Hey all,
I'm going to try to get a blog post up this week, but God has been laying some things on my heart and I have a friend in town this week too. Nothing's wrong, I just don't really feel like composing anything at the moment. I want to sit on this and allow for some time of reflection before I blurt out my thoughts. Pray for me during this time!
Thanks,
Adam... P.S. Maybe look for a blog post around Friday... probably?
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Recap 3/16/2011
I can't share all the "behind the scenes" details of my church life, but just like anything, there are ups and downs. What I can say is that the first week in March was an "up," and the second week in March was a "down." Going into Sunday the 13th, I had been through two incredibly busy weeks and had to preach two separate sermons that day to two different groups of people.
About three weeks ago, I was asked to preach for the Culpeper County Ministerial Association's (CCMA) Lenten Service. Now, I love to preach-- I can't imagine a point in my life when I won't want to preach on a regular basis-- but I've discovered that, if I had my preference, I'd rather not prepare two sermons for one week. Still, it's what the Lord had in store for me, so I did it. Fortunately, given the short amount of time I had between the time I agreed to preach and the time when I actually had to do so, the chapter from which I was instructed to preach suited me very well: John 13.
In this chapter, Jesus washes the feet of His disciples and demonstrates for us how we're to love each other. The sermon went really well (you can listen to it here). Over 40 people were hearing me preach for the first time and I wanted to leave them with something that was meaningful and impacting. Fortunately, Jeff Light, the preacher at Novum Baptist Church where this event was being held had thought even one step ahead of me. I had asked people to consider ways to humble themselves and serve, and he provided basins with water in order to wash each other's feet. People were given the opportunity to come have their feet washed and to wash others. Several people dropped denominational differences to unify in an act of humbling service.
To be perfectly frank, I think we need to see more of that. In the sermon, I described what the church should do as the ultimate "show and tell." Show Christ's love first, then you get to tell people why you're doing it. Think about that this week... especially if you're having a "down" week. Chances are, so are other people around you. To put it in context, Jesus wasn't exactly having the week of his life either. Two of his friends were about to betray Him, and he was about to die a horrible death.
Two acts of service (the footwashing and the dying) and things turned around for the better by the following Sunday. Give it a shot, let me know how it goes.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Reconditioning
I went swing dancing once. It didn't go well. My date/teacher (Lisa) was great at it, but I was just having so much trouble picking it up and I couldn't quite figure out why. To me, it sounded like the basic count was "One, Two, Rock-step," but when we actually started to dance it would be four separate steps, "One, Two, Rock, Step." I asked Lisa if "Rock" and "Step" were two different counts and she said, "Yes, of course..." so I reverted from a three-count to a four-count.
That made more sense, but something was still off and I figured it out immediately. The music was in a three count, meaning there were three beats for every measure-- but marching band songs were almost always in four, and the first beat of every measure the left foot hits the ground (unless you happen to march with the Cadets). Suddenly, I understood exactly why I was so horrible at swing dancing. Then I understood that it would take along time for me to get any good at it at all.
When I was a junior in high school marching band, we played a movement from Bernstein's Jeremiah Symphony (Profanation, the second movement). This song had changing meters-- 4/4 mostly, but also 5/8 (counted in one long beat and one short beat) and 7/8 (one long beat and two short beats). I'd estimate that in learning how to play the music and march correctly, we probably spent about 10 hours in preparation JUST working on that part of the show before it was ever performed, and then we continued to perfect it all year long. In fact, while I'm fairly certain I understood it by the end of the season, I must admit I was still far from automatic when it came to marching that part of the show correctly.
The point is this: sometimes it takes an awful lot of time and an awful lot of work to get out of the habits that we make for ourselves. To this day, I can't run while I'm listening to music because I always try to make my left foot hit on beat one of a measure, my pace changes with the tempo of the song, and that awkward period between songs almost always makes me stumble. Who knew that marching band would cause so many problems?
So often, I'm finding that my own method of doing things and my own preconceptions of how things "have to be done" gets in the way of effective ministry. For me, I wish I understood better how "the South" works, or at least what things I say and do might be seen as odd, awkward, or even offensive. Too many times, I want things done my way, rather than any other way... and most times I don't even think that there may BE another way than my way.
Confusing? Probably-- but perhaps it should be. I've gotta believe this is how outsiders of Christianity look at God. I was raised in the church. It has always been a very safe and familiar place in my life. It took me a long time to learn that other people didn't have the same experience. How much longer would it take someone outside the church, who has grown up with nothing resembling it to learn our customs, our language, our behaviors?
As the church, we need to do a better job of helping people through this process. It's not an easy one by any stretch of the imagination. I don't really feel like looking up the number right now, but there's a statistic that says somewhere in the area of 4 of every 5 new American Christians will not be attending church a year from the time that they start. That needs to get better.
If my series on Ruth taught me anything, it's this: Ruth was an extraordinary woman who was very devoted to her mother-in-law Naomi, and not to God at first. Just because she crossed over into Israel didn't mean that she automatically understood all of the Israelite customs, laws, religion, etc. It took time and people being patient with her, coming along side her, helping her to get out of her former habits and to adapt new ones.
It may have seemed like a lot of trouble, but ultimately, Ruth became one of the ancestors of Christ. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that any new Christian will not have that honor anymore-- but we risk wasting so much potential if we do not help new Christians adapt to learning about God in a schedule that fits them, rather than us.
That made more sense, but something was still off and I figured it out immediately. The music was in a three count, meaning there were three beats for every measure-- but marching band songs were almost always in four, and the first beat of every measure the left foot hits the ground (unless you happen to march with the Cadets). Suddenly, I understood exactly why I was so horrible at swing dancing. Then I understood that it would take along time for me to get any good at it at all.
When I was a junior in high school marching band, we played a movement from Bernstein's Jeremiah Symphony (Profanation, the second movement). This song had changing meters-- 4/4 mostly, but also 5/8 (counted in one long beat and one short beat) and 7/8 (one long beat and two short beats). I'd estimate that in learning how to play the music and march correctly, we probably spent about 10 hours in preparation JUST working on that part of the show before it was ever performed, and then we continued to perfect it all year long. In fact, while I'm fairly certain I understood it by the end of the season, I must admit I was still far from automatic when it came to marching that part of the show correctly.
The point is this: sometimes it takes an awful lot of time and an awful lot of work to get out of the habits that we make for ourselves. To this day, I can't run while I'm listening to music because I always try to make my left foot hit on beat one of a measure, my pace changes with the tempo of the song, and that awkward period between songs almost always makes me stumble. Who knew that marching band would cause so many problems?
So often, I'm finding that my own method of doing things and my own preconceptions of how things "have to be done" gets in the way of effective ministry. For me, I wish I understood better how "the South" works, or at least what things I say and do might be seen as odd, awkward, or even offensive. Too many times, I want things done my way, rather than any other way... and most times I don't even think that there may BE another way than my way.
Confusing? Probably-- but perhaps it should be. I've gotta believe this is how outsiders of Christianity look at God. I was raised in the church. It has always been a very safe and familiar place in my life. It took me a long time to learn that other people didn't have the same experience. How much longer would it take someone outside the church, who has grown up with nothing resembling it to learn our customs, our language, our behaviors?
As the church, we need to do a better job of helping people through this process. It's not an easy one by any stretch of the imagination. I don't really feel like looking up the number right now, but there's a statistic that says somewhere in the area of 4 of every 5 new American Christians will not be attending church a year from the time that they start. That needs to get better.
If my series on Ruth taught me anything, it's this: Ruth was an extraordinary woman who was very devoted to her mother-in-law Naomi, and not to God at first. Just because she crossed over into Israel didn't mean that she automatically understood all of the Israelite customs, laws, religion, etc. It took time and people being patient with her, coming along side her, helping her to get out of her former habits and to adapt new ones.
It may have seemed like a lot of trouble, but ultimately, Ruth became one of the ancestors of Christ. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that any new Christian will not have that honor anymore-- but we risk wasting so much potential if we do not help new Christians adapt to learning about God in a schedule that fits them, rather than us.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Infinite love.
I was listening to a talk by Dr. Lawrence Krauss the other day titled "A Universe from Nothing." Krauss is a theoretical physicist, he's an atheist, and he's really full of himself. In fact, he's that special "full of himself" kind that probably wouldn't mind that I called him full of himself. This post has nothing to do with him EXCEPT for the fact that he brought up a paradox that I hadn't heard before. So thanks for that Dr. Krauss.
So, Hilbert's Paradox of the Grand Hotel. I must say, I don't fully understand this topic, nor do I expect anyone to. I wouldn't be surprised if David Hilbert doesn't understand it either. Here's the simplest explanation that does it any justice.
Imagine a hotel that is infinitely large with an infinite number of rooms all of which are occupied. Then imagine you walk in and want to check into the hotel. The manager says, "We're full..." but then he remembers that he has an infinite amount of rooms... so he just moves the guest in room 1 to room 2, room 2 to room 3, and so on and so on. Therefore, room 1 is now unoccupied and ready for you to move into it.
Confusing right? The only way I can conceptualize it is when I think of some of my friends. Just the other night, one of my friends was nervous and sick. She didn't want to inconvenience anyone, but she said "Hey, you're up late, can I call you if I can't sleep?" Of course I said she could. Then she asked, "How late is too late to call?" and I replied something like, "Aw, that's cute... you think there's a time that you could call when I wouldn't pick up for you."
She's not alone. There are certain people in my life who I love an infinite amount and I would literally do anything I could for them. Nothing they could ever say or do would ever make me love them any more or less than I do now. It's an infinite love.
God has that same kind of love for us. It will never decrease, nor will it ever increase. It is ALREADY full. Not only is His love infinite, but His actions back up that love. His gift of a Son to come to earth to give His life as a ransom for us was all we'll ever need to forever be justified in God. He's done everything He can for us. Here's the kicker though... His love is infinite... for an infinite number of people. He has loved every single person in His Creation the same way. He always has and He always will.
It's nearly impossible to understand... Hilbert's paradox seems to have as many detractors as it has supporters. But when it comes to my faith in God and how He loves me, I take comfort in the fact that it's even purer, better, and just as infinite as I love I have for my friends.
1 John 4:16b-19
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
19 We love because he first loved us.
So, Hilbert's Paradox of the Grand Hotel. I must say, I don't fully understand this topic, nor do I expect anyone to. I wouldn't be surprised if David Hilbert doesn't understand it either. Here's the simplest explanation that does it any justice.
Imagine a hotel that is infinitely large with an infinite number of rooms all of which are occupied. Then imagine you walk in and want to check into the hotel. The manager says, "We're full..." but then he remembers that he has an infinite amount of rooms... so he just moves the guest in room 1 to room 2, room 2 to room 3, and so on and so on. Therefore, room 1 is now unoccupied and ready for you to move into it.
Confusing right? The only way I can conceptualize it is when I think of some of my friends. Just the other night, one of my friends was nervous and sick. She didn't want to inconvenience anyone, but she said "Hey, you're up late, can I call you if I can't sleep?" Of course I said she could. Then she asked, "How late is too late to call?" and I replied something like, "Aw, that's cute... you think there's a time that you could call when I wouldn't pick up for you."
She's not alone. There are certain people in my life who I love an infinite amount and I would literally do anything I could for them. Nothing they could ever say or do would ever make me love them any more or less than I do now. It's an infinite love.
God has that same kind of love for us. It will never decrease, nor will it ever increase. It is ALREADY full. Not only is His love infinite, but His actions back up that love. His gift of a Son to come to earth to give His life as a ransom for us was all we'll ever need to forever be justified in God. He's done everything He can for us. Here's the kicker though... His love is infinite... for an infinite number of people. He has loved every single person in His Creation the same way. He always has and He always will.
It's nearly impossible to understand... Hilbert's paradox seems to have as many detractors as it has supporters. But when it comes to my faith in God and how He loves me, I take comfort in the fact that it's even purer, better, and just as infinite as I love I have for my friends.
1 John 4:16b-19
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
19 We love because he first loved us.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Aptronyms and Encouragement
For those of you who have heard my story about Ms. Clara from my church when I younger, you know that I've spent a LOT of time in Acts chapter 9 (81 weeks in a row!), but lately I've been coming back to Acts 4 over and over again. There are so many good habits for the church to "re-adopt" in that chapter, things that we really should focus on. That's one reason I'm writing this blog entry.
My favorite verse in the entire chapter is Acts 4:36:
Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”),...
There aren't too many times that I stop mid-sentence to point out verses, and while I realize that verse 37 is still the Inspired Word, I can't help but be amazed by verse 36. Barnabas, yes, of "Paul and Barnabas" fame, was born with the name Joseph.
"Uh... so what?" you might be saying. Well, did you know that? Did you know that we've been calling Barnabas by a changed name? It seems that Barnabas had earned himself a bit of a reputation. It's basically a purposeful aptronym (a name that matches an occupation... e.g. George and Pete Hammer who own a hardware shop in Kentucky, or Dr. David Toothaker, a dentist from Arkansas). Barnabas apparently was SO overwhelmingly encouraging, that the Apostles just decided to call him "Son of Encouragement."
I feel like I've made this point on this blog before... but I'd LOVE to be called something as awesome as "Son of Encouragement." To gain a reputation for doing God's Work that is so much a part of oneself that it just becomes an identifier would be a great honor. I think, if I had to choose one, I would love to be known as "The Conduit" since I like to find out what people are passionate about and connect them to other people who either share that passion, or have a need that can be filled by that passion. What do you think you would be called if you honed the gifts that God gave you?
But the first step in that is getting used to the idea of openly praising people. We don't do that enough. Thinking of people's strengths, and helping them grow into them and reach their full potential, with the help of the Holy Spirit is a task that the church SHOULD do for each other. Check out 1 Thessalonians 5. As a church, we need to become more encouraging as a whole. Looking at the example of Barnabas, the fact that he was such an encouragement to other people led the Apostles to call him by another name, so that EVERY time someone said his name, he too, could draw encouragement from the fact that he knew he was serving God. It's like... an encouragement cycle!
Think about it... is there anyone in your life who could use a little attention for the good he or she has done for the Kingdom? Step out, disregard the social awkwardness, and tell that person how appreciative you are of their service. Who knows? the encouragement might come back around to you!
My favorite verse in the entire chapter is Acts 4:36:
Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”),...
There aren't too many times that I stop mid-sentence to point out verses, and while I realize that verse 37 is still the Inspired Word, I can't help but be amazed by verse 36. Barnabas, yes, of "Paul and Barnabas" fame, was born with the name Joseph.
"Uh... so what?" you might be saying. Well, did you know that? Did you know that we've been calling Barnabas by a changed name? It seems that Barnabas had earned himself a bit of a reputation. It's basically a purposeful aptronym (a name that matches an occupation... e.g. George and Pete Hammer who own a hardware shop in Kentucky, or Dr. David Toothaker, a dentist from Arkansas). Barnabas apparently was SO overwhelmingly encouraging, that the Apostles just decided to call him "Son of Encouragement."
I feel like I've made this point on this blog before... but I'd LOVE to be called something as awesome as "Son of Encouragement." To gain a reputation for doing God's Work that is so much a part of oneself that it just becomes an identifier would be a great honor. I think, if I had to choose one, I would love to be known as "The Conduit" since I like to find out what people are passionate about and connect them to other people who either share that passion, or have a need that can be filled by that passion. What do you think you would be called if you honed the gifts that God gave you?
But the first step in that is getting used to the idea of openly praising people. We don't do that enough. Thinking of people's strengths, and helping them grow into them and reach their full potential, with the help of the Holy Spirit is a task that the church SHOULD do for each other. Check out 1 Thessalonians 5. As a church, we need to become more encouraging as a whole. Looking at the example of Barnabas, the fact that he was such an encouragement to other people led the Apostles to call him by another name, so that EVERY time someone said his name, he too, could draw encouragement from the fact that he knew he was serving God. It's like... an encouragement cycle!
Think about it... is there anyone in your life who could use a little attention for the good he or she has done for the Kingdom? Step out, disregard the social awkwardness, and tell that person how appreciative you are of their service. Who knows? the encouragement might come back around to you!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
THON
Disclaimer (seriously, how many of my blog posts begin with disclaimers? An inordinate amount, I tell you! I guess I'm just a careful guy.): I have no affiliation with THON anymore, they're not paying me to say nice things, my views do not necessarily reflect the views of THON, I'm not trying to solicit, but feel free to donate if you want, etc, etc, etc,)
Did you know that one of my favorite numbers is 5,240,385.17? (Yes, really). On a related note, in my experience there haven't been too many moments in life when I knew "This is a life changing / shaping experience!" February 16, 2007 at 9:00 PM exactly, I knew it, because I walked into a scene that looked like this:
A little background first to help you understand. If you've read this blog, ever, you've probably gathered that I'm a huge Penn State fan and have been my entire life. It got to the point where I was proselytizing. In fact, I think that perhaps my friends Lauren and Kristin did end up choosing Penn State due, in part, to my influence.
I gave people all kinds of reasons why Penn State was AWESOME ranging from academics, to football, clubs and activities, and everything in between. But at 9:00 PM on that Friday night, I found myself texting Lauren and asking, "Are you at THON?" Turned out she was, and I went to find her and said "Remember when I was giving you all kinds of reasons that you should come to Penn State? Well if I had known about THIS at that time, this would have been number one."
Basic information about THON: THON is a dance marathon that started back in 1973. It has evolved since then and currently stands as a 46 hour dance marathon that takes place every year on the third weekend in February. About 700 dancers from all across Penn State University take place every year. Now to be completely honest, there isn't a LOT of real dancing that goes on at THON. Basically, it's a grueling 46 hours worth of staying awake and fighting to stay on one's feet. The only reprieve that the dancers get are 10 second rubdowns on what are called the "Slides of Strength." So, in a span of 46 hours, dancers spend about 45 hours 58 minutes and 40 seconds or so standing. There IS dancing at least once an hour though as they have hourly line dances. (H/T david06pa)
But why subject one's body to such torture? That's something that can be answered in three letters-- FTK. For the kids. When THON began, it was supposed to support a deserving charity. Every year since 1977, the Four Diamonds Fund has been that charity. The Four Diamonds fund supports patients (and their families) in the pediatric cancer ward at Hershey Medical Center. When a young child with cancer shows up there, the family gets welcomed into the Four Diamonds family and are assured that almost anything that their insurance doesn't cover-- operations, treatments, lodging, food, transportation to and from Hershey-- will be taken care of by the Four Diamonds Fund. These families come to visit THON every year to share how much the physical, emotional, and financial help means to them. A few hours before the dancers are finally allowed to sit, some families take the stage usually one family who lost a child to cancer, and one whose child beat it, to share their stories and to thank the kids for their support and what they do all year-round. One of the important things to recognize about THON is that as driven as the college students are on THON weekend, the kids and their families fight cancer all year round with the same drive and strength that the dancers draw on in hours 45 and 46.
There's so much that makes up THON. It's an all-year process that climaxes at one weekend in February. Fundraising starts on October 1 every year and culminates at the end of the weekend with a dramatic reveal... like this one from THON 07 (you'll definitely want to turn your volume down for this-- (H/T to Pituch3))
There is much more to point out... and I could drone on and on (like I haven't already) but the question I have is, why don't we see more events like THON? As special and unique as THON is, it had humble beginnings because someone had an idea and took it to action.
Did you know that one of my favorite numbers is 5,240,385.17? (Yes, really). On a related note, in my experience there haven't been too many moments in life when I knew "This is a life changing / shaping experience!" February 16, 2007 at 9:00 PM exactly, I knew it, because I walked into a scene that looked like this:
This is actually THON 08... THON 07 was also powerful enough that I knew I had to buy a digital camera to record the next year's for myself
A little background first to help you understand. If you've read this blog, ever, you've probably gathered that I'm a huge Penn State fan and have been my entire life. It got to the point where I was proselytizing. In fact, I think that perhaps my friends Lauren and Kristin did end up choosing Penn State due, in part, to my influence.
I gave people all kinds of reasons why Penn State was AWESOME ranging from academics, to football, clubs and activities, and everything in between. But at 9:00 PM on that Friday night, I found myself texting Lauren and asking, "Are you at THON?" Turned out she was, and I went to find her and said "Remember when I was giving you all kinds of reasons that you should come to Penn State? Well if I had known about THIS at that time, this would have been number one."
Basic information about THON: THON is a dance marathon that started back in 1973. It has evolved since then and currently stands as a 46 hour dance marathon that takes place every year on the third weekend in February. About 700 dancers from all across Penn State University take place every year. Now to be completely honest, there isn't a LOT of real dancing that goes on at THON. Basically, it's a grueling 46 hours worth of staying awake and fighting to stay on one's feet. The only reprieve that the dancers get are 10 second rubdowns on what are called the "Slides of Strength." So, in a span of 46 hours, dancers spend about 45 hours 58 minutes and 40 seconds or so standing. There IS dancing at least once an hour though as they have hourly line dances. (H/T david06pa)
But why subject one's body to such torture? That's something that can be answered in three letters-- FTK. For the kids. When THON began, it was supposed to support a deserving charity. Every year since 1977, the Four Diamonds Fund has been that charity. The Four Diamonds fund supports patients (and their families) in the pediatric cancer ward at Hershey Medical Center. When a young child with cancer shows up there, the family gets welcomed into the Four Diamonds family and are assured that almost anything that their insurance doesn't cover-- operations, treatments, lodging, food, transportation to and from Hershey-- will be taken care of by the Four Diamonds Fund. These families come to visit THON every year to share how much the physical, emotional, and financial help means to them. A few hours before the dancers are finally allowed to sit, some families take the stage usually one family who lost a child to cancer, and one whose child beat it, to share their stories and to thank the kids for their support and what they do all year-round. One of the important things to recognize about THON is that as driven as the college students are on THON weekend, the kids and their families fight cancer all year round with the same drive and strength that the dancers draw on in hours 45 and 46.
There's so much that makes up THON. It's an all-year process that climaxes at one weekend in February. Fundraising starts on October 1 every year and culminates at the end of the weekend with a dramatic reveal... like this one from THON 07 (you'll definitely want to turn your volume down for this-- (H/T to Pituch3))
Hence, 5,240,385.17 being one of my favorite numbers
There is much more to point out... and I could drone on and on (like I haven't already) but the question I have is, why don't we see more events like THON? As special and unique as THON is, it had humble beginnings because someone had an idea and took it to action.
Gretel and Bijal-- Christian Student Fellowship's dancers for THON 07-- with some wimpy dude who was only there for 30 hours of the 46
I love THON, but as a Christian, I'm somewhat secretly envious. If I could bottle THON and let people get even one sniff of it, I believe it would show people that passion and excitement can bring greatness. Let's face it-- THON is doing work that the church wants to be known for, and it's doing it better than most churches. Organization... passion... success... kindness... caring... community... it's all there. I encourage you to log onto THON.org this weekend to view the live webcast and take a look at the activity going on and pray about how you may be able to get THAT excited about something that you can't do anything BUT spring into action.
Now obviously, just because THON is not a religious organization doesn't mean that Christians aren't involved. Nor does it mean that THON shouldn't do this kind of work, like the church has a monopoly on it. THON has it's own issues as well, but I'm convinced that those aren't my concern. The only standard that THON has to meet is its own-- the church needs to meet God's. Are we?
Take a look at this description of the early church from Acts 4:32-35:
32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.
And how about this from Paul? (Ephesians 2:8-10)
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
So I ask again, are we doing that today? If not, I believe we still can and should. If we look at THON as a fantastic example of what can be done without God's explicit guidance, imagine the POWER that would be added if we include Him in the plan.
THON runs from 6:00 PM Friday night through 4:00 PM Sunday. The money total should be announced by 4:45 PM I'd imagine. Anything you need to know about THON, including its history and how to donate can be found at www.thon.org.
Now obviously, just because THON is not a religious organization doesn't mean that Christians aren't involved. Nor does it mean that THON shouldn't do this kind of work, like the church has a monopoly on it. THON has it's own issues as well, but I'm convinced that those aren't my concern. The only standard that THON has to meet is its own-- the church needs to meet God's. Are we?
Take a look at this description of the early church from Acts 4:32-35:
32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.
And how about this from Paul? (Ephesians 2:8-10)
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
So I ask again, are we doing that today? If not, I believe we still can and should. If we look at THON as a fantastic example of what can be done without God's explicit guidance, imagine the POWER that would be added if we include Him in the plan.
THON runs from 6:00 PM Friday night through 4:00 PM Sunday. The money total should be announced by 4:45 PM I'd imagine. Anything you need to know about THON, including its history and how to donate can be found at www.thon.org.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Grandpap Sandy
This blog post might end up being pretty short. That's mostly because I've been thinking to myself "I will NOT be controversial this week, I will NOT be controversial this week, I will NOT be controversial this week!" But uncontroversial can be boring, and boring doesn't always make for a very enjoyable blog. Let's see if I have anything meaningful, and non-controversial to say-- I think I do.
I got an e-mail on Monday from my mom. It was forwarded on from one of our family friends who lived across the street from us when I was very young, and it contained an obituary. Our former next door neighbor, a man who I called "Grandpap Sandy" had passed away.
It had been years since I had seen him, so his death didn't really feel like loss to me, at least not in the way that most people associate loss with death. No, I had already "lost" him just through various circumstances in life... my family moving, too many years passing, and the fact that, according to the things written in his obituary, I had never really "known" him to begin with. But I knew him as my Grandpap Sandy, and that's how I'll remember him, and I can live with that.
My fondest memories of him, and his wife "Grandma Ruth," involved what I always refer to as "the spot" at "the fence" where my parents would always talk to them. They had a pretty extensive garden set up, especially for that part of Northern New Jersey, which despite its epithet as the "Garden State," has more houses than trees I think. Grandpap Sandy and Grandma Ruth would always send over bags and bags of eggplant, which I didn't like, but I guess my parents did, or at least accepted. They were a weird and wacky couple who had one of those 90's answering machine raps, and a radio that was shaped like a Tropicana Orange sitting on their kitchen table. Their generosity was evident, as well, as I have the first 14 or so Hess Trucks of my life because of them (batteries came with the Christmas present). I'm fairly certain I still have BOXES of animal crackers left in my parents pantry from them as well.
I can live with those memories, and look back fondly at that time with those people, but when I think about how I proceed from here, I'm never quite sure what I want. It's funny that my mom got the obituary from who she did-- her son's was one of the first deaths that I had experienced, when I was 7. To this day, I attribute the fact that I refuse to leave friends on bad terms to his death... not because we were on bad terms when he died, but because I learned at a very early age how fragile life can truly be. I wish I had time to truly know and keep in touch with everyone I've come across in life... I'm sure there are literally hundreds of thousands of stories, smiles, and tears that could be shared, but it's so easy to get swept up in the "business" of life. Just yesterday, I caught up with a woman who was a camp counselor for me in middle school. Since then, three kids have shown up in her family photos on Facebook! I think I remember the first one-- but three?!
It comes back to my concept of "investing" in people's lives. Depending on how much effort one puts in, that's about the return you should expect-- and I don't think it qualifies as a friendship if you don't expect some return. I can't return the investment that Grandpap Sandy made to my life anymore, at least not to him. Another name that pops up is Jesus Christ. How can I return the investment He made in my life? I think the answer for both of those men is the same-- pay it forward (Literally, perform the action of paying it forward... don't go out and buy the movie with Haley Joel Osment and give it to people). Matthew 25:40 reads: “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’"
So I'll pay it forward... but I don't want to forget the people who are still around me today, the investments, or the returns. Let's make the most of having the people who are still in our lives. In chapter 4 of his letter, James writes "You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." We might not have tomorrow to do that, to rectify relationships, or to have the option of telling people how much they mean to us. Similarly, we might not have the ability to give the same to God, to glorify Him. If I can implore you to do anything... don't wait.
I got an e-mail on Monday from my mom. It was forwarded on from one of our family friends who lived across the street from us when I was very young, and it contained an obituary. Our former next door neighbor, a man who I called "Grandpap Sandy" had passed away.
It had been years since I had seen him, so his death didn't really feel like loss to me, at least not in the way that most people associate loss with death. No, I had already "lost" him just through various circumstances in life... my family moving, too many years passing, and the fact that, according to the things written in his obituary, I had never really "known" him to begin with. But I knew him as my Grandpap Sandy, and that's how I'll remember him, and I can live with that.
My fondest memories of him, and his wife "Grandma Ruth," involved what I always refer to as "the spot" at "the fence" where my parents would always talk to them. They had a pretty extensive garden set up, especially for that part of Northern New Jersey, which despite its epithet as the "Garden State," has more houses than trees I think. Grandpap Sandy and Grandma Ruth would always send over bags and bags of eggplant, which I didn't like, but I guess my parents did, or at least accepted. They were a weird and wacky couple who had one of those 90's answering machine raps, and a radio that was shaped like a Tropicana Orange sitting on their kitchen table. Their generosity was evident, as well, as I have the first 14 or so Hess Trucks of my life because of them (batteries came with the Christmas present). I'm fairly certain I still have BOXES of animal crackers left in my parents pantry from them as well.
I can live with those memories, and look back fondly at that time with those people, but when I think about how I proceed from here, I'm never quite sure what I want. It's funny that my mom got the obituary from who she did-- her son's was one of the first deaths that I had experienced, when I was 7. To this day, I attribute the fact that I refuse to leave friends on bad terms to his death... not because we were on bad terms when he died, but because I learned at a very early age how fragile life can truly be. I wish I had time to truly know and keep in touch with everyone I've come across in life... I'm sure there are literally hundreds of thousands of stories, smiles, and tears that could be shared, but it's so easy to get swept up in the "business" of life. Just yesterday, I caught up with a woman who was a camp counselor for me in middle school. Since then, three kids have shown up in her family photos on Facebook! I think I remember the first one-- but three?!
It comes back to my concept of "investing" in people's lives. Depending on how much effort one puts in, that's about the return you should expect-- and I don't think it qualifies as a friendship if you don't expect some return. I can't return the investment that Grandpap Sandy made to my life anymore, at least not to him. Another name that pops up is Jesus Christ. How can I return the investment He made in my life? I think the answer for both of those men is the same-- pay it forward (Literally, perform the action of paying it forward... don't go out and buy the movie with Haley Joel Osment and give it to people). Matthew 25:40 reads: “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’"
So I'll pay it forward... but I don't want to forget the people who are still around me today, the investments, or the returns. Let's make the most of having the people who are still in our lives. In chapter 4 of his letter, James writes "You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." We might not have tomorrow to do that, to rectify relationships, or to have the option of telling people how much they mean to us. Similarly, we might not have the ability to give the same to God, to glorify Him. If I can implore you to do anything... don't wait.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)