You May Not Always Get What You Pay For

The following is an excerpt from last week's Newsletter article (which is in itself a reprint of a previous newsletter from 1997, which just goes to show you I have been around for a long time.)


In 1997, a Texas judge ordered a church to relinquish the tithes contributed by a bankrupt church member to a creditor.  In a four year period, Leland Collins had tithed $27,687.23 to his church.  During that same time he owed Bill Gregory considerably more than that, but while fulfilling his commitment to God, Collins did not fulfill his commitment to Gregory.

I’m amused and bemused on why the judge ordered the church to pay back the tithe it received.  The judge ruled that the money Collins had contributed to the church was given “without receiving a reasonably equivalent value in exchange.”   Ouch!  That hurts.  Is the judge trying to say that Collins didn’t get his money’s worth?  If so, how in the world would you determine the value of your church giving?

Were the pastor’s sermons were worth roughly the same as admittance to a motivational lecture or a spirituality seminar?  Is an outstanding Vacation Bible School program for your children worth approximately the same as a week at Scout camp?  Is an outstanding prelude, anthem, and special music on Sunday worth the admission to an organ, choirc, or band concert?  Is a 34 week intensive Bible Study like Disciple worth the same as two levels of Rosetta Stone language software?
...
If there is a problem with “equivalent value,” it lies in what God gets in return for all that God has given us.  What can we possibly give “in exchange” for the gift of life?  The wonder of creation?  The joy of unconditional love?  The atoning death of God’s son given on our behalf?  Is $27,687.23 the fair market value for these things?
...

Far be it from me to meddle in Judge Sullivan’s Harris County Civil Court, but I think his judgment ought to be reversed.  Literally.  If anyone has benefited disproportionately in this “exchange,” it is us and not God or God’s church.  I am the one who is blessed in the giving—I am the one whose heart is freed from the chains of selfishness and washed clean by the impulse of generosity and worship.  God doesn’t need what I have to give, but I need to give in order to be who God’s created me to be.  

Taking Out The Power & Putting Love In Its Place

I've been reading Tony Campolo's Choose Love Not Power:  How to Right the World's Wrongs from a Place of Weakness with my sons, Andrew and Zachary.  We've done this a few times since they've been away at school.  What struck me was a passage in Campolo's book in which he chastises followers of Jesus for not taking Philippians 2:5-11 seriously enough.  We know how Jesus emptied himself of his vast power in order to become one of us, in order to rescue us from ourselves.  He did it with humility, servanthood, and sacrifice.  So why do so many of us ignore our Master's model and try to get and keep as much of an upper hand over others as we can?

Here's the quote.  You can chew on it for yourself:

Christians do not always take warnings about power seriously.

There are husbands who think it is their right to exercise power over their wives, and there are wives who, in subtle and not-so-subtle ways, play power games with their husbands

There are children who try to exercise power as they challenge the controlling efforts of their parents, and there are parents who regularly tyrannize their children.

There are pastors who try to dominate their parishioners, and church members who try to manipulate their pastors.

There are employers who enjoy bossing their employees, and employees who from unions just so they can strike back and dictate policies to their employers.

There white people who fear losing their power over African-Americans, and African-Americans who turn cries of “Freedom now!” into shouts of “Black power!”

There politicians who compromise anything to stay in power, and there are candidates who, in challenging those politicians, use any deception to wrest power from the incumbents.

There are nations that, in order to become world powers, willingly threaten the survival of the human race by building war machines, and there are world leaders who would push the buttons for all-out nuclear war if they thought their power was being threatened.  (Campolo, pp. 12-13)

In the middle of a rough and tumble political season, it might make sense of Christians took a step back and prayed not for a particular candidate or party's success, but prayed instead that all our candidates might come to see the value of tempering the exercise of power with the example and leadership of love and sacrifice.  I pray that we can all change our tone in this direction, and soon, before the polarization of our society over the little things that separate us lead us to turn our backs on the important principles and overarching compassion that unite us.

A Lifetime of Never “Calling It In”

     I overheard one of those 30 second blurbs on NPR’s Morning Edition last week.  It was about a British carpenter named Dave Miller who was retiring at age 64.  Miller had a perfect attendance record at work, not taking a sick day since 1964!  That’s 48 years of getting out of bed, making your lunch, driving to work, and putting in a full day.  Amazing.

         I was flabbergasted by the amount of discipline that would take:  no matter how you feel, no matter what condition your car is in, no matter how much snow falls or lightning flashes—here’s a man who did it anyway.  I can’t help but think that the moral of this story is the sheer of commitment Dave Miller has to the people he works for and the pride he must have in the projects he works on.

         So how would commitment like that translate into our relationship with God?  I don’t think perfect attendance at worship is comparable, after all worship is as much inspiration for our souls as it is a chance to bring glory to God.  I don’t think it’s a perfect parallel to compare it with reading the Bible, or spending time in prayer.  As much as I love the church and as vital as feeding our spirits may be, I think Dave Miller’s call to us is a little bigger than that.

         In Paul’s letter to the followers of Jesus in Colossae he writes, “Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way. [Colossians 3:17, The Message]  Perfect attendance for Christians is more comparable to submitting every detail in our lives to the Spirit of Jesus.  Our job is not a job, it’s a calling that we pour our best effort into.  Our friendships and families aren’t just for our emotional support, they are the sheep the Great Shepherd has put into our care.  Every off-handed remark, every facebook post, every text and phone call either bear witness to our commitment to love like Jesus or they reveal how far away from that goal we fallen.

         I’m don’t love going to work every day.  I’m sure Dave Miller had days he wished he could be anywhere else other than the work site.  I’m not going to want to focus on the needs of others 24/7—there are too many times when I feel like it ought to be about me.  I’m sure Miller had lots and lots of people encouraging him to indulge himself, that he’d more than earned a “mental health day” or two or three.  
        I’m going to get angry, I’m going to want to be dismissive, I’m going to want to share a tidbit or two of juicy gossip, or sit in smug judgment on someone who has made foolish choices.  I’m going to be sorely tempted to push that send key or dial that phone number or post that snide and sarcastic comment, but then I would be a “no show” in my walk with Jesus. 

It’s very doubtful that I’ve died to self and been resurrected to new life in Christ if I keep resurrecting the old, self-centered me.  The problem with indulging yourself in a sick day here, a personal day there, a ‘it’s-just-too-nice-to-go-into-work-today” every now and then, is that going AWOL becomes easier to do and simpler to justify the next time and the time after that.

         Bottom line is that Dave Miller was at work every day for 48 years because he loved what he was doing, loved who he was working for—because being a committed craftsman and carpenter was just who he was.  The same has go to be true for us or this Jesus thing will never work.  We have got to love being faithful, love whom we are serving, and at some point simply become a new creation—a forgiven, accepting, grace-oriented apprentice of the Master Carpenter.

        

Final Day VBS Prayers

What a powerful week it has been for the children, their families, the staff, and leaders of our Vacation Bible School.  Prayers of gratitude for the incredible love our St. Andrew family has for the ones God sends to us!  Only time will tell whether or not these precious ones "got" what they most needed, heard what God wanted them to hear, saw the word made flesh in the youth and adults who worked with them.  But I believe no small number of them have heard, seen, and got it.

Final prayers in two areas:
     Prayers that the children can get to worship Sunday morning (and bring their families with them.  It is so important for them to be able to demonstrate to Mom and Dad what they've learned and how far they come.  They are also some of the best evangelists out there.
     We also want to pray that the Break Away youth can get to youth group Sunday night.  We design the program so that it is as easy a transition to our youth ministry as possible.  We pray that they not only come to share Sunday morning, but also come and have some fun at Wacky Olympics with the other Junior High youth of St. Andrew.

At St. Andrew we are called to be bridge builders.  Now we've laid down a good foundation and have gotten some children and youth over to a new place or a new relationship with God.  But it needs to be the kind of bridge they can cross again and again and again.  We need to pray that we can build bridges with our guests so that they can build a bridge with the grace-filled life that can only be found in Jesus.

So let's keep up the prayers all the way through Sunday night and beyond.

How To Read The Bible Like Jesus

I read an interesting article online about how Red Letter Christians read the Bible.  Red Letter Christians are those who give priority to the words and lifestyle of Jesus and use the spirit of Jesus to live a God-shaped life.  The article is an interesting one and lays out pretty clearly a view that I am more and more in line with.

Take a look if you'd like at:
http://www.redletterchristians.org/how-does-a-red-letter-christian-read-the-bible-a-jesus-shaped-proposal/

VBS Prayers Day 3

It's hot out there!

Prayers today for Shelia Green and Jamie Soposky for leading pre-school games.  They've been working outside, though today they may try doing something indoors.  Pray that Shelia and Jamie don't run out of ideas to keep the littlest ones having fun and staying open to new faith.

Prayers also for Dorothy Taylor and her helpers Aiden, Jaden, Andrew and Tyler.  They are leading elementary games outside.  Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, but also burn off some energy and enjoy one another in wholesome ways.  Prayers that the kids have a good time but don't get overheated.  (Also, Dorothy is going to have to leave her VBS position to be with her daughter Rebecca who is still battling pancreatic problems.  I believe, Liz Stetler is stepping in to take over.  Let's keep Rebecca and Liz in our prayers as well.)

Prayers for the kids who are losing a little energy, especially the little ones.  Some of the kids are used to having rest time in the afternoon and VBS can be a real change in their schedules.  We ask God to keep them from melting down, and give them a thirst for what they are learning about Jesus.

As always let's pray together that God's love be made clear to all and that we find a way to inspire these children to catch a glimpse the joy that comes with living for God.

Vacation Bible School Prayers Day 1

Definitely prayers for those involved in registration and with dropping off kids for VBS.  Some of these kids haven't been away from Mom and Dad ever before, or only with other family members.  It can be a scary proposition for kids of all ages.  Prayers of trust for the kids and prayers of patience for our registrars.


Prayers for the Break Away staff leaders, there has been a fair amount of physical barriers that have to be surmounted--illness, back problems, broken bones.  This is such a great and effective outreach ministry pray for quick healing, but perseverance and persistence the whole week.  A great attitude on the part of the kids participating wouldn't be bad either.


I can smell the sloppy joes cooking in the kitchen as I write this.  Prayers for the Kitchen crew that are feeding many of the volunteers so that they can be here early and get things prepared.  The food is always good and the warmth and smiles of those serving it always puts our leaders in a positive frame of mind.  Prayers of gratitude for all the acts of kindness among our volunteers/ missionaries.