us to note is this command to love one another is not new. The Old Testament Leviticus 19:8 tells us, “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself.”
We know this command is not recently made. It’s not fresh or unheard of, or unusual but, Jesus gives it to us in a new way. This new way to love is better, superior, and different than the way it used to be.
Recently Brenda and I went to see a movie that showed this model of love – The Blindside – based on the true story of Michael Oher.
Michael Oher grew up in Memphis TN – one of 13 children. His mother, Denise Oher, suffered from crack cocaine addiction. His father, whom he never really knew, was murdered when Michael was a senior in high school. He was separated from his family at age 7 and spent the next 9 years or sleeping on front porch floors at friends and was in and out of foster homes. As a student Michael was failing miserably, but it wasn’t his fault. He had never been taught how to learn. On a cold, rainy day over Thanksgiving break the Tuohy family was driving by his school and saw Michael walking in cutoff jeans and t-shirt, shivering and shaking, on his way to the gym where he could get warm. Collin Tuohy was a classmate of Michael’s and told her mom and dad he was a classmate, he had no friends, no family, no place to live. He was essentially homeless.
They stopped and invited him to their home for Thanksgiving and a warm place to sleep. Now, Michael was unusual in one other way – he was big. He was about 6’5” and weighed 350 pounds.
In a sit down interview Leigh Ann Tuohy said she looked at this situation with Michael and said to herself – we can do more. She looked into his heart and realized he needed more than just food. He needed to be loved. While their first step in reaching out to help Michael was providing food and a warm place to sleep, they would go on to buy clothes for him, provide a tutor so he could get his grades up and eventually adopt him into their own family.
Michael would go on to be one of the most highly recruited offensive linemen for SEC colleges and eventually played for Ol’ Miss. From there he would excel and was drafted in the first round in 2009 by the Baltimore Ravens. You can see him play today – if you catch one of the Raven’s games. He’s number 74 playing the offensive tackle position.
A white, wealthy, conservative Memphis family reached out to a homeless, 6’5” 350-pound black teenager and took him in. And while not many of us will have the opportunity or the means to do something like this – I am struck by how this true story resonates with the love that Jesus is telling us about.
This is a family that made a personal sacrifice – they took a chance, a risk and in doing so went against the cultural rules – a white, wealthy family took in a homeless black boy and adopted him? I think this is an example to us of a sacrificial, caring, serving love.
Jesus reminds us we are to love one another – not as you want to love one another, not as you think you should love one another – but as I [Jesus] have loved you.
It was psychologist John Sanford who wrote that “love cannot be willed. Love must come from the heart if it is to be genuine, it cannot be feigned, not even with the best of intentions.”
And I think this is true. Jesus calls us to look into the hearts of one another – to see the person who is really inside, not just the outside of the person – and to ask ourselves can we do more? Can we love more?
I think we can. In fact, if we are to be disciples of Christ, Jesus would say we must.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
I read an article a day or two ago about the burning of a 15-year old boy. He was set on fire by five of his classmates ranging in age from 13-15. The young victim has 65% of his body burned – all over $40 owed for a video game. When Michael – the victim – didn’t pay up, the boy whom Michael owed the money tried to steal Michael’s dad’s $500 mountain bike. Michael’s father called the police and the theft was prevented.
Thinking Michael had “snitched him out” Bent (the boy who tried to steal the bike) and four of his friends decided they were justified in dousing Michael with rubbing alcohol and setting him on fire.
With 65% of his body burned, it’s questionable as to whether Michael will make it or not. When two of the main suspects were questioned about the attack – they laughed.
The mother of one of the main suspects had this to say, “They’re good kids, they have good grades, no problems in school. Wrong place, wrong people.”
Two things immediately caught my attention when reading this article – 1) the boys who are suspected of committing the heinous crime laughed. And 2) the mom said they are good kids. (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/15/earlyshow/main5385653.shtml)
That the boys would laugh at this atrocity makes me question what their base of reality truly is. Are they living in a world of violent video games where the main goal is to kill, maim, injure, hurt… Are they lost in a haze of too many movies or TV shows and they do not understand the severity of what has taken place?
And I was shocked to hear the mom say, they are good kids. The truth of the matter is they are not good kids. Good kids do things like steal a pack of gum from the grocery store and apologize to the store owner the next day. Good kids do not set other kids on fire.
I honestly don’t know how something like this can take place – it’s beyond my scope of reference. What I do know is that children are facing greater dangers today than ever before. They face more challenges with drugs; broken families; absent or abusive parents; negative influences – TV, movies, video games...; a sense of not belonging; and an absence of Christ in their lives. Where does this problem begin? Does it begin with parents, environment, socio-cultural norms and expectations, peer influence? I don’t know. What I do know is that we are receiving a wake-up call.
Jesus said, let the children come to me. We too need to reclaim our children and direct them to Jesus. We need to teach them, to be active in their lives, to do simple things like read to them every day, take them to church, find out who their friends are, set positive and healthy guidelines and rules they must live with. These are things we should be doing with our children from a very young age. We cannot try to do this when they are of a teen age. The formative years of a child are when they are very young. This is when they learn what’s right and what’s wrong.
We must be active in our children’s life. Turn the TV off, stay home at night; be knowledgeable about our children’s friends and activities. Go to church with our children. Take part in Sunday school classes along with them. Spend time in the Bible – and maybe you have to learn together – but be there with them.
May God bless the hurting children in our world and may God move us to be more active in helping to heal them.
Thinking Michael had “snitched him out” Bent (the boy who tried to steal the bike) and four of his friends decided they were justified in dousing Michael with rubbing alcohol and setting him on fire.
With 65% of his body burned, it’s questionable as to whether Michael will make it or not. When two of the main suspects were questioned about the attack – they laughed.
The mother of one of the main suspects had this to say, “They’re good kids, they have good grades, no problems in school. Wrong place, wrong people.”
Two things immediately caught my attention when reading this article – 1) the boys who are suspected of committing the heinous crime laughed. And 2) the mom said they are good kids. (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/15/earlyshow/main5385653.shtml)
That the boys would laugh at this atrocity makes me question what their base of reality truly is. Are they living in a world of violent video games where the main goal is to kill, maim, injure, hurt… Are they lost in a haze of too many movies or TV shows and they do not understand the severity of what has taken place?
And I was shocked to hear the mom say, they are good kids. The truth of the matter is they are not good kids. Good kids do things like steal a pack of gum from the grocery store and apologize to the store owner the next day. Good kids do not set other kids on fire.
I honestly don’t know how something like this can take place – it’s beyond my scope of reference. What I do know is that children are facing greater dangers today than ever before. They face more challenges with drugs; broken families; absent or abusive parents; negative influences – TV, movies, video games...; a sense of not belonging; and an absence of Christ in their lives. Where does this problem begin? Does it begin with parents, environment, socio-cultural norms and expectations, peer influence? I don’t know. What I do know is that we are receiving a wake-up call.
Jesus said, let the children come to me. We too need to reclaim our children and direct them to Jesus. We need to teach them, to be active in their lives, to do simple things like read to them every day, take them to church, find out who their friends are, set positive and healthy guidelines and rules they must live with. These are things we should be doing with our children from a very young age. We cannot try to do this when they are of a teen age. The formative years of a child are when they are very young. This is when they learn what’s right and what’s wrong.
We must be active in our children’s life. Turn the TV off, stay home at night; be knowledgeable about our children’s friends and activities. Go to church with our children. Take part in Sunday school classes along with them. Spend time in the Bible – and maybe you have to learn together – but be there with them.
May God bless the hurting children in our world and may God move us to be more active in helping to heal them.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Passing of a friend
Only a couple of weeks have passed since my dear friend Bailey was put to sleep. Bailey was my ten year old Chessie-Chocolate Lab mix. Many of you have expressed your condolences in one form or another - cards, calls, talking in the hallways of our church. And I thank you for your kind words.
It's amazing how special we find our pets - our friends - to be as we learn about their personalities, their likes and dislikes, their faults and their good traits over the course of years. I got Bailey as an 8-week old puppy and watched as he grew into a fine hunting dog and one of the best retrievers I have ever seen. Up until his last day Bailey would rather retrieve his ball, his Frisbee, retrieving dummy ... than do anything else.
I remember the last time I went hunting before entering seminary was with Bailey. We went out on a cold, drizzly, morning, long before the sun was scheduled to rise, looking for geese. We found a nice flock on a public pond not too far from where we lived. As the sun began to rise and the hunting day officially opened the flock began to stir and as one lifted off the waters. Bailey and I had been sitting for almost half an hour. I rose up and leveled my shotgun. With one pull of the trigger I downed two geese. Bailey went to retrieve the one and then the other.
Great shot? Better retrieves!
Bailey was my running and walking companion - when I could be stirred to run or walk - for many years. I knew we were nearing the end when our runs would be shortened because Bailey could no longer make it the full 2-3 miles. So, we would head back early to relax and rest in comfort. Him on his bed in my office; me on my futon in my office.
I've been asked the question before - "will our pets be with us in heaven?". The Bible is silent on this issue, so I go with my intuition on this as well as the intuition of some of my mentors in life. John Wesley believed that he would be reunited with his horse that had been his traveling companion for over two decades in countless preaching missions. C.S. Lewis’ writings about the metaphorical land of Narnia seem to reflect this desire.
I believe that we will see our beloved pets again. They, more often than the people around us, show unselfish love and undying faith to the very end. I believe that Bailey may be one of the, if not the, first to greet me when I come home to be with the Lord.
Patrick
It's amazing how special we find our pets - our friends - to be as we learn about their personalities, their likes and dislikes, their faults and their good traits over the course of years. I got Bailey as an 8-week old puppy and watched as he grew into a fine hunting dog and one of the best retrievers I have ever seen. Up until his last day Bailey would rather retrieve his ball, his Frisbee, retrieving dummy ... than do anything else.
I remember the last time I went hunting before entering seminary was with Bailey. We went out on a cold, drizzly, morning, long before the sun was scheduled to rise, looking for geese. We found a nice flock on a public pond not too far from where we lived. As the sun began to rise and the hunting day officially opened the flock began to stir and as one lifted off the waters. Bailey and I had been sitting for almost half an hour. I rose up and leveled my shotgun. With one pull of the trigger I downed two geese. Bailey went to retrieve the one and then the other.
Great shot? Better retrieves!
Bailey was my running and walking companion - when I could be stirred to run or walk - for many years. I knew we were nearing the end when our runs would be shortened because Bailey could no longer make it the full 2-3 miles. So, we would head back early to relax and rest in comfort. Him on his bed in my office; me on my futon in my office.
I've been asked the question before - "will our pets be with us in heaven?". The Bible is silent on this issue, so I go with my intuition on this as well as the intuition of some of my mentors in life. John Wesley believed that he would be reunited with his horse that had been his traveling companion for over two decades in countless preaching missions. C.S. Lewis’ writings about the metaphorical land of Narnia seem to reflect this desire.
I believe that we will see our beloved pets again. They, more often than the people around us, show unselfish love and undying faith to the very end. I believe that Bailey may be one of the, if not the, first to greet me when I come home to be with the Lord.
Patrick
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Pastor's Top Ten List
I recently had shoulder surgery - last week as a matter of fact. During my invalid time I reflected on all the things I was no longer able to do. I hadn't realized how hampered I would be without the use of my right arm. Simple things like getting dressed, brushing teeth, going to the bathroom, reading a book, lifting a gallon of milk, opening the fridge door - all things I might use my right hand/arm for were now a challenge. As I pondered I began to put a list together of things I could still do even though I had no right hand/arm...
10. Laying around on the couch for two days - works just fine!
9. You may not be able to do push-ups or any other type of exercise, but you can still wear your sweats and a holy t-shirt.
8. You can still root for the Packers - one hand or no hands!
7. The remote control works with either right or left hand!
6. You may not be able to brush your teeth with your right hand anymore, but if you wear your safety goggles while brushing with your left - you won't poke your eye out!
5. You cannot hit 200+ yard drives from the T anymore, but you can t-up a little plastic golf ball and watch your daughter hit it around the living room with her plastic driver.
4. While you cannot give your wife a full two-armed hug, you can do a pretty good job with one arm.
3. You cannot pick up a thirty-two pound, two-year old little girl, but you can revel in the tons of hugs and kisses you get from that very same thirty-two pound, two-year old little girl.
2. Although you cannot take out the trash, you can still tell your wife - honey, I think the trash needs to go out...
1. You may not be able to lift the Bible with two hands, but you can still pray and worship the Lord - the knees still work!
Pastor's Top Ten list of things you can still do directly following shoulder surgery:
10. Laying around on the couch for two days - works just fine!
9. You may not be able to do push-ups or any other type of exercise, but you can still wear your sweats and a holy t-shirt.
8. You can still root for the Packers - one hand or no hands!
7. The remote control works with either right or left hand!
6. You may not be able to brush your teeth with your right hand anymore, but if you wear your safety goggles while brushing with your left - you won't poke your eye out!
5. You cannot hit 200+ yard drives from the T anymore, but you can t-up a little plastic golf ball and watch your daughter hit it around the living room with her plastic driver.
4. While you cannot give your wife a full two-armed hug, you can do a pretty good job with one arm.
3. You cannot pick up a thirty-two pound, two-year old little girl, but you can revel in the tons of hugs and kisses you get from that very same thirty-two pound, two-year old little girl.
2. Although you cannot take out the trash, you can still tell your wife - honey, I think the trash needs to go out...
1. You may not be able to lift the Bible with two hands, but you can still pray and worship the Lord - the knees still work!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Justice over Compassion?
There has been a recent rash of criticism in the news towards Scotland for their release of terrorist al Megrahi. This terrorist was responsible for killing 270 people in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. He was holding a lifetime prison sentence for this attrocious act of murder, but was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer. He has a very short time to live.
Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill, has stated that the justice system demands that judgement be imposed, but compassion be available and that mercy be shown.
The US has voiced in with this comment by FBI Director Robert Mueller who headed the investigation and indictment of Megrahi as an assistant attorney general in 1991. He comments, "You apparently made this decision without regard to the views of your partners in the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the Lockerbie tragedy. ... You have given the family members of those who died continued grief and frustration. ... Where, I ask, is the justice?".
I believe that act of terrorism - any act of terrorism - should be roundly, justly, decisively and quickly dealt with. I condemn any act of terrorism. Having said that, I believe that mercy can and should be a part of our own actions towards one another. Christ teaches forgiveness and as a model forgives the very ones who put him on the cross to die.
I am in agreement with Scotland on this one. Letting Megrahi return home for his last days is an act of compassion and humanity. However, I do believe the fanfare reception he received was almost as deplorable as the original act of terrorism. Letting Megrahi return quietly, without fanfare or attention, to spend his last days with his family would be an act of compassion. Celebrating his release in a way that looks like he is being rewarded is wrong, and a mockery of the families who lost loved ones in the bombing.
Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill, has stated that the justice system demands that judgement be imposed, but compassion be available and that mercy be shown.
The US has voiced in with this comment by FBI Director Robert Mueller who headed the investigation and indictment of Megrahi as an assistant attorney general in 1991. He comments, "You apparently made this decision without regard to the views of your partners in the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the Lockerbie tragedy. ... You have given the family members of those who died continued grief and frustration. ... Where, I ask, is the justice?".
I believe that act of terrorism - any act of terrorism - should be roundly, justly, decisively and quickly dealt with. I condemn any act of terrorism. Having said that, I believe that mercy can and should be a part of our own actions towards one another. Christ teaches forgiveness and as a model forgives the very ones who put him on the cross to die.
I am in agreement with Scotland on this one. Letting Megrahi return home for his last days is an act of compassion and humanity. However, I do believe the fanfare reception he received was almost as deplorable as the original act of terrorism. Letting Megrahi return quietly, without fanfare or attention, to spend his last days with his family would be an act of compassion. Celebrating his release in a way that looks like he is being rewarded is wrong, and a mockery of the families who lost loved ones in the bombing.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
They Had Other Plans
I don’t believe there are many in this world who start out their lives with a destination of poverty, abuse, homelessness, a life of crime, or addiction in mind. In fact when you ask the question of any child, ‘what do you want to be when you grow up’? You receive an answer like: I want to be a fireman when I grow up. I want to be a football star. I want to be a ballerina… or as they get a bit older: I want to be a journalist, or a talk show host, or a movie star, or a pastor. I want to fly airplanes when I get older, be an astronaut or I want to be a stay at home mom and have three children when I grow up.
These are the answers we come to expect from the children in our lives and wouldn’t it be wonderful if it were as simple as this? Wouldn’t it be great if the plans we have when we are young would come about just like we dream? Yet, that’s not the way it happens, is it? Our plans don’t always take shape the way we want. Sometimes we make wrong choices with devastating affects that ruin our marriages, leave us addicted to drugs, out on the streets or even in prison. Sometimes the economy dictates what happens to our jobs – and we are left without employment. Sometimes we suffer abuse at the hands of others.
Many of us have our own stories of plans gone awry and many of us know someone whose life did not turn out as intended.
On June 20th five from our church had an opportunity to meet and talk with folks whose lives haven’t worked out as they had planned. We joined with twelve other missionaries in Fairbanks, Alaska for a week long missions trip where we heard first hand stories of lives that didn’t turn out. These stories were both heart-touching and eye-opening.
As we readied ourselves months in advance for this trip, verses from Peter came to mind for me. He wrote,
"Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; for it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:13-16)
We readied our minds (and our hearts!) for action through much prayer in the months before we left, but we didn’t leave it at that – we followed our prayer with action of the body through fund raising, getting packed and then going – leaving our families and loved ones behind. We were called into action to help bring about the hope of God through Christ.
Peter talks about hope in Christ. It is a hope that is grounded in God’s holiness. Truth be told, I thought that when I was going to Alaska I would be sharing the good news of this hope with those whom I worked with and served, yet more often than not the very people who were homeless, hungry, in need of help around the home or needing a home built – had more of Christ in them than I anticipated.
Each night, as our mission team would gather for our evening worship, we talked about the ways we saw the presence of God in our day. Time and time again someone from the mission team would comment that they had expected to see angry, upset, disgruntled people; after all many of these people had no homes, no work, were recovering drug addicts or alcoholics. Yet, these were the very people who were smiling and praising God all day long.
One of our team members who worked at the Rescue Missions Center said this of the people, “The homeless people at the shelter are happy. They are willing to help people where ever they can. They treat each other like a family. They hold the door for each other. They trust that when they come in they will be cared for.”
I spent most of my time on two main construction projects during the week, but on Thursday I took some time go to the Rescue Missions Center to meet some of the people I had heard so much about.
This homeless shelter is actually one of the best built homeless shelters in the United States. It even has its own room or kitchen for a butcher who comes in each day to prepare fresh meat. They have a separate computer lab for the homeless residents to learn computer skills. They have separate dining rooms for men and women – to keep them apart while eating.
These people were those who we might expect to see as angry, upset, disgruntled people; after all many of these people had no homes, no work, were recovering drug addicts or alcoholics. Yet, these were the very people who were smiling and praising God all day long.
I met and talked with Manuela who is one of the lead workers at the Missions Center. She has very, very little and I believe she walks to work every day. Yet she is always happy, always smiling, and always appreciative. She blesses the people as they come in with a smile and encouraging word. She believes with all her heart that she is doing God’s work and she is so proud to be there.
I ate lunch with Tom who came to the Missions Center months ago with frostbite. For the first couple of months he was unable to do anything. Now he helps direct the kitchen telling people how to prepare the food. He spent years as a chef and cook, so he comes with a lot of experience. He shared his story of alcoholism and bad women with me. He fell off the wagon not too long ago, but is once again sober. Now he works at the Center and takes classes at the local school to better himself.
I met Lorenzo who is an engineer – currently in between engineering jobs – who helps out in the kitchen and is a musician as well. He was so excited about his music that he was going to burn a CD and give it to some of our team so they could play it.
One of the other projects I worked on was a Retreat Center that was being built on the side of a mountain by Chief Will Mayo and his wife Yvonne. I was at this site in 2004 when the project first started. Mayo, at one time the chief of forty-two Alaskan Indian tribes, has worked with the Alaskan governor’s cabinet – not Palin, but the governor before her as well as the White House on national level Native American issues.
One of the nights we had a big bon fire at the building site and he told us of his own personal story – when he was younger he suffered from addictions to drugs and alcohol. He suffered abuse, beatings and even torture. He also told us the story of the Athabaskan Indians of Alaska – who were abused, killed, villages wiped out when the white man began to settle into the country. He told us how children were separated from their families and shipped to far away states and cities – Chicago, California – as a way of defeating and debilitating the tribes.
The retreat center he is building is a place where not only Native Americans (or First Nation Indians) can come for healing and worship and retreat, but others as well. The main cabin was completed and now work on 12 smaller cabins has begun.
In addition to this, we worked on the home of Josh Kugler – a home that has not been lived in for 2 years due to mold and foundational problems. Josh and his family of five have been renting an apartment and paying mortgage as well. Josh also lost his job due to the economy about 8-months ago.
We worked on the lawn and garden of Ruth Vey – an elderly, very spiritual woman. We worked on the home of Jean – an elderly woman who suffers from back problems.
Our mission was to work for, to serve, to help and to build connections with as many people as we could – within the confines of our resources. And we did this. However, the most important thing of all was the relationships we would build with these people. Many of the missionaries that I talked to – from my church and the others – said they thought they would be doing more physical labor than they actually did. They thought they would work harder – but I reminded them that the most important thing they were doing was building relationships.
Our team was blessed to go on this trip and I can say without a doubt that it has changed our lives. One of our missionary ladies said, ‘this trip has changed my heart and very soul for the rest of my life’. Another said, ‘joining the church was my first step toward becoming who I want to be. Going on this mission trip was the second step.’
May God bless you and call you to missions work - one week a year (or every other year) isn't too much to ask, is it?
Until next time,
Patrick
These are the answers we come to expect from the children in our lives and wouldn’t it be wonderful if it were as simple as this? Wouldn’t it be great if the plans we have when we are young would come about just like we dream? Yet, that’s not the way it happens, is it? Our plans don’t always take shape the way we want. Sometimes we make wrong choices with devastating affects that ruin our marriages, leave us addicted to drugs, out on the streets or even in prison. Sometimes the economy dictates what happens to our jobs – and we are left without employment. Sometimes we suffer abuse at the hands of others.
Many of us have our own stories of plans gone awry and many of us know someone whose life did not turn out as intended.
On June 20th five from our church had an opportunity to meet and talk with folks whose lives haven’t worked out as they had planned. We joined with twelve other missionaries in Fairbanks, Alaska for a week long missions trip where we heard first hand stories of lives that didn’t turn out. These stories were both heart-touching and eye-opening.
As we readied ourselves months in advance for this trip, verses from Peter came to mind for me. He wrote,
"Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; for it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:13-16)
We readied our minds (and our hearts!) for action through much prayer in the months before we left, but we didn’t leave it at that – we followed our prayer with action of the body through fund raising, getting packed and then going – leaving our families and loved ones behind. We were called into action to help bring about the hope of God through Christ.
Peter talks about hope in Christ. It is a hope that is grounded in God’s holiness. Truth be told, I thought that when I was going to Alaska I would be sharing the good news of this hope with those whom I worked with and served, yet more often than not the very people who were homeless, hungry, in need of help around the home or needing a home built – had more of Christ in them than I anticipated.
Each night, as our mission team would gather for our evening worship, we talked about the ways we saw the presence of God in our day. Time and time again someone from the mission team would comment that they had expected to see angry, upset, disgruntled people; after all many of these people had no homes, no work, were recovering drug addicts or alcoholics. Yet, these were the very people who were smiling and praising God all day long.
One of our team members who worked at the Rescue Missions Center said this of the people, “The homeless people at the shelter are happy. They are willing to help people where ever they can. They treat each other like a family. They hold the door for each other. They trust that when they come in they will be cared for.”
I spent most of my time on two main construction projects during the week, but on Thursday I took some time go to the Rescue Missions Center to meet some of the people I had heard so much about.
This homeless shelter is actually one of the best built homeless shelters in the United States. It even has its own room or kitchen for a butcher who comes in each day to prepare fresh meat. They have a separate computer lab for the homeless residents to learn computer skills. They have separate dining rooms for men and women – to keep them apart while eating.
These people were those who we might expect to see as angry, upset, disgruntled people; after all many of these people had no homes, no work, were recovering drug addicts or alcoholics. Yet, these were the very people who were smiling and praising God all day long.
I met and talked with Manuela who is one of the lead workers at the Missions Center. She has very, very little and I believe she walks to work every day. Yet she is always happy, always smiling, and always appreciative. She blesses the people as they come in with a smile and encouraging word. She believes with all her heart that she is doing God’s work and she is so proud to be there.
I ate lunch with Tom who came to the Missions Center months ago with frostbite. For the first couple of months he was unable to do anything. Now he helps direct the kitchen telling people how to prepare the food. He spent years as a chef and cook, so he comes with a lot of experience. He shared his story of alcoholism and bad women with me. He fell off the wagon not too long ago, but is once again sober. Now he works at the Center and takes classes at the local school to better himself.
I met Lorenzo who is an engineer – currently in between engineering jobs – who helps out in the kitchen and is a musician as well. He was so excited about his music that he was going to burn a CD and give it to some of our team so they could play it.
One of the other projects I worked on was a Retreat Center that was being built on the side of a mountain by Chief Will Mayo and his wife Yvonne. I was at this site in 2004 when the project first started. Mayo, at one time the chief of forty-two Alaskan Indian tribes, has worked with the Alaskan governor’s cabinet – not Palin, but the governor before her as well as the White House on national level Native American issues.
One of the nights we had a big bon fire at the building site and he told us of his own personal story – when he was younger he suffered from addictions to drugs and alcohol. He suffered abuse, beatings and even torture. He also told us the story of the Athabaskan Indians of Alaska – who were abused, killed, villages wiped out when the white man began to settle into the country. He told us how children were separated from their families and shipped to far away states and cities – Chicago, California – as a way of defeating and debilitating the tribes.
The retreat center he is building is a place where not only Native Americans (or First Nation Indians) can come for healing and worship and retreat, but others as well. The main cabin was completed and now work on 12 smaller cabins has begun.
In addition to this, we worked on the home of Josh Kugler – a home that has not been lived in for 2 years due to mold and foundational problems. Josh and his family of five have been renting an apartment and paying mortgage as well. Josh also lost his job due to the economy about 8-months ago.
We worked on the lawn and garden of Ruth Vey – an elderly, very spiritual woman. We worked on the home of Jean – an elderly woman who suffers from back problems.
Our mission was to work for, to serve, to help and to build connections with as many people as we could – within the confines of our resources. And we did this. However, the most important thing of all was the relationships we would build with these people. Many of the missionaries that I talked to – from my church and the others – said they thought they would be doing more physical labor than they actually did. They thought they would work harder – but I reminded them that the most important thing they were doing was building relationships.
Our team was blessed to go on this trip and I can say without a doubt that it has changed our lives. One of our missionary ladies said, ‘this trip has changed my heart and very soul for the rest of my life’. Another said, ‘joining the church was my first step toward becoming who I want to be. Going on this mission trip was the second step.’
May God bless you and call you to missions work - one week a year (or every other year) isn't too much to ask, is it?
Until next time,
Patrick
Friday, July 31, 2009
Fostering New Ways of Doing
This week I am attending the School of Congregational Development held in Evanston IL. This is an annual teaching conference hosted by the United Methodist Annual Conference designed to help church leaders learn new ways to grow congregations, launch new churches, think outside the box and develop quality leaders who will help take the church to new levels.
Overall the conference has been wonderful. The mornings start with music and worship and a message delivered by inspirational leaders (church pastors, seminary professors, church planters, bishops…) Cast from these people – including our instructors – is a vision to transform not only the Church but the very lives of individuals world wide. There is much being touted about crossing multi-racial barriers and this is evident throughout the conference. Our praise music is sung in different languages – Native American, African, Korean, and English. Our speakers are of varying nationalities and ethnicities. Young and old, Hispanic/Latino, men and women…. This multiculturalism is beautiful to behold. God is at work among the many! Indeed there is a wide and wonderful variety of people here.
Our classes are being taught by quality, experienced church leaders. Each class is different, yet each is teaching about how we may reach people in this new age and ever changing culture. One thing to note that the changes many of these instructors are teaching us take time to implement. I just completed a day and a half with a pastor from Grand Rapids MI who has helped his church grow in one of the most depressed, highly unemployed states in the US. It has taken 19 years for him to reach the point where they are today. They currently have about 600-700 in worship each Sunday. It took 19 years of hard work and effort. They have seen a 9-12% growth in membership each year – nothing astronomical, but certainly steady.
Growth in the church means change in the church. These do not come easily nor quickly. Rev. Dan Dick the Director of Communications with the Wisconsin Conference, and author of Vital Signs – the book the leadership of Milton UMC is currently studying – is in attendance at this conference and he writes in his blog, “The great divide between our vision and our reality gapes ever wider, basically because there is such pressure to deliver immediate results. The specters of declining numbers, aging congregations, lost credibility haunt us, and we’re embarrassed that with each passing day our denomination fails to resemble the changing dominant multi-culture more and more. We want desperately to be a different church, but most people wonder if we have the time, energy, resources, and connectional support to turn things around. Outside of the denomination, those with no church affiliation question whether we truly have any inclination or intention for real change.”
Change is something we must approach with character, competency and commitment. Change doesn’t happen overnight. The right leadership needs to be in place. Leadership needs to be open to the needs of a new generation as well as new ways of speaking their language. While many doubt the feasibility of making effective changes in our communities we must know that God calls us to foster these changes. The exciting news is that teaching conferences like this foster an excitement that is conveyed to the attendees which is hopefully carried back to our own churches and communities.
The tools and techniques we are learning about are only a part of what we are bringing back with us. Along with this is the realization that some of it will work and some will not – we don’t always know which will and which will not. What we do know is that when we stop trying our ministry is at an end. God cannot work with a lifeless husk. Sure, God can renew that lifelessness into life – but God will do that through some other being. In the mean time, we are the ones called to be God’s breath of life into others.
Brothers and Sisters do not give up. We may need to change our way of thinking and doing, but do not give up. Give it time – to let that seed you are planting grow; keep reaching – until someone let’s you take their hand; keep seeking – for those right co-leaders to work side by side with; keep praying – for God’s direction and blessing.
Our denomination has a saying you may be familiar with: Open Minds, Open Hearts, and Open Doors. I am often tempted to preach that we need to change this mantra – because I'm not convinced it’s working. Maybe we need to begin saying something like:
Grow Our Minds – To allow new thoughts, new methodology, new ideas to enter in;
Change of Heart – Let us no longer seek to serve only ourselves, but all the world;
Walk Out Our Doors – It’s not about just us! Our church and sanctuary is the world – let us preach and serve in it and not just within our four walls.
New way of thinking? Perhaps, but we need to Re-think our church and we need to cultivate this with all our church leadership – laity up to the bishops. And we need to not stop at re-thinking, but carry this over to doing.
I thank the Wisconsin UM Conference for all that it is doing to rethink and redo. I also give great thanks to the many wonderful instructors and leaders at this School of Congregational Development. It is this offering of instruction by those who are out their doing that gives to me (and many pastors) the inspiration to do more. Let us carry this inspiration out into the field of mission. The harvest is great! Let the workers gather!
Blessings to you
Overall the conference has been wonderful. The mornings start with music and worship and a message delivered by inspirational leaders (church pastors, seminary professors, church planters, bishops…) Cast from these people – including our instructors – is a vision to transform not only the Church but the very lives of individuals world wide. There is much being touted about crossing multi-racial barriers and this is evident throughout the conference. Our praise music is sung in different languages – Native American, African, Korean, and English. Our speakers are of varying nationalities and ethnicities. Young and old, Hispanic/Latino, men and women…. This multiculturalism is beautiful to behold. God is at work among the many! Indeed there is a wide and wonderful variety of people here.
Our classes are being taught by quality, experienced church leaders. Each class is different, yet each is teaching about how we may reach people in this new age and ever changing culture. One thing to note that the changes many of these instructors are teaching us take time to implement. I just completed a day and a half with a pastor from Grand Rapids MI who has helped his church grow in one of the most depressed, highly unemployed states in the US. It has taken 19 years for him to reach the point where they are today. They currently have about 600-700 in worship each Sunday. It took 19 years of hard work and effort. They have seen a 9-12% growth in membership each year – nothing astronomical, but certainly steady.
Growth in the church means change in the church. These do not come easily nor quickly. Rev. Dan Dick the Director of Communications with the Wisconsin Conference, and author of Vital Signs – the book the leadership of Milton UMC is currently studying – is in attendance at this conference and he writes in his blog, “The great divide between our vision and our reality gapes ever wider, basically because there is such pressure to deliver immediate results. The specters of declining numbers, aging congregations, lost credibility haunt us, and we’re embarrassed that with each passing day our denomination fails to resemble the changing dominant multi-culture more and more. We want desperately to be a different church, but most people wonder if we have the time, energy, resources, and connectional support to turn things around. Outside of the denomination, those with no church affiliation question whether we truly have any inclination or intention for real change.”
Change is something we must approach with character, competency and commitment. Change doesn’t happen overnight. The right leadership needs to be in place. Leadership needs to be open to the needs of a new generation as well as new ways of speaking their language. While many doubt the feasibility of making effective changes in our communities we must know that God calls us to foster these changes. The exciting news is that teaching conferences like this foster an excitement that is conveyed to the attendees which is hopefully carried back to our own churches and communities.
The tools and techniques we are learning about are only a part of what we are bringing back with us. Along with this is the realization that some of it will work and some will not – we don’t always know which will and which will not. What we do know is that when we stop trying our ministry is at an end. God cannot work with a lifeless husk. Sure, God can renew that lifelessness into life – but God will do that through some other being. In the mean time, we are the ones called to be God’s breath of life into others.
Brothers and Sisters do not give up. We may need to change our way of thinking and doing, but do not give up. Give it time – to let that seed you are planting grow; keep reaching – until someone let’s you take their hand; keep seeking – for those right co-leaders to work side by side with; keep praying – for God’s direction and blessing.
Our denomination has a saying you may be familiar with: Open Minds, Open Hearts, and Open Doors. I am often tempted to preach that we need to change this mantra – because I'm not convinced it’s working. Maybe we need to begin saying something like:
Grow Our Minds – To allow new thoughts, new methodology, new ideas to enter in;
Change of Heart – Let us no longer seek to serve only ourselves, but all the world;
Walk Out Our Doors – It’s not about just us! Our church and sanctuary is the world – let us preach and serve in it and not just within our four walls.
New way of thinking? Perhaps, but we need to Re-think our church and we need to cultivate this with all our church leadership – laity up to the bishops. And we need to not stop at re-thinking, but carry this over to doing.
I thank the Wisconsin UM Conference for all that it is doing to rethink and redo. I also give great thanks to the many wonderful instructors and leaders at this School of Congregational Development. It is this offering of instruction by those who are out their doing that gives to me (and many pastors) the inspiration to do more. Let us carry this inspiration out into the field of mission. The harvest is great! Let the workers gather!
Blessings to you
Monday, July 27, 2009
Written On Our Hearts
I’m currently reading through the Bible cover to cover. Each time I read through the Bible something blessedly new comes to my attention. This time, as I read through the book of Leviticus, what caught my attention was not a particular verse, but rather the title of the book itself. What does Leviticus mean?
The opening word of Leviticus in Hebrew is wayyiqra’, which means “and he called” or "The Lord called". The Jews used this word as a title for this book. The opening verse of Leviticus begins with these words, "The Lord called Moses to the tent of meeting and spoke to him”
God had something important to share with Moses; and he called Moses into the tent. After God called Moses he proceeded to lay out the patterns of worship and daily behavior for the tribes of Israel to follow – he gave this to Moses and instructed him to teach the rest of Israel. This tribal name wayyiqra’ would be later translated by the Greeks into the name “Leviticus” that we use today.
Perhaps what captures my interest the most with this is wondering what would have happened if God had called and Moses wasn’t listening because he was too busy?
Imagine that fateful day when Moses was tending the sheep of his father-in-law Jethro. Moses was leading the flock through the wilderness and approaching Mount Horeb, when he saw this burning bush that was not being consumed by the flame.
Moses turns to his fellow shepherds and says, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” (Exo 3:3)
“I must turn aside” tells us that Moses was busy; he was doing something – going somewhere that he needed to turn aside from in order to see this bush. What might have happened had he said to himself or his fellow shepherds, “I’m too busy. I have too much going on right now to stop. Maybe on our way back – if we have time and the bush is still burning – then maybe I’ll stop and take a look.” Would Moses have missed the most important message of his life?
What do we miss when we are too busy to hear God’s call? What plan does God have for us that we fail to live out when we let our busy-ness run our lives rather than letting God run our lives? Imagine that God has some word for us about our own worship and daily behavior and we miss that word because when God calls – because we aren’t paying attention. We aren’t listening. We are too busy.
Leviticus isn’t the only place we find scripture telling us to slow down.
Psalm 37 reminds us, “Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him”
Proverbs 19 tells us, “one who moves too hurriedly misses the way.”
Isaiah 40 shares with us, “but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;”
In the New Testament we hear from Paul who writes this in his letter to the Romans in chapter 12, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
Our scripture is rife with exhortation to each of us to slow down, to be attentive to the presence of the Lord, to talk to God – pray to God – and to listen to God. We are called to be in the spirit of God. When we are not in this presence of God we face the alternative – not having God in our lives.
There is a deception we perpetuate when we believe we can have a life separate from God. It is this deception that caused our fall from grace – and led to Adam and Eve being cast out of the Garden of Eden. We cannot live a life separate from God. Actually, I might say we could live a life separate from God – but it would be an empty life, a miserable life, a life without meaning.
The Apostle Paul talks about this very thing in his letter to the Corinthians. Listen closely to these words: “You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all and you show that you are a letter of Christ, prepared by us, written not with ink but with the Scripture of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts. Such is the confidence that we have through Christ towards God. Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." (2 Cor 3:2-6)
As we look at this reading more closely it is important for us to understand that our very lives – our heart and our soul – are written on by Christ; but, we must slow down in order to let Christ into our lives and allow this to happen. When we allow Christ to be a part of our lives – our lives change!
We have confidence when Christ is in our lives. We have a sense of peace and purpose and happiness that in spite of our difficulties we show a growing trust in God’s control over the circumstances in our life. We reflect this peace and praise our Lord – this is a peace and praise that comes from knowing that Christ suffered for us and that as Christians – we too sometimes suffer. And I believe this confidence is evidence that the transforming power of the Holy Spirit is at work within us.
The other night I was part of a discussion where we talked about what it means to be a Christian. Being a true Christian means more than just coming to church on Sunday morning. Being a true Christian means that we are being changed from within. We are changing into the beings God intends us to be.
But this means we have to give time to God to allow this to happen!
We are a letter that is being written. We are the paper and Christ is the pen. The question we must ask is, what is being written? Are we a novel or a Calvin and Hobbes Comic book? Are we the National Enquirer or the New York Times? Are we the sports section or the cooking section? Are we The Daily Post or the Christian Daily?
What is being written in your letter – on your heart? If someone were to read your letter right now – what would they read? Would they read words like that which Paul has written? Would they know that you are a Christian and a true disciple of Christ? Would they know that you are compelled by Christ and that you make time each day for Him?
I would hope so. In fact, I would hope that people would find written words similar to these on my heart – and these are the words I want to share with you as well as all who would listen:
I am a letter of Christ, written not with ink, but with the Holy Spirit sent to me by the living God. God has not written on stone tablets this time, but on my heart. I find my confidence in God through Christ. I claim nothing of myself nor through myself save that which God has given me. All that I am, all that I will ever be, is through the Spirit of God which gives me life.
Peace be with you my friends.
Until next time,
Reverend Patrick Schultz
The opening word of Leviticus in Hebrew is wayyiqra’, which means “and he called” or "The Lord called". The Jews used this word as a title for this book. The opening verse of Leviticus begins with these words, "The Lord called Moses to the tent of meeting and spoke to him”
God had something important to share with Moses; and he called Moses into the tent. After God called Moses he proceeded to lay out the patterns of worship and daily behavior for the tribes of Israel to follow – he gave this to Moses and instructed him to teach the rest of Israel. This tribal name wayyiqra’ would be later translated by the Greeks into the name “Leviticus” that we use today.
Perhaps what captures my interest the most with this is wondering what would have happened if God had called and Moses wasn’t listening because he was too busy?
Imagine that fateful day when Moses was tending the sheep of his father-in-law Jethro. Moses was leading the flock through the wilderness and approaching Mount Horeb, when he saw this burning bush that was not being consumed by the flame.
Moses turns to his fellow shepherds and says, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” (Exo 3:3)
“I must turn aside” tells us that Moses was busy; he was doing something – going somewhere that he needed to turn aside from in order to see this bush. What might have happened had he said to himself or his fellow shepherds, “I’m too busy. I have too much going on right now to stop. Maybe on our way back – if we have time and the bush is still burning – then maybe I’ll stop and take a look.” Would Moses have missed the most important message of his life?
What do we miss when we are too busy to hear God’s call? What plan does God have for us that we fail to live out when we let our busy-ness run our lives rather than letting God run our lives? Imagine that God has some word for us about our own worship and daily behavior and we miss that word because when God calls – because we aren’t paying attention. We aren’t listening. We are too busy.
Leviticus isn’t the only place we find scripture telling us to slow down.
Psalm 37 reminds us, “Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him”
Proverbs 19 tells us, “one who moves too hurriedly misses the way.”
Isaiah 40 shares with us, “but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;”
In the New Testament we hear from Paul who writes this in his letter to the Romans in chapter 12, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
Our scripture is rife with exhortation to each of us to slow down, to be attentive to the presence of the Lord, to talk to God – pray to God – and to listen to God. We are called to be in the spirit of God. When we are not in this presence of God we face the alternative – not having God in our lives.
There is a deception we perpetuate when we believe we can have a life separate from God. It is this deception that caused our fall from grace – and led to Adam and Eve being cast out of the Garden of Eden. We cannot live a life separate from God. Actually, I might say we could live a life separate from God – but it would be an empty life, a miserable life, a life without meaning.
The Apostle Paul talks about this very thing in his letter to the Corinthians. Listen closely to these words: “You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all and you show that you are a letter of Christ, prepared by us, written not with ink but with the Scripture of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts. Such is the confidence that we have through Christ towards God. Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." (2 Cor 3:2-6)
As we look at this reading more closely it is important for us to understand that our very lives – our heart and our soul – are written on by Christ; but, we must slow down in order to let Christ into our lives and allow this to happen. When we allow Christ to be a part of our lives – our lives change!
We have confidence when Christ is in our lives. We have a sense of peace and purpose and happiness that in spite of our difficulties we show a growing trust in God’s control over the circumstances in our life. We reflect this peace and praise our Lord – this is a peace and praise that comes from knowing that Christ suffered for us and that as Christians – we too sometimes suffer. And I believe this confidence is evidence that the transforming power of the Holy Spirit is at work within us.
The other night I was part of a discussion where we talked about what it means to be a Christian. Being a true Christian means more than just coming to church on Sunday morning. Being a true Christian means that we are being changed from within. We are changing into the beings God intends us to be.
But this means we have to give time to God to allow this to happen!
We are a letter that is being written. We are the paper and Christ is the pen. The question we must ask is, what is being written? Are we a novel or a Calvin and Hobbes Comic book? Are we the National Enquirer or the New York Times? Are we the sports section or the cooking section? Are we The Daily Post or the Christian Daily?
What is being written in your letter – on your heart? If someone were to read your letter right now – what would they read? Would they read words like that which Paul has written? Would they know that you are a Christian and a true disciple of Christ? Would they know that you are compelled by Christ and that you make time each day for Him?
I would hope so. In fact, I would hope that people would find written words similar to these on my heart – and these are the words I want to share with you as well as all who would listen:
I am a letter of Christ, written not with ink, but with the Holy Spirit sent to me by the living God. God has not written on stone tablets this time, but on my heart. I find my confidence in God through Christ. I claim nothing of myself nor through myself save that which God has given me. All that I am, all that I will ever be, is through the Spirit of God which gives me life.
Peace be with you my friends.
Until next time,
Reverend Patrick Schultz
Monday, July 6, 2009
Lift A Prayer to Heaven
Lift A Prayer To God
One of my favorite television shows, 7th Heaven, features a pastor of a non-denominational church in the fictional town of Glen Oak, CA. The Reverend Eric Camden, his wife Annie, and their seven children experience a multitude of issues throughout their church and community. The dilemmas dealt with on each show run the gambit from alcoholism and drug usage to infidelity and teenage sex; from birth to death; from prayer and faith to broken families and poverty.
The issues dealt with are real life situations many of us face ourselves. Unrealistically however, the show’s “problem of the day” is usually resolved within the scope of a one-hour time slot. Beyond that the characters faith seems to deepen with each show and all the family members end their day with a heartfelt, warm, “I love you” for one another. Reality tells us that none of our problems are solved in such a short amount of time. Reality tells us our faith is sometimes shaken and we don’t always go to be saying “I love you” to one another.
A death in the family, expected or unexpected, peaceful or violent, that of a parent, spouse or child, can take years to work through. Alcoholism and other addictions are a lifelong struggle. Infidelity within a marriage or teenage sex carries consequences that include sexually transmitted disease, unwanted pregnancies, broken relationships and broken hearts. In the same sense developing a deep faith or relationship with God may take a long time especially in the face of our uncertain times of war, economic struggle and unemployment, or disastrous relationships.
In my years of pastoring I’ve come to realize there are no easy answers. Resolving our issues take time, hard work and the help of others. If you find yourself struggling with a problem so large you aren’t quite sure what to do I would like to encourage you to lift a prayer to God. Maybe you’ve never prayed to God before. Maybe you aren’t sure what to say. Maybe you aren’t sure you even believe in God. That’s ok. I want to tell you God believes in you and God cares about you. If you aren’t sure what to pray perhaps you can use these words:
Dear God, hear my prayer today. Right now I am struggling. I am hurting and feeling a bit lost. I am not sure where to turn. Please, guide me in what to do next. Comfort me that I might not hurt so much. Let me know I am not alone. God, bring some light into my ever darkening world. This I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Peace be with you my friends.
Until next time,
Reverend Patrick Schultz
One of my favorite television shows, 7th Heaven, features a pastor of a non-denominational church in the fictional town of Glen Oak, CA. The Reverend Eric Camden, his wife Annie, and their seven children experience a multitude of issues throughout their church and community. The dilemmas dealt with on each show run the gambit from alcoholism and drug usage to infidelity and teenage sex; from birth to death; from prayer and faith to broken families and poverty.
The issues dealt with are real life situations many of us face ourselves. Unrealistically however, the show’s “problem of the day” is usually resolved within the scope of a one-hour time slot. Beyond that the characters faith seems to deepen with each show and all the family members end their day with a heartfelt, warm, “I love you” for one another. Reality tells us that none of our problems are solved in such a short amount of time. Reality tells us our faith is sometimes shaken and we don’t always go to be saying “I love you” to one another.
A death in the family, expected or unexpected, peaceful or violent, that of a parent, spouse or child, can take years to work through. Alcoholism and other addictions are a lifelong struggle. Infidelity within a marriage or teenage sex carries consequences that include sexually transmitted disease, unwanted pregnancies, broken relationships and broken hearts. In the same sense developing a deep faith or relationship with God may take a long time especially in the face of our uncertain times of war, economic struggle and unemployment, or disastrous relationships.
In my years of pastoring I’ve come to realize there are no easy answers. Resolving our issues take time, hard work and the help of others. If you find yourself struggling with a problem so large you aren’t quite sure what to do I would like to encourage you to lift a prayer to God. Maybe you’ve never prayed to God before. Maybe you aren’t sure what to say. Maybe you aren’t sure you even believe in God. That’s ok. I want to tell you God believes in you and God cares about you. If you aren’t sure what to pray perhaps you can use these words:
Dear God, hear my prayer today. Right now I am struggling. I am hurting and feeling a bit lost. I am not sure where to turn. Please, guide me in what to do next. Comfort me that I might not hurt so much. Let me know I am not alone. God, bring some light into my ever darkening world. This I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Peace be with you my friends.
Until next time,
Reverend Patrick Schultz
Saturday, May 16, 2009
God Has a Purpose
During the month of February I read several news articles reporting on the celebration of one of the world’s most noted naturalists. Charles Darwin, the English naturalist who brought to the world the theories of evolution, is being remembered this month on the 200th anniversary of his birth. As I’ve read these articles I’ve been reminded of the “culture wars” over the issue of human origin and the teachings of evolution. Certainly, this is one of the leading issues we debate – religiously, theologically and scientifically. Relatively recently, there have been battles over the teaching of Intelligent Design along side the theory of evolution in our classrooms.
In 1859 Darwin published his greatest work, The Origin of Species By Means of Natural Selection. It was a long book which began to stir the world under this theory of evolution. The idea of evolution was essentially the hypothesis that living things might share a common descent. Darwin began to develop this theory during his five-year journey on the H.M.S. Beagle (1831 – 1836) where he was the ship’s naturalist. However, it wasn’t until 1842 that he began writing a pencil abstract of 35 pages on his theory of evolution – which was found more than 50 years later in a cupboard under the stairs at his house in Kent. (The Wonders of Life on Earth, 3).
Life on earth changes. This in and of itself is not a likely newsflash for any reader today. As we look at the history of our planet Earth, it seems clear that it has undergone change. Most recently our world’s meteorologists and scientists have been monitoring the changes indicated by global warming including rising waters, receding icebergs and increased tornado/hurricane/tsunami activities. However, Darwin suggests a theory of change that includes natural selection – not change for the sake of random change. Dr. Colin Barnstable, a professor of neurobiology at Yale University School of Medicine writes a simple explanation of Darwin’s theory:
Darwin’s theory of evolution has three components: the first is mutation – a series of changes in the chemistry of the genetic DNA. This mutation leads to variation. The final point of evolution is selection. There are certain variations in particular environments that are more advantageous than others. Those that are advantageous are passed down genetically to offspring. Over a long period of time this can develop a new species. This is the process of natural selection. (Seeing Gray in a Black and White World, 80)
The sticking point around this evolutionary process, which seems innocuous, innocent, and quite brilliant at first blush, is when this principal is applied to the development of human beings. Christians struggle with this theory – as do Muslims and other religions.
The evolutionary process is in direct opposition to the literal account of creation given in the Book of Genesis which tells us that God created the universe and everything else in six twenty-four hour days. This does not allow for evolution.
There are also those who believe the evolutionary process diminishes the role of God in creation. Evolution seems to be too happenstance and distances the hand of God in creation. A third question arises – if evolution is believed are we (human beings) then evolved from a lower being – chimps, apes, or some sea creature millions of years ago?
How does a Christian resolve themselves to these questions? Perhaps the answer to this question is found in our definition of evolution. Do we define evolution as an uncontrolled, random process based solely on the genetic aspects of the fittest survive and perpetuate? Or is there a controlling hand in all of this?
One of the Christian responses to this question is what is known as Intelligent Design. The theory of Intelligent Design holds that certain features of the universe and of life are best explained by an intelligent cause, and not an undirected process such as natural selection. Intelligent Design explains the wonderful complexities of life and asks the question of whether evolution alone suffices to explain this complexity. When we look at the Book of Genesis we read that God spoke into being day and night, the heavens and earth, the plants and animals and sea creatures and so on. While scripture tells us God spoke into being all of creation, scripture is quite silent on how this occurred. Is it not possible that God in all God’s infinite wisdom and capability set into motion a series of events that began with the formation of planets and stars – the cosmos? And God established the rules in which the universe runs (many of which we are still learning about) and from this process God governed the creation of humanity?
While evolution claims an unplanned process, Intelligent Design disagrees with this. Intelligent Design speaks of a Creator with a plan. Many scientists believe this to be quite likely and find it congruent with their faith as Christians. As I learn more about evolution, creationism, and Intelligent Design I tend to be in agreement with those regarding Intelligent Design. The theory of evolution seems to explain the mechanism and basics of developing life; yet, we would find this explanation lacking if we were to stop here. I believe there are points along the evolutionary process that God steps in and takes a more active role. Such as when hominids became human – God stepped in and gave us a soul – higher reasoning – and a purpose.
Intelligent Design speaks of purpose and intent behind the design. In some ways I find this equivalent to our own personal lives.
Our lives are much more than birth, activity and death. We are created with purpose. Our intent is to find that purpose through prayer and relation with God that we might find how to best fit in God’s overall plan. Our purpose is not always clear, nor easy for us to understand. Even with this we must understand there is a purpose in God’s grand design. God’s hand is upon each one of us – in both good times and turbulent times. When we seek out God’s will in our day we begin to fulfill God’s purpose. As I conclude this message I want to leave you with these words from Psalm 138: “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”
Peace be with you my friends.
Until next time,
Patrick
In 1859 Darwin published his greatest work, The Origin of Species By Means of Natural Selection. It was a long book which began to stir the world under this theory of evolution. The idea of evolution was essentially the hypothesis that living things might share a common descent. Darwin began to develop this theory during his five-year journey on the H.M.S. Beagle (1831 – 1836) where he was the ship’s naturalist. However, it wasn’t until 1842 that he began writing a pencil abstract of 35 pages on his theory of evolution – which was found more than 50 years later in a cupboard under the stairs at his house in Kent. (The Wonders of Life on Earth, 3).
Life on earth changes. This in and of itself is not a likely newsflash for any reader today. As we look at the history of our planet Earth, it seems clear that it has undergone change. Most recently our world’s meteorologists and scientists have been monitoring the changes indicated by global warming including rising waters, receding icebergs and increased tornado/hurricane/tsunami activities. However, Darwin suggests a theory of change that includes natural selection – not change for the sake of random change. Dr. Colin Barnstable, a professor of neurobiology at Yale University School of Medicine writes a simple explanation of Darwin’s theory:
Darwin’s theory of evolution has three components: the first is mutation – a series of changes in the chemistry of the genetic DNA. This mutation leads to variation. The final point of evolution is selection. There are certain variations in particular environments that are more advantageous than others. Those that are advantageous are passed down genetically to offspring. Over a long period of time this can develop a new species. This is the process of natural selection. (Seeing Gray in a Black and White World, 80)
The sticking point around this evolutionary process, which seems innocuous, innocent, and quite brilliant at first blush, is when this principal is applied to the development of human beings. Christians struggle with this theory – as do Muslims and other religions.
The evolutionary process is in direct opposition to the literal account of creation given in the Book of Genesis which tells us that God created the universe and everything else in six twenty-four hour days. This does not allow for evolution.
There are also those who believe the evolutionary process diminishes the role of God in creation. Evolution seems to be too happenstance and distances the hand of God in creation. A third question arises – if evolution is believed are we (human beings) then evolved from a lower being – chimps, apes, or some sea creature millions of years ago?
How does a Christian resolve themselves to these questions? Perhaps the answer to this question is found in our definition of evolution. Do we define evolution as an uncontrolled, random process based solely on the genetic aspects of the fittest survive and perpetuate? Or is there a controlling hand in all of this?
One of the Christian responses to this question is what is known as Intelligent Design. The theory of Intelligent Design holds that certain features of the universe and of life are best explained by an intelligent cause, and not an undirected process such as natural selection. Intelligent Design explains the wonderful complexities of life and asks the question of whether evolution alone suffices to explain this complexity. When we look at the Book of Genesis we read that God spoke into being day and night, the heavens and earth, the plants and animals and sea creatures and so on. While scripture tells us God spoke into being all of creation, scripture is quite silent on how this occurred. Is it not possible that God in all God’s infinite wisdom and capability set into motion a series of events that began with the formation of planets and stars – the cosmos? And God established the rules in which the universe runs (many of which we are still learning about) and from this process God governed the creation of humanity?
While evolution claims an unplanned process, Intelligent Design disagrees with this. Intelligent Design speaks of a Creator with a plan. Many scientists believe this to be quite likely and find it congruent with their faith as Christians. As I learn more about evolution, creationism, and Intelligent Design I tend to be in agreement with those regarding Intelligent Design. The theory of evolution seems to explain the mechanism and basics of developing life; yet, we would find this explanation lacking if we were to stop here. I believe there are points along the evolutionary process that God steps in and takes a more active role. Such as when hominids became human – God stepped in and gave us a soul – higher reasoning – and a purpose.
Intelligent Design speaks of purpose and intent behind the design. In some ways I find this equivalent to our own personal lives.
Our lives are much more than birth, activity and death. We are created with purpose. Our intent is to find that purpose through prayer and relation with God that we might find how to best fit in God’s overall plan. Our purpose is not always clear, nor easy for us to understand. Even with this we must understand there is a purpose in God’s grand design. God’s hand is upon each one of us – in both good times and turbulent times. When we seek out God’s will in our day we begin to fulfill God’s purpose. As I conclude this message I want to leave you with these words from Psalm 138: “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”
Peace be with you my friends.
Until next time,
Patrick
In His Steps - Part III
In Part I and II of In His Steps, I introduced a book written by Charles M. Sheldon. Throughout the novel a question is asked by those who strive to reshape their lives according to how Jesus would respond in a given situation. For one year certain members from the mythical First Church of Raymond are committed to asking themselves, “What would Jesus do?” as a guide to their daily lives. Their pledge is to answer this question as honestly as possible and act accordingly.
Let me begin today by sharing a bit more about Charles Sheldon. Sheldon was born in 1857 in Wellsville, New York. He was educated at Phillips Academy, Brown University, and Andover Theological Seminary. This helped prepare him for a life of congregational ministry, following in the footsteps of his father. He began his ministry in Topeka, Kansas with the Central Congregational Church in 1899 where he would essentially live out his pastoring years. Sheldon had a working relationship with the Christian Herald for twenty-six years. The Herald was perhaps the most influential Protestant publication of the time in America. Sheldon died in 1946.
While In His Steps does not explicitly address the question, ‘What would Jesus do about religion today?’ it does seem to be a topic of interest with many people I talk to. I had a recent conversation with a man who asked me questions about Muslim belief and where Jesus fits in; why people call Catholic priests ‘father’ when scripture tells us only God is to be called father. I was asked about the Holy Wars – the Crusades – and all the killing “Christians” did then; as well as why many churches are losing members and seeing lower attendance today? We had only a brief time for discussion and I was not able to answer all of the questions; yet, I came away from the discussion wondering, ‘What would Jesus do about our religions today?’ Are our religions (and denominations) as Christ envisioned they would be some two thousand years ago?
In the novel, Reverend Henry Maxwell leads his congregation on a journey to take up the cross and live like Christ. In the initial parts of the novel, I get the sense that Maxwell holds himself somewhat aloof – apart and separate from other churches and perhaps other denominations. There is nothing explicitly stating this; nevertheless, it is a feeling I get. Yet, when the young man, whom I mentioned in the first article, addresses the congregation and then dies, a definite impact is left on Maxwell. We see the good Reverend begin to change. His sermons take on a more spiritual overtone and are less polished. His focus on the needy and the outcast is sharpened.
Mr. Gray, the minister leading the tent revivals in the area of Raymond called ‘the Rectangle’, calls upon Reverend Maxwell one afternoon asking for help. He asks Maxwell if he would preach this night as he was unable to due to a severe cold. Maxwell’s initial response? “I’m sorry, but it’s my regular prayer meeting night”. Then he flushes and adds, “I shall be able to arrange it in some way so as to come down. You can count on me.” Then he asks Gray if he would stay a moment so they can pray together.
Maxwell goes on to preach several times in the tent church of the Rectangle. He is also invited to preach at the Nazareth Avenue Church and the Settlement Hall of Chicago. Throughout all this, his view of the Kingdom begins to broaden. It is no longer limited to that of his church and town – he begins to encompass the many in need throughout the region. He begins to step outside his comfort zone, his self-created box of comfort, and see beyond the confines of his own church and/or denomination. He begins to accept that God’s children span the globe and are of many different shapes, sizes, colors, backgrounds, and yes – even different religions.
So, how do we handle the question of straddling denominational lines and issues when it comes to serving the needs of others? How do we interact with other religions? What do we do for the one who rejects Jesus but accepts God?
When thinking about the Hindu, the Jews, and the Muslims I think of those who have a sincere faith – a deep desire to be in relationship with God as they understand the demands of that relationship. Imagine a Hindu, Jew or Muslim who has heard of Jesus Christ and the Christian gospel, but is not persuaded to convert to Christianity. This person prays regularly, studies, helps those in need, gives in stewardship, remains humble; yet, has not been persuaded to become Christian, perhaps in large part because of the Christian role models available. Nevertheless, this person believes deeply in God and strives to be in a meaningful relationship with God.
As Christians we say that God forms all persons in their mother’s wombs, knows them by name, loves them, sees and hears every prayer they utter and sees their attempts to do what is right. Would this God stand by and watch these people perish? Has he designed an eternal punishment for those who, though they have sought God, do not understand Jesus is the Christ and did not call on him for salvation? I find this contrary to the loving and gracious God I have come to know.
I had the good fortune to become close friends with a Jewish rabbi from Kenosha several years ago. He has since moved back to New York following the tragic loss of his young wife. We had many fruitful conversations about our respective religions and I enjoyed learning more about his faith. Nothing he shared with me indicated that he would be a lost or rejected soul. I haven’t had the blessings of knowing Muslims or Hindus, but I believe those who fulfill the great commandments better than many Christians I know will not be exempt to God’s grace and salvation. I believe it is possible for God to save them.
So what do we (as Christians) do when confronted with someone who resists the will of God, does not live a life of love, does not value justice or mercy, and lives a life in which they are the center of their existence?
There are those who have resisted God’s will their entire lives and lived only for themselves. Will these persons have their lives snuffed out with nothing to follow? Or will they, upon their death, live an eternal life separated from God surrounded by others whose only focus is themselves – where the entire world revolves around them? Either way, a life separated from God seems to me a life of Hell.
Working across denominational lines – is a by-line or title I have considered using more than once. Recently, several of us from my church visited Janesville’s New Life – Assembly of God and the Faith Community Church. We are in the process of beginning a contemporary service to compliment our well established traditional service. Both non-Methodist churches have offered to help us with our new service. We have been offered the “loan” of their praise bands as well as other resources. New Life recently invited us to participate in the Fourth of July Freedom Fest with them. Their reason for inviting other churches is this: “The purpose of inviting other churches to help is to show the community that churches are on the same team and that we can work together.”
I have experienced that same sense of teamwork, camaraderie, and willingness to share with the Reverends George Calhoun and Nate Crandall of the Seventh Day Baptist church. Churches can and should operate across the denominational lines. A number of years ago while pastoring in Kentucky a District Superintendent told me that when we make it to heaven, Jesus will inform us, “You all had it almost right. None of you were spot on, but you all were very close.” We should work across denominational lines because, as New Life eloquently states, “churches are on the same team and that we can work together.”
I’ll close this article with a Newsweek article about Billy Graham. “He [Billy] is sure and certain of his faith in Jesus as the way to salvation. When asked whether he believes heaven will be closed to good Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, or other secular people, though, Graham says: ‘Those are decisions only the Lord will make. It would be foolish for me to speculate on who will be there and who won’t… I don’t want to speculate on all that. I believe the love of God is absolute. He said he gave his son for the whole world, and I think he loves everybody regardless of what label they have.”
Peace be with you my friends. Please know that I keep this community in my prayers.
Until next time,
Patrick
Let me begin today by sharing a bit more about Charles Sheldon. Sheldon was born in 1857 in Wellsville, New York. He was educated at Phillips Academy, Brown University, and Andover Theological Seminary. This helped prepare him for a life of congregational ministry, following in the footsteps of his father. He began his ministry in Topeka, Kansas with the Central Congregational Church in 1899 where he would essentially live out his pastoring years. Sheldon had a working relationship with the Christian Herald for twenty-six years. The Herald was perhaps the most influential Protestant publication of the time in America. Sheldon died in 1946.
While In His Steps does not explicitly address the question, ‘What would Jesus do about religion today?’ it does seem to be a topic of interest with many people I talk to. I had a recent conversation with a man who asked me questions about Muslim belief and where Jesus fits in; why people call Catholic priests ‘father’ when scripture tells us only God is to be called father. I was asked about the Holy Wars – the Crusades – and all the killing “Christians” did then; as well as why many churches are losing members and seeing lower attendance today? We had only a brief time for discussion and I was not able to answer all of the questions; yet, I came away from the discussion wondering, ‘What would Jesus do about our religions today?’ Are our religions (and denominations) as Christ envisioned they would be some two thousand years ago?
In the novel, Reverend Henry Maxwell leads his congregation on a journey to take up the cross and live like Christ. In the initial parts of the novel, I get the sense that Maxwell holds himself somewhat aloof – apart and separate from other churches and perhaps other denominations. There is nothing explicitly stating this; nevertheless, it is a feeling I get. Yet, when the young man, whom I mentioned in the first article, addresses the congregation and then dies, a definite impact is left on Maxwell. We see the good Reverend begin to change. His sermons take on a more spiritual overtone and are less polished. His focus on the needy and the outcast is sharpened.
Mr. Gray, the minister leading the tent revivals in the area of Raymond called ‘the Rectangle’, calls upon Reverend Maxwell one afternoon asking for help. He asks Maxwell if he would preach this night as he was unable to due to a severe cold. Maxwell’s initial response? “I’m sorry, but it’s my regular prayer meeting night”. Then he flushes and adds, “I shall be able to arrange it in some way so as to come down. You can count on me.” Then he asks Gray if he would stay a moment so they can pray together.
Maxwell goes on to preach several times in the tent church of the Rectangle. He is also invited to preach at the Nazareth Avenue Church and the Settlement Hall of Chicago. Throughout all this, his view of the Kingdom begins to broaden. It is no longer limited to that of his church and town – he begins to encompass the many in need throughout the region. He begins to step outside his comfort zone, his self-created box of comfort, and see beyond the confines of his own church and/or denomination. He begins to accept that God’s children span the globe and are of many different shapes, sizes, colors, backgrounds, and yes – even different religions.
So, how do we handle the question of straddling denominational lines and issues when it comes to serving the needs of others? How do we interact with other religions? What do we do for the one who rejects Jesus but accepts God?
When thinking about the Hindu, the Jews, and the Muslims I think of those who have a sincere faith – a deep desire to be in relationship with God as they understand the demands of that relationship. Imagine a Hindu, Jew or Muslim who has heard of Jesus Christ and the Christian gospel, but is not persuaded to convert to Christianity. This person prays regularly, studies, helps those in need, gives in stewardship, remains humble; yet, has not been persuaded to become Christian, perhaps in large part because of the Christian role models available. Nevertheless, this person believes deeply in God and strives to be in a meaningful relationship with God.
As Christians we say that God forms all persons in their mother’s wombs, knows them by name, loves them, sees and hears every prayer they utter and sees their attempts to do what is right. Would this God stand by and watch these people perish? Has he designed an eternal punishment for those who, though they have sought God, do not understand Jesus is the Christ and did not call on him for salvation? I find this contrary to the loving and gracious God I have come to know.
I had the good fortune to become close friends with a Jewish rabbi from Kenosha several years ago. He has since moved back to New York following the tragic loss of his young wife. We had many fruitful conversations about our respective religions and I enjoyed learning more about his faith. Nothing he shared with me indicated that he would be a lost or rejected soul. I haven’t had the blessings of knowing Muslims or Hindus, but I believe those who fulfill the great commandments better than many Christians I know will not be exempt to God’s grace and salvation. I believe it is possible for God to save them.
So what do we (as Christians) do when confronted with someone who resists the will of God, does not live a life of love, does not value justice or mercy, and lives a life in which they are the center of their existence?
There are those who have resisted God’s will their entire lives and lived only for themselves. Will these persons have their lives snuffed out with nothing to follow? Or will they, upon their death, live an eternal life separated from God surrounded by others whose only focus is themselves – where the entire world revolves around them? Either way, a life separated from God seems to me a life of Hell.
Working across denominational lines – is a by-line or title I have considered using more than once. Recently, several of us from my church visited Janesville’s New Life – Assembly of God and the Faith Community Church. We are in the process of beginning a contemporary service to compliment our well established traditional service. Both non-Methodist churches have offered to help us with our new service. We have been offered the “loan” of their praise bands as well as other resources. New Life recently invited us to participate in the Fourth of July Freedom Fest with them. Their reason for inviting other churches is this: “The purpose of inviting other churches to help is to show the community that churches are on the same team and that we can work together.”
I have experienced that same sense of teamwork, camaraderie, and willingness to share with the Reverends George Calhoun and Nate Crandall of the Seventh Day Baptist church. Churches can and should operate across the denominational lines. A number of years ago while pastoring in Kentucky a District Superintendent told me that when we make it to heaven, Jesus will inform us, “You all had it almost right. None of you were spot on, but you all were very close.” We should work across denominational lines because, as New Life eloquently states, “churches are on the same team and that we can work together.”
I’ll close this article with a Newsweek article about Billy Graham. “He [Billy] is sure and certain of his faith in Jesus as the way to salvation. When asked whether he believes heaven will be closed to good Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, or other secular people, though, Graham says: ‘Those are decisions only the Lord will make. It would be foolish for me to speculate on who will be there and who won’t… I don’t want to speculate on all that. I believe the love of God is absolute. He said he gave his son for the whole world, and I think he loves everybody regardless of what label they have.”
Peace be with you my friends. Please know that I keep this community in my prayers.
Until next time,
Patrick
Sunday, March 22, 2009
In His Steps - Part II
With In His Steps – Part I, I introduced you to a book written by Charles M. Sheldon. In the book Pastor Henry Maxwell asks his congregation to live each day and to make each decision according to a question, “What would Jesus do?”
Fifty people of his congregation accept this challenge while the majority of the congregation does not. The action of these folks cause more than some angst within the church and as time goes by the church threatens to split. The novel then follows several of the key people who take this pledge.
Throughout the book we learn of the issues that follow when people seek discipleship in Christ with real integrity.
One of the characters is Edward Norman, editor of the Raymond Daily News. It is one of the city’s leading papers and does quite well financially. Norman decides to convert the paper into a Christian newspaper. In doing so, he removes sensational news articles written for the sake of sensation. He limits crime articles to the facts but includes commentary on how the crimes might be prevented. The reporters have to sign their names at the bottom of the articles thereby taking ownership and accountability for their writing. He stops running the Sunday edition – their largest selling edition. And he discontinues advertising he felt is ‘questionable or suggestive’. All of these changes come at great cost as they lose advertisers and subscribers. Nevertheless he stays with his pledge to do everything connected with the paper after answering the question, “What would Jesus do?” as honestly as possible. In this faith he believes he can run the paper strictly on Christian principles and make it succeed.
Another of the story’s characters is that of the church soloist, a young singer named Rachel. She has a world-class voice and is offered a very nice, lucrative contract to travel with an entertainment group. She would have the opportunity to entertain around the world singing to elite audiences such as royalty, influentials, national and international leaders. Undoubtedly, Rachel would become famous and wealthy doing so. Yet, after asking the question, “What would Jesus do?” she declines that offer and instead uses her musical talents to sing at a new church outreach which is ministering in an area of town we might call the projects or slums. Her stage is a canvas tent; her audience is Raymond’s homeless, addicts, drunks, pimps, and prostitutes. More than one person came to know Christ as Savior through the gift of her voice.
While the book goes on to tell us of other characters who make significant changes in their lives it is interesting to note that Charles Sheldon, pastor and author of this book, lived his own life according this question.
One of his own pastoral projects in Topeka was to work for the betterment of a black settlement called Tennesseetown. He lived there for three weeks so he could grasp first hand the issues the people lived with. He went on to establish the first black kindergarten west of the Mississippi.
Sheldon also served briefly as Topeka’s police commissioner. He called for a Christian police force with the police acting as missionaries. Truth be told, I’m not sure that would work well today for us. Nevertheless, as police commissioner Sheldon appointed Topeka’s first two police women to the task force. Remember, this was over one hundred years ago! On June 7, 1921 Margaret Kavanaugh became Janesville’s first female police officer, but her job was discontinued after a few months, leaving the department an all-male bastion until 1953 when Mrs. Arnold Schmidt became the Janesville Police Department's first female employee as records clerk, freeing a male officer for patrol work. I’m not sure when Milton appointed its first female police officer, but in general I have to believe that Sheldon was ahead of his time in this.
Throughout Sheldon’s life, and throughout the lives of the characters Sheldon introduces us to, and in our own experience we know that answering Christ’s call to take up our cross and follow him is not easy. Cross bearing refers to self-sacrifice. Making the confession that Jesus is the Christ is not enough. He calls us to bear a cross. It is this particular demand that separates the disciples from the admirers. Disciples do more than survey the wonderful cross, or love the old rugged cross as our beloved hymns would have it. The disciple of Jesus must become like him in obedience and live the cross.
Henry Maxwell said, the greatest question in all of human life is summed up when we ask, “What would Jesus do?” if, as we ask it, we also try to answer it from a growth in knowledge of Jesus himself. We must know Jesus before we can imitate him.”
I think perhaps that more than anything else is the difficult part. How would we know what Jesus would do in our given situation? To answer this question we need to study him. We need to look at what our Bible has to say about him. We need to pray to him. We need to ask for guidance and listen to him. And we need to trust him to guide our actions.
So, what would our cost be, if we were to live according to this question? How would our daily decisions about our work, our marriages, our friendships and relationships with one another change? What challenges would be faced or relationships lost because of our change in the way we do life? What would be gained in our lives if we lived according to the simple question, What Would Jesus Do? How would we be transformed in Christ?
I ask you to consider this challenge. Would you for one week, one month, or perhaps one year, ask yourself each day, for each action you do, for each situation in which you find yourself – What would Jesus do?
Almighty God, we ask that you will be at work in our lives drawing us more closely to you in relationship and more closely to one another. Help us to set aside our own agenda and take up our cross for you. This we pray in your precious name. Amen.
Fifty people of his congregation accept this challenge while the majority of the congregation does not. The action of these folks cause more than some angst within the church and as time goes by the church threatens to split. The novel then follows several of the key people who take this pledge.
Throughout the book we learn of the issues that follow when people seek discipleship in Christ with real integrity.
One of the characters is Edward Norman, editor of the Raymond Daily News. It is one of the city’s leading papers and does quite well financially. Norman decides to convert the paper into a Christian newspaper. In doing so, he removes sensational news articles written for the sake of sensation. He limits crime articles to the facts but includes commentary on how the crimes might be prevented. The reporters have to sign their names at the bottom of the articles thereby taking ownership and accountability for their writing. He stops running the Sunday edition – their largest selling edition. And he discontinues advertising he felt is ‘questionable or suggestive’. All of these changes come at great cost as they lose advertisers and subscribers. Nevertheless he stays with his pledge to do everything connected with the paper after answering the question, “What would Jesus do?” as honestly as possible. In this faith he believes he can run the paper strictly on Christian principles and make it succeed.
Another of the story’s characters is that of the church soloist, a young singer named Rachel. She has a world-class voice and is offered a very nice, lucrative contract to travel with an entertainment group. She would have the opportunity to entertain around the world singing to elite audiences such as royalty, influentials, national and international leaders. Undoubtedly, Rachel would become famous and wealthy doing so. Yet, after asking the question, “What would Jesus do?” she declines that offer and instead uses her musical talents to sing at a new church outreach which is ministering in an area of town we might call the projects or slums. Her stage is a canvas tent; her audience is Raymond’s homeless, addicts, drunks, pimps, and prostitutes. More than one person came to know Christ as Savior through the gift of her voice.
While the book goes on to tell us of other characters who make significant changes in their lives it is interesting to note that Charles Sheldon, pastor and author of this book, lived his own life according this question.
One of his own pastoral projects in Topeka was to work for the betterment of a black settlement called Tennesseetown. He lived there for three weeks so he could grasp first hand the issues the people lived with. He went on to establish the first black kindergarten west of the Mississippi.
Sheldon also served briefly as Topeka’s police commissioner. He called for a Christian police force with the police acting as missionaries. Truth be told, I’m not sure that would work well today for us. Nevertheless, as police commissioner Sheldon appointed Topeka’s first two police women to the task force. Remember, this was over one hundred years ago! On June 7, 1921 Margaret Kavanaugh became Janesville’s first female police officer, but her job was discontinued after a few months, leaving the department an all-male bastion until 1953 when Mrs. Arnold Schmidt became the Janesville Police Department's first female employee as records clerk, freeing a male officer for patrol work. I’m not sure when Milton appointed its first female police officer, but in general I have to believe that Sheldon was ahead of his time in this.
Throughout Sheldon’s life, and throughout the lives of the characters Sheldon introduces us to, and in our own experience we know that answering Christ’s call to take up our cross and follow him is not easy. Cross bearing refers to self-sacrifice. Making the confession that Jesus is the Christ is not enough. He calls us to bear a cross. It is this particular demand that separates the disciples from the admirers. Disciples do more than survey the wonderful cross, or love the old rugged cross as our beloved hymns would have it. The disciple of Jesus must become like him in obedience and live the cross.
Henry Maxwell said, the greatest question in all of human life is summed up when we ask, “What would Jesus do?” if, as we ask it, we also try to answer it from a growth in knowledge of Jesus himself. We must know Jesus before we can imitate him.”
I think perhaps that more than anything else is the difficult part. How would we know what Jesus would do in our given situation? To answer this question we need to study him. We need to look at what our Bible has to say about him. We need to pray to him. We need to ask for guidance and listen to him. And we need to trust him to guide our actions.
So, what would our cost be, if we were to live according to this question? How would our daily decisions about our work, our marriages, our friendships and relationships with one another change? What challenges would be faced or relationships lost because of our change in the way we do life? What would be gained in our lives if we lived according to the simple question, What Would Jesus Do? How would we be transformed in Christ?
I ask you to consider this challenge. Would you for one week, one month, or perhaps one year, ask yourself each day, for each action you do, for each situation in which you find yourself – What would Jesus do?
Almighty God, we ask that you will be at work in our lives drawing us more closely to you in relationship and more closely to one another. Help us to set aside our own agenda and take up our cross for you. This we pray in your precious name. Amen.
Monday, March 9, 2009
In His Steps - Part I
Every now and then we come across a book that leaves an impression upon us. Perhaps it is one of those books designated as “the next great American novel”. The book might resonate with our lives, speak to our heart, call us to something better or simply touch us in a very special way and remind us to reflect on our lives. Certainly the Bible falls into that category, but at the moment I’m thinking more specifically of a book that was written much later.
Several years ago this special book landed in my lap and after reading it I was struck by the simplicity and depth of its message. I recently plucked this novel off my bookshelf and after re-reading it was, once again, moved by its words.
The book itself was written by a pastor initially as a series of sermons and then published in 1896. It is a novel that is still widely read throughout our world today. It is entitled, In His Steps. There is a constant theme throughout the book in which the characters ask themselves, ‘how would Jesus respond to this given situation?’ Within the last decade or two this book has prompted an acronym that many of us have seen on bracelets, necklaces and even on letterhead: WWJD.
Do you remember those letters and what they mean? What Would Jesus Do?
The preacher/author of this book was Charles M. Sheldon. The whole premise of this book is the transforming power of Christ in our lives. It seems appropriate, with Easter on its way, to talk about this very subject. Therefore, I would like to share a little bit of this book with you. Perhaps you will be prompted to pick up a copy of this book. I can promise you, you will not be disappointed if you do!
As I mentioned earlier, Sheldon’s novel was actually written as a series of sermons. Sheldon was the pastor of a church in Topeka, Kansas and was leading a Sunday evening service. To help build up attendance at that service he began writing novels which he would read as his sermon. He had mastered the art of writing in such a way that he would leave the congregation in suspense at the end of each sermon or chapter. In order to know what happened next, the people had to return the next Sunday.
In His Steps is a simple story, but one with a strong message. It begins with a homeless, out-of-work young man stopping at the home of the Reverend Henry Maxwell one Friday evening seeking help. The pastor is kind, but hurried with the young man.
In fact as the young man is asking for help – looking for work, Maxwell responds:
“It would be of no use. You will have to excuse me. I am very busy this morning. I hope you will find something. Sorry I can’t give you something to do here. But I keep
only a horse and a cow and do the work myself.”
The Reverend Henry Maxwell closed the door and heard the man walk down the steps.
That Sunday morning the service at Maxwell’s church focused on a theme much like the scripture lesson from the Gospel of Mark 8:34-38 in which Jesus, anticipating his arrest, gives to his disciples, and those who seek to be followers of Christ, a challenge. Jesus tells them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
With all of our talk of Christianity it comes down to this: will we follow Jesus Christ; will we take up the cross at his call.
This is the mood of the church service that morning at the mythical First Church of Raymond. The church soloist has sung, Where He Leads Me. The sermon is strong and polished. When the message is done, the young man who came to Maxwell’s door only days before comes to the front of the sanctuary.
He begins by saying, “I’m not drunk and I’m not crazy, and I am perfectly harmless”. He says to the congregation, “I’m not an ordinary tramp, though I don’t know of any teaching of Jesus that makes one kind of a tramp less worth saving than another.” He goes on to tell that he was a printer who had lost his job about ten months ago. Since his wife’s death, he had been tramping the country side looking for work, without success.
He has tramped this city for three days trying to find a job, and in all that time has not had a kind word of sympathy or comfort except from the minister who said he was sorry for him and hoped he would find a job somewhere. He went on to say, “It seems to me there’s an awful lot of trouble in the world that somehow wouldn’t exist if all the people who sing such songs went and lived them out. I suppose I don’t understand. But what would Jesus do?” Then the young man slumps over and dies only a few days later in the home of Rev. Henry Maxwell. This is the setting that moves Maxwell to deal with the man’s question, “What would Jesus do?”
There are many aspects of our lives we can apply this question. In fact, there are probably no aspects of our life we could not apply it to. I wonder how many of us today can relate to the young man of the story who is looking for work? Have you been there? Are you there now?
Join with me over the next weeks as I continue to explore this book and what it means to us today. Join with me as we ask ourselves the questions, what Jesus would do if he were in this time of economic hardship? What Jesus would do with religion today? What would Jesus do with business, with community life, or with wealth?
Until next time,
Reverend Patrick Schultz
Several years ago this special book landed in my lap and after reading it I was struck by the simplicity and depth of its message. I recently plucked this novel off my bookshelf and after re-reading it was, once again, moved by its words.
The book itself was written by a pastor initially as a series of sermons and then published in 1896. It is a novel that is still widely read throughout our world today. It is entitled, In His Steps. There is a constant theme throughout the book in which the characters ask themselves, ‘how would Jesus respond to this given situation?’ Within the last decade or two this book has prompted an acronym that many of us have seen on bracelets, necklaces and even on letterhead: WWJD.
Do you remember those letters and what they mean? What Would Jesus Do?
The preacher/author of this book was Charles M. Sheldon. The whole premise of this book is the transforming power of Christ in our lives. It seems appropriate, with Easter on its way, to talk about this very subject. Therefore, I would like to share a little bit of this book with you. Perhaps you will be prompted to pick up a copy of this book. I can promise you, you will not be disappointed if you do!
As I mentioned earlier, Sheldon’s novel was actually written as a series of sermons. Sheldon was the pastor of a church in Topeka, Kansas and was leading a Sunday evening service. To help build up attendance at that service he began writing novels which he would read as his sermon. He had mastered the art of writing in such a way that he would leave the congregation in suspense at the end of each sermon or chapter. In order to know what happened next, the people had to return the next Sunday.
In His Steps is a simple story, but one with a strong message. It begins with a homeless, out-of-work young man stopping at the home of the Reverend Henry Maxwell one Friday evening seeking help. The pastor is kind, but hurried with the young man.
In fact as the young man is asking for help – looking for work, Maxwell responds:
“It would be of no use. You will have to excuse me. I am very busy this morning. I hope you will find something. Sorry I can’t give you something to do here. But I keep
only a horse and a cow and do the work myself.”
The Reverend Henry Maxwell closed the door and heard the man walk down the steps.
That Sunday morning the service at Maxwell’s church focused on a theme much like the scripture lesson from the Gospel of Mark 8:34-38 in which Jesus, anticipating his arrest, gives to his disciples, and those who seek to be followers of Christ, a challenge. Jesus tells them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
With all of our talk of Christianity it comes down to this: will we follow Jesus Christ; will we take up the cross at his call.
This is the mood of the church service that morning at the mythical First Church of Raymond. The church soloist has sung, Where He Leads Me. The sermon is strong and polished. When the message is done, the young man who came to Maxwell’s door only days before comes to the front of the sanctuary.
He begins by saying, “I’m not drunk and I’m not crazy, and I am perfectly harmless”. He says to the congregation, “I’m not an ordinary tramp, though I don’t know of any teaching of Jesus that makes one kind of a tramp less worth saving than another.” He goes on to tell that he was a printer who had lost his job about ten months ago. Since his wife’s death, he had been tramping the country side looking for work, without success.
He has tramped this city for three days trying to find a job, and in all that time has not had a kind word of sympathy or comfort except from the minister who said he was sorry for him and hoped he would find a job somewhere. He went on to say, “It seems to me there’s an awful lot of trouble in the world that somehow wouldn’t exist if all the people who sing such songs went and lived them out. I suppose I don’t understand. But what would Jesus do?” Then the young man slumps over and dies only a few days later in the home of Rev. Henry Maxwell. This is the setting that moves Maxwell to deal with the man’s question, “What would Jesus do?”
There are many aspects of our lives we can apply this question. In fact, there are probably no aspects of our life we could not apply it to. I wonder how many of us today can relate to the young man of the story who is looking for work? Have you been there? Are you there now?
Join with me over the next weeks as I continue to explore this book and what it means to us today. Join with me as we ask ourselves the questions, what Jesus would do if he were in this time of economic hardship? What Jesus would do with religion today? What would Jesus do with business, with community life, or with wealth?
Until next time,
Reverend Patrick Schultz
Friday, February 13, 2009
Continuing the Middle East Journey
I recently completed the book, the Lemon Tree written by Sandy Tolan. This is a wonderful read which sheds some light on the Israeli-Arab-Palestinian issue that has long been in the news. As I mentioned in my last blog I wanted to do some research to learn more about why Hamas has been attacking Israel. While I a far from knowing all the issues the book did a wonderful job describing the background and what is causing all the animosity.
In the late 1800's and the early 1900's a Zionist movement was begun in which Theodor Herzel, the father of the political Zionism, knew that establishing a Jewish national home meant forging allies with key world leaders. The powers that be would need to be convinced that a Jewish state, perhaps in Palestine or elsewhere, would be in their interest. Herzel would eventually look to Britain for support - to help establish a Jewish colony in a British possession. Discussions took place where the leaders looked at areas like Cyprus, Sinai and even Uganda. For various reasons those places were discarded.
By the end of WWI Britain would enter Palestine and establish control of the area. At the 1917 Balfour Declaration, there was a promise to help establish a Jewish national home. Three decades later, in May 1948, Palestine would become that home.
The Jewish nation - Israel - long without a home was given 78% of Palestine as their new home country. Palestinian Arabs were forced out of their homes via military might and Jews settled into the now abandoned homes, stores, and whole towns.
The Arab people of Palestine would spend the next decades trying to reclaim their homeland; yet they never realized the support of the UN in a manner that would give them their land back. "The Palestinians failed to see why they should be made to pay for the Holocaust... why it was not fair for the Jews to be a minority in a unitary Palestinian state, while it was fair for almost half of the Palestinian population - the indigenous majority on its ancestral soil - to be converted overnight into a minority under alien rule in the envisaged Jewish state according to partition." (The Lemon Tree, 298)
The UN renewed an annual resolution supporting the reoccupation of Palestinians in the now Israeli country, yet they never gave teeth to the resolution. I.E. they never made the decision to back the resolution forcibly or with military might. Arab countries and especially Egypt would make efforts using military to overthrow or force their way back into the now Israeli country. In 1967 a short war, called the Six Day War, was fought between Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt, Jordan and Syria. Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria also contributed troops and arms to the Arab forces. Israel conducted a preemptive strike against Jordan and within six days Israel gained control of the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Golan Heights.
In 1973 Egypt launched a surprise attack in what came to be known in Israel as the Yom Kippur War. In 1974 Arafat addressed the UN in New York where he offered the "Palestine of Tomorrow" dream where Arabs and Jews would live side-by-side in a secular, democratic state.
For decades the Palestinian resistance or efforts to reoccupy "their land" justified in their minds the terroristic attacks against Israel. Their belief was that any means available to them was justifiable because they had been forcibly removed from their lands and homes and there was little to no real support from other nations to bring them back home - essentially the end justifies the means.
In the Lemon Tree, one of the main Israeli characters Dalia worked towards a peaceful resolution in which both nations (Israel and Palestine) would compromise and give up something. She stated that there needed to be acknowledgement of what had happened to the Palestinians in 1948, an apology for it, and amends towards resolution. Acknowledgment was in part to "see and own the pain that I or my people have inflicted on the Other." But this must be mutual. Israelis must see the Arab Others and Palestinians must see the Israeli Others. Neither one should continue to perpetuate the righteous victim syndrome and not take responsibility for one's own part in the fray. (The Lemon Tree, 260)
With Israel firmly established in the Palestinian land of pre-1948 could the Palestinians be allowed to reoccupy and reestablish themselves like Arafat was proposing? Perhaps. Israel would need to give up some of their land. Palestine would need to realize they won't get everything back the way it was. Can two people live side-by-side in relative peace, perhaps even democratically? I believe so, but not without further diplomacy and compromise. Each side will need to give up something - not their values, but the essential things that keep them focusing on their differences and blinding them to their similarities.
I often think of people in my own life who struggle to get along. We all know co-workers, neighbors, even family members that we struggle with. All too often we focus on the things we don't like, the things that make us different, the things we oppose (perhaps philosophically, theologically, moralistically...) and we neglect to see the ways we are similar or the things we have in common. There are characteristics, mannerisms and beliefs we all have that can draw us closer to one another. The difficult part for us is letting go of the differences, choosing to understand the other person, and letting go of our own pride and self-centeredness. Once we do those things it becomes easier getting along with others.
Until next time,
Blessings - Patrick
In the late 1800's and the early 1900's a Zionist movement was begun in which Theodor Herzel, the father of the political Zionism, knew that establishing a Jewish national home meant forging allies with key world leaders. The powers that be would need to be convinced that a Jewish state, perhaps in Palestine or elsewhere, would be in their interest. Herzel would eventually look to Britain for support - to help establish a Jewish colony in a British possession. Discussions took place where the leaders looked at areas like Cyprus, Sinai and even Uganda. For various reasons those places were discarded.
By the end of WWI Britain would enter Palestine and establish control of the area. At the 1917 Balfour Declaration, there was a promise to help establish a Jewish national home. Three decades later, in May 1948, Palestine would become that home.
The Jewish nation - Israel - long without a home was given 78% of Palestine as their new home country. Palestinian Arabs were forced out of their homes via military might and Jews settled into the now abandoned homes, stores, and whole towns.
The Arab people of Palestine would spend the next decades trying to reclaim their homeland; yet they never realized the support of the UN in a manner that would give them their land back. "The Palestinians failed to see why they should be made to pay for the Holocaust... why it was not fair for the Jews to be a minority in a unitary Palestinian state, while it was fair for almost half of the Palestinian population - the indigenous majority on its ancestral soil - to be converted overnight into a minority under alien rule in the envisaged Jewish state according to partition." (The Lemon Tree, 298)
The UN renewed an annual resolution supporting the reoccupation of Palestinians in the now Israeli country, yet they never gave teeth to the resolution. I.E. they never made the decision to back the resolution forcibly or with military might. Arab countries and especially Egypt would make efforts using military to overthrow or force their way back into the now Israeli country. In 1967 a short war, called the Six Day War, was fought between Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt, Jordan and Syria. Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria also contributed troops and arms to the Arab forces. Israel conducted a preemptive strike against Jordan and within six days Israel gained control of the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Golan Heights.
In 1973 Egypt launched a surprise attack in what came to be known in Israel as the Yom Kippur War. In 1974 Arafat addressed the UN in New York where he offered the "Palestine of Tomorrow" dream where Arabs and Jews would live side-by-side in a secular, democratic state.
For decades the Palestinian resistance or efforts to reoccupy "their land" justified in their minds the terroristic attacks against Israel. Their belief was that any means available to them was justifiable because they had been forcibly removed from their lands and homes and there was little to no real support from other nations to bring them back home - essentially the end justifies the means.
In the Lemon Tree, one of the main Israeli characters Dalia worked towards a peaceful resolution in which both nations (Israel and Palestine) would compromise and give up something. She stated that there needed to be acknowledgement of what had happened to the Palestinians in 1948, an apology for it, and amends towards resolution. Acknowledgment was in part to "see and own the pain that I or my people have inflicted on the Other." But this must be mutual. Israelis must see the Arab Others and Palestinians must see the Israeli Others. Neither one should continue to perpetuate the righteous victim syndrome and not take responsibility for one's own part in the fray. (The Lemon Tree, 260)
With Israel firmly established in the Palestinian land of pre-1948 could the Palestinians be allowed to reoccupy and reestablish themselves like Arafat was proposing? Perhaps. Israel would need to give up some of their land. Palestine would need to realize they won't get everything back the way it was. Can two people live side-by-side in relative peace, perhaps even democratically? I believe so, but not without further diplomacy and compromise. Each side will need to give up something - not their values, but the essential things that keep them focusing on their differences and blinding them to their similarities.
I often think of people in my own life who struggle to get along. We all know co-workers, neighbors, even family members that we struggle with. All too often we focus on the things we don't like, the things that make us different, the things we oppose (perhaps philosophically, theologically, moralistically...) and we neglect to see the ways we are similar or the things we have in common. There are characteristics, mannerisms and beliefs we all have that can draw us closer to one another. The difficult part for us is letting go of the differences, choosing to understand the other person, and letting go of our own pride and self-centeredness. Once we do those things it becomes easier getting along with others.
Until next time,
Blessings - Patrick
Friday, January 23, 2009
What is happening in the Middle East - or The Golden Rule
I’ve been following, admittedly with some trepidation, the happenings between Israel and Gaza. I have wondered greatly at the cause and reason for the bombings, the killings, the wantonness and seemingly unreasonable behavior between the Hamas and the Israelites. Why would a small group of people in a non-descript strip of a war-torn land lob bombs over “the wall” at a nation that could quite literally wipe them off the map with small effort? Adam Hamilton recently wrote this about that:
“The question I found myself asking as the military wing of Hamas began launching their crudely made and ineffective Qussam (Kassam) missiles into Israel two weeks ago was “Why?” After all, these missiles have no guidance systems and virtually never hit a real target. They stand no chance of winning a military battle against Israel. These missiles have killed as many Palestinians (as they occasionally fall back into Gaza) as they have Israelis. And the launching of them was almost guaranteed to bring an Israeli attack that would kill large numbers of Palestinians - making their launching of these missiles suicidal. So, I continued to ask, “Why?”” (http://adamhamilton.cor.org/)
I’ll freely admit that I haven’t been an astute student on what’s happening in the Middle East. I have been somewhat confused with Israel, Iran, Iraq, Palestine, the Arabs – who is who and what is what. I’m embarrassed to admit this because as an educated man with three degrees including a graduate degree I feel I should know more especially as it pertains to the lands where my Christian religion began!
I’m working to fix this lack of knowledge and I’m beginning by doing one of my favorite things – reading. This last week I spent two days at the library in a development retreat. While I was there I took advantage of checking out three books about the Middle East.
I’m beginning with Sandy Tolan’s, The Lemon Tree. This book tells the story of an Arab and Jewish family living in the same home – although not at the same time. The story takes place during WWII and the years following the war. It tells of Bulgaria – a country that was aligned with the Axis power – the Nazi regime. I’m just beginning the book but here’s what I have learned so far.
During the war Berlin sent the Bulgarian king and parliament an order to begin fulfilling the final solution for the Jewish people of Bulgaria. 47,000 Jews were to be impacted by this command.
The Final Solution? Send the Jews by railroad car to the gas chambers at Triblinka. When the orders came the Bulgarian king and parliament felt they had no option but to capitulate. They handed the orders down and the authorities began to gather up the Jews, taking them out of their homes, telling them to bring only a change of clothes. They were taken to the Jewish elementary school in Plovdiv where they were to wait for the railroad cars to take them away.
As the Jews stood by the chain linked fences with their flimsy suitcases and cloth sacks jammed with clothing, throngs of people stood outside the fence shouting – pledging not to let the Jews go.
Common, every day people – Christian people stood up for what was right and said they weren’t going to allow this to happen. The Orthodox Bishop Kiril stood by the fence, placing his hands on the links and said to the Jews, “My children, I will not let this happen to you. I will lie on the railroad tracks and will not let you go.” He later told the children of one of the Jewish rabbis, “The whole Bulgarian Orthodox Church will stand up for the Jews.”
Common, everyday people sent petitions to parliament. The order to have the Jews taken away was eventually held up – rescinded if you will. The Jews were sent back to their homes. On June 7, 1943 months after the drama at the school yard, the railroad station and parliament, Germany’s ambassador sent a report to Berlin that read, “I am firmly convinced that the Prime Minister and the government wish and strive for a final and radical solution to the Jewish problem. However, they are hindered by the mentality of the Bulgarian people, who lack the ideological enlightenment we have.”
Indeed the Bulgarian people lacked the ideological enlightenment of the Nazi government because instead they held high the ideals Jesus Christ had taught. Christ had taught, “Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them” (Matt 7:12) in other words “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.
It takes great moral courage to stand up for what is right. Christ gave to us a simple, golden rule to follow. I wonder how many of us have the moral courage to do what is right – to stand up for those unable to stand up for themselves – in the face of great opposition?
Because of the people’s courage, the Bulgarian nation’s Jewish people (all 47,000 of them) were unharmed by the Nazi purging even as 6 million other Jews died.
Doing what is right isn’t always easy. Following Christ isn’t always easy.
The two other books I am reading are: War Without End: Israelis, Palestinians, and the Struggle for a Promised Land by Anton La Guardia; and The Case for Peace: How the Arab Conflict Can be Resolved by Alan Dershowitz.
I hope to learn more and share my thoughts with you.
Let me close with this prayer: Gracious Lord, as we go about in this big, wide world, let us live by the Golden Rule Jesus gave us – easy or not. May Christ be at work in our hearts to change the way we thing, the way we do, the very person we are. Give us courage to live as we are taught to live. This we pray in the name of Jesus Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
“The question I found myself asking as the military wing of Hamas began launching their crudely made and ineffective Qussam (Kassam) missiles into Israel two weeks ago was “Why?” After all, these missiles have no guidance systems and virtually never hit a real target. They stand no chance of winning a military battle against Israel. These missiles have killed as many Palestinians (as they occasionally fall back into Gaza) as they have Israelis. And the launching of them was almost guaranteed to bring an Israeli attack that would kill large numbers of Palestinians - making their launching of these missiles suicidal. So, I continued to ask, “Why?”” (http://adamhamilton.cor.org/)
I’ll freely admit that I haven’t been an astute student on what’s happening in the Middle East. I have been somewhat confused with Israel, Iran, Iraq, Palestine, the Arabs – who is who and what is what. I’m embarrassed to admit this because as an educated man with three degrees including a graduate degree I feel I should know more especially as it pertains to the lands where my Christian religion began!
I’m working to fix this lack of knowledge and I’m beginning by doing one of my favorite things – reading. This last week I spent two days at the library in a development retreat. While I was there I took advantage of checking out three books about the Middle East.
I’m beginning with Sandy Tolan’s, The Lemon Tree. This book tells the story of an Arab and Jewish family living in the same home – although not at the same time. The story takes place during WWII and the years following the war. It tells of Bulgaria – a country that was aligned with the Axis power – the Nazi regime. I’m just beginning the book but here’s what I have learned so far.
During the war Berlin sent the Bulgarian king and parliament an order to begin fulfilling the final solution for the Jewish people of Bulgaria. 47,000 Jews were to be impacted by this command.
The Final Solution? Send the Jews by railroad car to the gas chambers at Triblinka. When the orders came the Bulgarian king and parliament felt they had no option but to capitulate. They handed the orders down and the authorities began to gather up the Jews, taking them out of their homes, telling them to bring only a change of clothes. They were taken to the Jewish elementary school in Plovdiv where they were to wait for the railroad cars to take them away.
As the Jews stood by the chain linked fences with their flimsy suitcases and cloth sacks jammed with clothing, throngs of people stood outside the fence shouting – pledging not to let the Jews go.
Common, every day people – Christian people stood up for what was right and said they weren’t going to allow this to happen. The Orthodox Bishop Kiril stood by the fence, placing his hands on the links and said to the Jews, “My children, I will not let this happen to you. I will lie on the railroad tracks and will not let you go.” He later told the children of one of the Jewish rabbis, “The whole Bulgarian Orthodox Church will stand up for the Jews.”
Common, everyday people sent petitions to parliament. The order to have the Jews taken away was eventually held up – rescinded if you will. The Jews were sent back to their homes. On June 7, 1943 months after the drama at the school yard, the railroad station and parliament, Germany’s ambassador sent a report to Berlin that read, “I am firmly convinced that the Prime Minister and the government wish and strive for a final and radical solution to the Jewish problem. However, they are hindered by the mentality of the Bulgarian people, who lack the ideological enlightenment we have.”
Indeed the Bulgarian people lacked the ideological enlightenment of the Nazi government because instead they held high the ideals Jesus Christ had taught. Christ had taught, “Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them” (Matt 7:12) in other words “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.
It takes great moral courage to stand up for what is right. Christ gave to us a simple, golden rule to follow. I wonder how many of us have the moral courage to do what is right – to stand up for those unable to stand up for themselves – in the face of great opposition?
Because of the people’s courage, the Bulgarian nation’s Jewish people (all 47,000 of them) were unharmed by the Nazi purging even as 6 million other Jews died.
Doing what is right isn’t always easy. Following Christ isn’t always easy.
The two other books I am reading are: War Without End: Israelis, Palestinians, and the Struggle for a Promised Land by Anton La Guardia; and The Case for Peace: How the Arab Conflict Can be Resolved by Alan Dershowitz.
I hope to learn more and share my thoughts with you.
Let me close with this prayer: Gracious Lord, as we go about in this big, wide world, let us live by the Golden Rule Jesus gave us – easy or not. May Christ be at work in our hearts to change the way we thing, the way we do, the very person we are. Give us courage to live as we are taught to live. This we pray in the name of Jesus Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Subtle Sins In Our Lives
Growing up as a Catholic we had regular confession time where I would go into the confessional box – confess my sins to the priest – receive my penance of Hail Mary’s and Our Fathers and then continue with my life. As a young boy there were only so many things I could say that I was doing wrong – I was fighting with my brothers (an every day occurrence sometimes), I was disobeying my parents (also a frequent happening), and I said a swear word here and there. In Catechism classes I learned about Mortal sin and Venial sin, but there were some sins I didn’t learn about until I was much older. I think there are subtle sins that we have to be careful of in our lives.
We know of the sins of lust, hatred, greed and pride; but, what about the sin of indifference? We can be indifferent to the lives of those around us – those who are hurting or in need or those who need a reassuring word of comfort and encouragement.
What about the sin of bitterness which can lead to self-centeredness. We can grow bitter because of the things life has handed us – which sometimes, truth be told, are results of our own poor choices. Maybe we grow bitter because some thing didn’t go the way we wanted it to go. Or we grow bitter because we have an illness like cancer or leukemia or a tumor. Now, this isn’t to say we should negate the seriousness of this illness, yet it also doesn’t mean we shut God out of our lives because of it.
Self-centeredness can lead us to place ourselves first and others, including God, second or third or even last in our lives.
There is another subtle sin that comes to mind for me which I call lack of awareness. We can be unaware of life around us – or God’s involvement in our lives. This is not the same as indifference. Indifference means we know what is happening, we just don’t care. Lack of awareness means we don’t even know what is happening. We go through out day not seeing the blessings God gives us, not sharing in the joy of those around us, not being in relationship with people around us.
In 1938, Thornton Wilder wrote a Pulitzer-Prize winning play called Our Town. It tells the story of a young woman named Emily who dies and is given permission to return to the earth for one memorable day. She can pick any day from her life and relive it moment by moment.
She chooses to go back on her twelfth birthday because she remembers it as a happy day. She is soon frustrated, however at the lack of awareness of those she loves. She wants to engage in life with them, but she see that they are just going through the motions, taking each moment for granted. As she stands by and watches her birthday take place, she tries to stop it because she can’t take it anymore!
She had been reliving her special day, and yet no one was experiencing the significant moments. People weren’t even looking at one another. Emily cries out, “I can’t. I can’t go on. It goes so fast. We don’t have time to look at one another… Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? Every, every minute? (Thornton, Wilder, Our Town, 108)
What are the weights and sins that pull at you? Where do you find yourself growing more distant in your relationship with God and those around you? Is it time management – a schedule to full to allow God a significant part of time with you? Is it selfishness – my needs come first? What would you write down if you were to take a prayerful moment in thinking about this?
We know of the sins of lust, hatred, greed and pride; but, what about the sin of indifference? We can be indifferent to the lives of those around us – those who are hurting or in need or those who need a reassuring word of comfort and encouragement.
What about the sin of bitterness which can lead to self-centeredness. We can grow bitter because of the things life has handed us – which sometimes, truth be told, are results of our own poor choices. Maybe we grow bitter because some thing didn’t go the way we wanted it to go. Or we grow bitter because we have an illness like cancer or leukemia or a tumor. Now, this isn’t to say we should negate the seriousness of this illness, yet it also doesn’t mean we shut God out of our lives because of it.
Self-centeredness can lead us to place ourselves first and others, including God, second or third or even last in our lives.
There is another subtle sin that comes to mind for me which I call lack of awareness. We can be unaware of life around us – or God’s involvement in our lives. This is not the same as indifference. Indifference means we know what is happening, we just don’t care. Lack of awareness means we don’t even know what is happening. We go through out day not seeing the blessings God gives us, not sharing in the joy of those around us, not being in relationship with people around us.
In 1938, Thornton Wilder wrote a Pulitzer-Prize winning play called Our Town. It tells the story of a young woman named Emily who dies and is given permission to return to the earth for one memorable day. She can pick any day from her life and relive it moment by moment.
She chooses to go back on her twelfth birthday because she remembers it as a happy day. She is soon frustrated, however at the lack of awareness of those she loves. She wants to engage in life with them, but she see that they are just going through the motions, taking each moment for granted. As she stands by and watches her birthday take place, she tries to stop it because she can’t take it anymore!
She had been reliving her special day, and yet no one was experiencing the significant moments. People weren’t even looking at one another. Emily cries out, “I can’t. I can’t go on. It goes so fast. We don’t have time to look at one another… Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? Every, every minute? (Thornton, Wilder, Our Town, 108)
What are the weights and sins that pull at you? Where do you find yourself growing more distant in your relationship with God and those around you? Is it time management – a schedule to full to allow God a significant part of time with you? Is it selfishness – my needs come first? What would you write down if you were to take a prayerful moment in thinking about this?
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