There have been many thoughts and ideas that I've been reflecting on for the past week. I was ready to blog on the evils of money and then got on a tangent about commitment but have found that there is perspective to bring all of these pieces together.
Two events that happened in the small town I live in brought to life the evils of money thoughts for me. One had a former sheriff swindling an elderly gentleman out of a large sum of money. The other had an elderly couple brutally murdered over a financial contract gone bad. I know or knew many of the individuals involved in these tragic events. The men involved in both of these incidents in my opinion based their entire self-worth on money or the image of having money. I could go into more detail but I think that suffices for where this blog is headed.
Commitment became prominent in my reflections when I was writing a letter to the families at our church where I serve as the Youth & Family Minister. While writing this letter the concepts and thoughts about how commitment is a two way street came to light. Commitments that have only a one-sided effort soon fail. This is true in relationships with friends, spouses, colleagues, jobs, children and our Maker. I must admit this piece is very self-damning for me as I believe this is an area I fail at all too often in too many ways. For whatever reason I had never thought of this commitment needing both sides to be involved for it to truly be a commitment.
As I stated earlier money and commitment were going to be blogs unto themselves and maybe will be sometime in the future but I have something more positive, more important for what makes life significantly different. I need to tell you about my experiences from yesterday to lay the groundwork for perspective.
I am working on getting some finances put together so that I can simplify life and get out of a business I am part owner of. In order to do this I have been relying on my wife and father to get paperwork into the bank. For a variety of reasons this has taken a great deal of time and when it did happen it wasn't the right paperwork. I didn't handle this well yesterday and frankly I just got pissed off at the whole situation. So I came home to sit in my own pity party and just to be mad at the world I guess. As I was stewing in my own frustration I received word that the 3 year old son of friends that I had taught with was found to have a brain tumor. This young man has been battling cancer for a couple of years and looked to be beating the odds of his cancer when this setback occurred yesterday.
This hit me unusually hard last night. I cried and then reflected on my own self-pity party. How pathetic to be honest. Perspective is everything. Here I was upset because something didn't happen in MY time and as I wanted it. (And yes, it involved money and in some ways commitment. Pot meet kettle.) Suddenly none of that mattered. My friends were dealing with the possibility that their son may not live and at the very least was going to be dealing with a major surgery, more chemo and a life turned upside down once again. I still was fighting tears most of the day thinking about it.
What does all this mean? There have been many events happening around me that have caused me to take a step back to gain perspective on what really is important and to be thankful and yes hopeful about what life has in store. With the happenings in the little burg I live in, friends all around wondering if they have jobs, little Owen fighting a tumor once again and just being amidst the doldrums of winter I have found perspective and hope. Peace is still something I seek but isn't as consistently a part of my being at this point. All of this has reinforced how thankful I should be daily, hourly, every second. For most of us, if we open our eyes and hearts to the world around us we can find others in a situation more stressful and more painful than our own.
We need to remember Whose we are and that we have been promised to be loved, forgiven and surrounded by grace. Our perspective needs to look at others with compassion. A compassionate heart lets us be grateful for all that we have been given. Now we are human, we have bad moments, bad times and there are things like Owen's illness that make no sense and cause us to stop and ask why. That is okay, that reflection helps us to see life in a very real way and helps us to reach out and make a difference for those who are in circumstances that don't make sense and cause pain. A commitment was made to us by Him who died on the cross. As we enter Lent on this Ash Wednesday it is a time of reflection and a time that we uncomfortably focus on our own sinfulness. We are there, no one more or less than the other in reality. We need to make that commitment a two-way relationship. That is where the idea of fasting or giving up something for lent comes in. It's a commitment to a God who has promised to never let go of His side of that commitment.
The last part of the perspective is we can't just stay in Lent. Lent only prepares us for the real Gift. Easter is coming, the resurrection, the redemption, the ultimate commitment, greater than all the money in the world. Forgiveness and love have never been expressed so completely, so majestically. If it hadn't happened, if there was no resurrection, our world would have been just as radically changed as it was radically changed with it.
I want to finish with the lyrics from a song that has resonated with my heart and soul from Brandon Heath. It's a song entitled "Give Me Your Eyes" and here is the chorus.
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
Ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
My challenge for myself for Lent is to give up my selfish thoughts, to work hard at not focusing on me and my own issues and life. I want to do what that chorus says, take Jesus' eyes and see the beauty and pain in others. Lord, help me to reach out and gain the perspective from others' eyes, others' shoes. I know I feel my best when I am helping others. I sometimes get obnoxious in trying to be helpful but I'd rather err on the side of trying too hard than not making the effort at all. Join with me in losing our focus on money or on our own needs and let's give up selfishness for Lent. Pray with me daily that God would give us His eyes, love, arms and heart. What a perspective that would be and what a world that would create! Amen!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Earning the Right to Be Heard
This doesn't need to be commented on or added to...just a loud, "AMEN!!!" This is a sermon by Tony Campolo. I wish I had written it.
I’m going to talk about power and authority. There is a difference.
Max Weber, one of the great sociologists of modern times, says that power carries with it the ability to coerce. Coercion is always in the background when we talk about power. For instance, when the policeman in the patrol car pulls up behind me on the highway with the red lights flashing, I pull over. I don’t want to obey. I don’t want to yield to his request that I pull over, but I do because I have to. He’s got power. It’s called a gun and I yield to him because he’s got power! He doesn’t have to pull the gun. He doesn’t have to use the gun. The very fact that coercion is a possibility makes me obedient.
Authority is quite different. My mother had great authority over me. No power. She was a little Italian lady. I could have kicked her down the steps. But when she spoke, I obeyed because she had authority. Where did she get that authority? She got that authority by thousands and thousands of loving sacrificial things she did for me over the years. Her sacrifices, her loving sacrifices, earned her authority.
There is a big difference between power and authority. And what I want to say is this: when the Church tries to play power games, when the Church tries to use, for instance, political power to impose it’s will on people, it loses even when it thinks it wins. The Church has a need to speak with authority.
Now, a good example of what I mean by authority is in the story of Mother Teresa. There is a city not too far from Eastern University where they have a state hospital. In the state hospital they have people who are emotionally and psychologically disturbed. It’s a huge place. Well, the directors of the hospital wanted to start these halfway houses so that people who were on their way to full recovery could be nurtured from the hospital back into society, by first going to these halfway houses and from there they could get jobs and, little by little, own their own residences. It was a transition stage and that’s why they wanted these five halfway houses. Needless to say, the people in the city weren’t particularly thrilled with the possibility of this prospect. There was a city council meeting. The place was packed. Five hundred people plus squeezed into this hall, yelling and screaming their opposition to the halfway houses. They didn’t want the, quote unquote,“crazies” living in their neighborhood.
Needless to say, the city council voted unanimously against the proposal. Not much discussion. A lot of yelling and a lot of screaming and the city council said no to the proposition. No sooner had they voted that the back doors of the auditorium were opened and in came Mother Teresa. She was in town for a ceremony dedicating a Sisters of Charity program and she heard about this meeting. She came down the center aisle and everybody gasped as Mother Teresa came to the front, got down on her knees in front of the city council, raised her arms and said, “In the name of Jesus, make room for these children of God! When you reject them, you reject Jesus. When you affirm them, you embrace Jesus.” And then with her arms upraised, five times in a row she said, “Please, please, please, please, please, in the name of God, make room for these people! Make room for them in your neighborhoods.”
Now, you’re on the city council, the television stations have followed Mother Teresa into the place and they’re grinding away. The newspaper reporters are there. There is Mother Teresa on her knees in front you. What are you going to do if you’re on the city council? You guessed it! “I move we change the decision.” And then a second to the motion and they voted unanimously to reverse the decision they had made a few minutes earlier. The newspapers reporting on this the next day said the most remarkable thing is that of the five hundred plus people packed into that hall, not a one of them uttered a word of opposition to the motion. Why? Because of Mother Teresa. She spoke as one having authority. Where did she get that authority? On the streets of Calcutta, loving sacrificing for the poor and the oppressed of the world, giving of herself to meet the needs of others sacrificially. Sacrificial love earned her authority.
Whenever the Church speaks with authority, people listen. But the Church has to be sacrificial. And I’m afraid that the Church has not been sacrificial enough. In these days of an economic downturn there is a tendency in the Church to say, well, we’ve got to keep our own building intact, we’ve got to take care of our own staff, we have our own needs. And I’m telling you that the church that forgets itself and sacrifices for the needs of the poor and the oppressed—not only in their own neighborhood but around the world—that’s the church that will speak with authority. The church that speaks with authority doesn’t have to resort to power. People will listen.
Jesus resorted to authority. They said in Scripture he speaks as one having authority. It says that he emptied himself of power in the second chapter of Philippians. He took upon himself the form of a servant—the word is actually “doulos” which means slave in the original Greek—and made himself of no reputation. And here it is: he humbled himself even unto death, even unto the death of the cross. But listen to me. It doesn’t end there. The passage of Scripture from the second chapter of Philippians goes on to say, “therefore God has highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that the name of Jesus every knee should bow, every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. But we Christians know that his Lordship was not built on power but on a cross. His sacrificial act of love earns him the name that is above every name.
You know this is true in the family, as well. I hear mothers and fathers say to me: “My son, my daughter doesn’t listen to me anymore! When I talk about God, when I talk about Scriptures, they roll their eyes and say ‘Do we have to listen to this?’ They just don’t listen!” I say it’s because you don’t have authority. “What do you mean I don’t have authority?” Well, the kids see you spend $150 for a ticket to go a football game and throw $5 into the offering plate for the poor. When you talk about God, that kid knows it isn’t serious. After all, you would have sacrificed in love if it was serious.
The Church, the family, you as an individual need to imitate Jesus who constantly turned away from power, constantly did the temptation experience. “Turn the stones into bread,” said Satan. Economic power. Jesus said no. “Go and jump off the pinnacle of the temple. Show them a miracle down there at the temple.” Religious power. Jesus said no. To the top of the mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world. Political power. Jesus said no. I don’t want political power. I don’t want economic power. I don’t want religious power. I want to change the world by lovingly sacrificing for the poor and the oppressed because the more I sacrifice and love, the more authority I will have. In today’s world we need a Church, we need families, we need persons who are ready to sacrifice to meet the needs of others. That’s what changes the world.
Martin Luther King didn’t have political power, but he changed America. Mahatma Gandhi didn’t have political power. He never commanded an army. He changed a nation. I tell you that they understood Jesus better than most church people do. They understood that the way to change the world is not to impose your will on others but to lovingly sacrifice and earn the authority that when you speak, they will listen. They said of Jesus: He’s not like the religious leaders. He’s not like Herod. He’s not like Pilate. When this man speaks he speaks with authority. Would to God, we learn from Jesus.
I’m going to talk about power and authority. There is a difference.
Max Weber, one of the great sociologists of modern times, says that power carries with it the ability to coerce. Coercion is always in the background when we talk about power. For instance, when the policeman in the patrol car pulls up behind me on the highway with the red lights flashing, I pull over. I don’t want to obey. I don’t want to yield to his request that I pull over, but I do because I have to. He’s got power. It’s called a gun and I yield to him because he’s got power! He doesn’t have to pull the gun. He doesn’t have to use the gun. The very fact that coercion is a possibility makes me obedient.
Authority is quite different. My mother had great authority over me. No power. She was a little Italian lady. I could have kicked her down the steps. But when she spoke, I obeyed because she had authority. Where did she get that authority? She got that authority by thousands and thousands of loving sacrificial things she did for me over the years. Her sacrifices, her loving sacrifices, earned her authority.
There is a big difference between power and authority. And what I want to say is this: when the Church tries to play power games, when the Church tries to use, for instance, political power to impose it’s will on people, it loses even when it thinks it wins. The Church has a need to speak with authority.
Now, a good example of what I mean by authority is in the story of Mother Teresa. There is a city not too far from Eastern University where they have a state hospital. In the state hospital they have people who are emotionally and psychologically disturbed. It’s a huge place. Well, the directors of the hospital wanted to start these halfway houses so that people who were on their way to full recovery could be nurtured from the hospital back into society, by first going to these halfway houses and from there they could get jobs and, little by little, own their own residences. It was a transition stage and that’s why they wanted these five halfway houses. Needless to say, the people in the city weren’t particularly thrilled with the possibility of this prospect. There was a city council meeting. The place was packed. Five hundred people plus squeezed into this hall, yelling and screaming their opposition to the halfway houses. They didn’t want the, quote unquote,“crazies” living in their neighborhood.
Needless to say, the city council voted unanimously against the proposal. Not much discussion. A lot of yelling and a lot of screaming and the city council said no to the proposition. No sooner had they voted that the back doors of the auditorium were opened and in came Mother Teresa. She was in town for a ceremony dedicating a Sisters of Charity program and she heard about this meeting. She came down the center aisle and everybody gasped as Mother Teresa came to the front, got down on her knees in front of the city council, raised her arms and said, “In the name of Jesus, make room for these children of God! When you reject them, you reject Jesus. When you affirm them, you embrace Jesus.” And then with her arms upraised, five times in a row she said, “Please, please, please, please, please, in the name of God, make room for these people! Make room for them in your neighborhoods.”
Now, you’re on the city council, the television stations have followed Mother Teresa into the place and they’re grinding away. The newspaper reporters are there. There is Mother Teresa on her knees in front you. What are you going to do if you’re on the city council? You guessed it! “I move we change the decision.” And then a second to the motion and they voted unanimously to reverse the decision they had made a few minutes earlier. The newspapers reporting on this the next day said the most remarkable thing is that of the five hundred plus people packed into that hall, not a one of them uttered a word of opposition to the motion. Why? Because of Mother Teresa. She spoke as one having authority. Where did she get that authority? On the streets of Calcutta, loving sacrificing for the poor and the oppressed of the world, giving of herself to meet the needs of others sacrificially. Sacrificial love earned her authority.
Whenever the Church speaks with authority, people listen. But the Church has to be sacrificial. And I’m afraid that the Church has not been sacrificial enough. In these days of an economic downturn there is a tendency in the Church to say, well, we’ve got to keep our own building intact, we’ve got to take care of our own staff, we have our own needs. And I’m telling you that the church that forgets itself and sacrifices for the needs of the poor and the oppressed—not only in their own neighborhood but around the world—that’s the church that will speak with authority. The church that speaks with authority doesn’t have to resort to power. People will listen.
Jesus resorted to authority. They said in Scripture he speaks as one having authority. It says that he emptied himself of power in the second chapter of Philippians. He took upon himself the form of a servant—the word is actually “doulos” which means slave in the original Greek—and made himself of no reputation. And here it is: he humbled himself even unto death, even unto the death of the cross. But listen to me. It doesn’t end there. The passage of Scripture from the second chapter of Philippians goes on to say, “therefore God has highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that the name of Jesus every knee should bow, every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. But we Christians know that his Lordship was not built on power but on a cross. His sacrificial act of love earns him the name that is above every name.
You know this is true in the family, as well. I hear mothers and fathers say to me: “My son, my daughter doesn’t listen to me anymore! When I talk about God, when I talk about Scriptures, they roll their eyes and say ‘Do we have to listen to this?’ They just don’t listen!” I say it’s because you don’t have authority. “What do you mean I don’t have authority?” Well, the kids see you spend $150 for a ticket to go a football game and throw $5 into the offering plate for the poor. When you talk about God, that kid knows it isn’t serious. After all, you would have sacrificed in love if it was serious.
The Church, the family, you as an individual need to imitate Jesus who constantly turned away from power, constantly did the temptation experience. “Turn the stones into bread,” said Satan. Economic power. Jesus said no. “Go and jump off the pinnacle of the temple. Show them a miracle down there at the temple.” Religious power. Jesus said no. To the top of the mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world. Political power. Jesus said no. I don’t want political power. I don’t want economic power. I don’t want religious power. I want to change the world by lovingly sacrificing for the poor and the oppressed because the more I sacrifice and love, the more authority I will have. In today’s world we need a Church, we need families, we need persons who are ready to sacrifice to meet the needs of others. That’s what changes the world.
Martin Luther King didn’t have political power, but he changed America. Mahatma Gandhi didn’t have political power. He never commanded an army. He changed a nation. I tell you that they understood Jesus better than most church people do. They understood that the way to change the world is not to impose your will on others but to lovingly sacrifice and earn the authority that when you speak, they will listen. They said of Jesus: He’s not like the religious leaders. He’s not like Herod. He’s not like Pilate. When this man speaks he speaks with authority. Would to God, we learn from Jesus.
Fears
I am watching Akeela and the Bee with my family (a movie everyone should watch) and this quote was read by Akeela while working with her spelling bee coach. I think it truly talks about my conflicts and struggles as clearly as anything I've read.
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. - Marianne Williamson
I have spent much of my adult life thinking I was fearful of failure or my own inadequacies. It has only been in the past few years that I have come to the realization that my deepest fear is that God has blessed me with so many gifts and I am not living up to that potential. I also have a fear that I don't know how to live up to that potential. It leads me to shy away from being the leader and making the impact that I have been called and gifted to be. I don't mean this in an egotistical way and just by saying this I go back to my fear. No, I truly see the gifts of others and enjoy seeing the success of those around me while being fearful of my own success. I do not want to be egotistical, narcissistic or seen by others as selfish. I go to the extreme to prove this. Enough with the "I" statements. Let's look closer at this quote.
Powerful beyond measure....you know isn't that why those of us who are in education are really in it. There is true power in education, it is being an authority and using authority in a powerful and meaningful way. I am a true believer we will change this world not through force or intimidation or coercion but through the authority we get from God and the knowledge we gain. Truly the most powerful people in my time have been people that have not used coercion or violence but the power of the word, of knowledge, of passion, of faith. Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mahatma Gandhi and historically speaking has anyone impacted our world more than Jesus. A lot of this thought comes from a sermon by Tony Campolo entitled "Earning the Right to Be Heard". I think I'll post this in another blog tonight as it is truly powerful.
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?
Here is where it is a tough line for me between being self-centered and being real, genuine, powerful, meaningful. A good friend once said that she hates being the center of attention but always seeks it out. I totally relate. I wonder if maybe that's where the struggle lies and without our faith we can't find that delicate balance. You see it's not seeking attention it's following your calling no check that it's following His calling and being bold in knowing that you are brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous not by my own doing but by the gracious gifts that are God given. And YES who am I to not be all that I have been made to be. It may be a greater sin or at least a greater failure for us not to be than to be self-centered in our life.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
Think of those people in your life that have truly changed you, challenged you to be better, impacted how you see life and most importantly others. These people have shined their light and in the process given me and so many others permission to move mountains of all sizes. You know the people I'm talking about, they have a unique quality that is sincere and, here is that word again, genuine. They captivate you without trying. They find no shame in being brilliant, gorgeous, fabulous and talented and yet it is not egotistical. Lord I pray that all of us may feel this, experience this, be this by your grace.
I have so much work to do with this but I think I will read this quote each day and be reminded of who I am called to be. As my friend tells me so often, "Dave do we need to give ourselves a put-up today?" Oh I am given a put-up each and everyday when I get to be with my family, friends and Maker.
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. - Marianne Williamson
I have spent much of my adult life thinking I was fearful of failure or my own inadequacies. It has only been in the past few years that I have come to the realization that my deepest fear is that God has blessed me with so many gifts and I am not living up to that potential. I also have a fear that I don't know how to live up to that potential. It leads me to shy away from being the leader and making the impact that I have been called and gifted to be. I don't mean this in an egotistical way and just by saying this I go back to my fear. No, I truly see the gifts of others and enjoy seeing the success of those around me while being fearful of my own success. I do not want to be egotistical, narcissistic or seen by others as selfish. I go to the extreme to prove this. Enough with the "I" statements. Let's look closer at this quote.
Powerful beyond measure....you know isn't that why those of us who are in education are really in it. There is true power in education, it is being an authority and using authority in a powerful and meaningful way. I am a true believer we will change this world not through force or intimidation or coercion but through the authority we get from God and the knowledge we gain. Truly the most powerful people in my time have been people that have not used coercion or violence but the power of the word, of knowledge, of passion, of faith. Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mahatma Gandhi and historically speaking has anyone impacted our world more than Jesus. A lot of this thought comes from a sermon by Tony Campolo entitled "Earning the Right to Be Heard". I think I'll post this in another blog tonight as it is truly powerful.
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?
Here is where it is a tough line for me between being self-centered and being real, genuine, powerful, meaningful. A good friend once said that she hates being the center of attention but always seeks it out. I totally relate. I wonder if maybe that's where the struggle lies and without our faith we can't find that delicate balance. You see it's not seeking attention it's following your calling no check that it's following His calling and being bold in knowing that you are brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous not by my own doing but by the gracious gifts that are God given. And YES who am I to not be all that I have been made to be. It may be a greater sin or at least a greater failure for us not to be than to be self-centered in our life.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
Think of those people in your life that have truly changed you, challenged you to be better, impacted how you see life and most importantly others. These people have shined their light and in the process given me and so many others permission to move mountains of all sizes. You know the people I'm talking about, they have a unique quality that is sincere and, here is that word again, genuine. They captivate you without trying. They find no shame in being brilliant, gorgeous, fabulous and talented and yet it is not egotistical. Lord I pray that all of us may feel this, experience this, be this by your grace.
I have so much work to do with this but I think I will read this quote each day and be reminded of who I am called to be. As my friend tells me so often, "Dave do we need to give ourselves a put-up today?" Oh I am given a put-up each and everyday when I get to be with my family, friends and Maker.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Don't you wonder?
I do plenty of head-scratching things in my life and I'm certain that more that a few times a day somebody wonders what my problems are. However, some observations over the past week have really made me wonder.
I'll start with our annual meeting at church last Sunday. I am now an employee of this congregation and certainly there are many fine people that are a part of this place. It is, like most places and most especially maybe churches, not without its dysfunction and conflicts. I wish to share one of these moments and some reflections on this. At this annual meeting one of the tasks is to nominate and elect new council members. These positions have had their stressful moments in the past few years and it is not easy to find members willing to put themselves in that position. We have a nominating committee and after many phone calls and numerous rejections they were able to get the three people necessary to fill the open positions.
Here's where the fun begins. One of the nominees received an anonymous phone call on her answering machine telling them that they weren't ready for such a position and that they should remove their name from the ballot. This person did end up pulling out. Now my thoughts.
This was so wrong in so many ways was my first reaction. I'm still there for the most part but am doing my best to see the side of the caller. Our pastor did a marvelous job of just stating the facts of what happened and that this is not how the business of the church should be done. What are my issues?:
1. Anonymous calls of this nature and well of any nature are just plain BS. Sorry I don't know how else to state that. If you truly feel that God has given you a message to protect this person or this congregation or whatever your purpose was, then go boldly with God's message and share it with your name, in person. This cowardice approach is just wrong. I most respect those that disagree or have a grievance with me who talk to me face-to-face and state their views and feelings. I may not agree, may take offense even, but I respect them. At least it is out in front of me to deal with. If you truly care and are concerned about me or the people I have relationships with then please let's keep these things out in the open. The behind the back, talk to everyone else, or doing it anonymously thing does not work towards peace and reconciliation, no quite the opposite. It is a sure path to hurt and escalated conflict.
2. I struggle with those who claim to know God's will more that others who are sincerely praying and listening to God's call. I don't want to be God and certainly don't pretend to have a more divine or direct route to His will but I also know that God does things out of love and calls us to do the same. I really have to question in these instances whether love was anywhere near the intention of the caller. Maybe it was and I should give the benefit of the doubt. Maybe God did send them to give this message. If so, the style of delivery sucks and because of my struggle with this I have sincere doubts about God's hand in that phone call. Wouldn't God want his people in that congregation to vote and let that be the will of God as to whether this person was "ready" to be on council?
3. Even in these times of disconcerting actions and I'm sure hurt for the person called, God was at hand. I started wondering about those people that do communicate what they believe to be His message in a positive, loving, non-anonymous way even if it is one that shakes the foundations of our comfort zone. Okay, I like those kind of messages unless of course they deal directly with me...HA! I think we all need to pray for the gift of discernment so that we can separate the wheat from the chaff so to speak. There are undoubtedly numerous messages being given that are challenging, uncomfortable and hard to hear that are the voice of Jesus. God knows that in this era of unbelievable communication tools (internet, blogs, texting, skype, etc.) that for every message that is truly from above there are thousands and maybe millions that are not.
We as a congregation made through the meeting with a few scars but with God's hand still leading us. This will be something we can learn from, reconcile with, and hopefully find a way to be peaceful in our disarray. I go back to my days of being a varsity coach and having parents and players upset with me. Often times I probably deserved being admonished to some degree. That really isn't the point. I had a great deal of respect for those who were willing to share their disagreements in person and in a way that sought out resolution. We didn't always find a resolution but certainly had an opportunity to have a better understanding of where we each were coming from. This was far better for everyone than the behind the back or late night screaming phone calls that occurred on occasion.
Lots of other observations but this already too long. I have been blessed with some really powerful conversations with some very dear friends this past few weeks. If you are one who reads this, thank you! You have no idea what your presence in my life means to me. (I better let you know then, shouldn't I!)
Peace my friends!
I'll start with our annual meeting at church last Sunday. I am now an employee of this congregation and certainly there are many fine people that are a part of this place. It is, like most places and most especially maybe churches, not without its dysfunction and conflicts. I wish to share one of these moments and some reflections on this. At this annual meeting one of the tasks is to nominate and elect new council members. These positions have had their stressful moments in the past few years and it is not easy to find members willing to put themselves in that position. We have a nominating committee and after many phone calls and numerous rejections they were able to get the three people necessary to fill the open positions.
Here's where the fun begins. One of the nominees received an anonymous phone call on her answering machine telling them that they weren't ready for such a position and that they should remove their name from the ballot. This person did end up pulling out. Now my thoughts.
This was so wrong in so many ways was my first reaction. I'm still there for the most part but am doing my best to see the side of the caller. Our pastor did a marvelous job of just stating the facts of what happened and that this is not how the business of the church should be done. What are my issues?:
1. Anonymous calls of this nature and well of any nature are just plain BS. Sorry I don't know how else to state that. If you truly feel that God has given you a message to protect this person or this congregation or whatever your purpose was, then go boldly with God's message and share it with your name, in person. This cowardice approach is just wrong. I most respect those that disagree or have a grievance with me who talk to me face-to-face and state their views and feelings. I may not agree, may take offense even, but I respect them. At least it is out in front of me to deal with. If you truly care and are concerned about me or the people I have relationships with then please let's keep these things out in the open. The behind the back, talk to everyone else, or doing it anonymously thing does not work towards peace and reconciliation, no quite the opposite. It is a sure path to hurt and escalated conflict.
2. I struggle with those who claim to know God's will more that others who are sincerely praying and listening to God's call. I don't want to be God and certainly don't pretend to have a more divine or direct route to His will but I also know that God does things out of love and calls us to do the same. I really have to question in these instances whether love was anywhere near the intention of the caller. Maybe it was and I should give the benefit of the doubt. Maybe God did send them to give this message. If so, the style of delivery sucks and because of my struggle with this I have sincere doubts about God's hand in that phone call. Wouldn't God want his people in that congregation to vote and let that be the will of God as to whether this person was "ready" to be on council?
3. Even in these times of disconcerting actions and I'm sure hurt for the person called, God was at hand. I started wondering about those people that do communicate what they believe to be His message in a positive, loving, non-anonymous way even if it is one that shakes the foundations of our comfort zone. Okay, I like those kind of messages unless of course they deal directly with me...HA! I think we all need to pray for the gift of discernment so that we can separate the wheat from the chaff so to speak. There are undoubtedly numerous messages being given that are challenging, uncomfortable and hard to hear that are the voice of Jesus. God knows that in this era of unbelievable communication tools (internet, blogs, texting, skype, etc.) that for every message that is truly from above there are thousands and maybe millions that are not.
We as a congregation made through the meeting with a few scars but with God's hand still leading us. This will be something we can learn from, reconcile with, and hopefully find a way to be peaceful in our disarray. I go back to my days of being a varsity coach and having parents and players upset with me. Often times I probably deserved being admonished to some degree. That really isn't the point. I had a great deal of respect for those who were willing to share their disagreements in person and in a way that sought out resolution. We didn't always find a resolution but certainly had an opportunity to have a better understanding of where we each were coming from. This was far better for everyone than the behind the back or late night screaming phone calls that occurred on occasion.
Lots of other observations but this already too long. I have been blessed with some really powerful conversations with some very dear friends this past few weeks. If you are one who reads this, thank you! You have no idea what your presence in my life means to me. (I better let you know then, shouldn't I!)
Peace my friends!
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