How the Think Like a Christian About Hunger and Poverty

Did you ever notice that you never hear television evangelists preach about what Jesus really said about being poor? It would wreak havoc on their income stream I suppose. They need people to keep sending them money. But Jesus said that we should give our money to the poor. He said that we should feed the hungry, care for the homeless, love the orphans, visit the prisoners and meet the needs of the ill. In fact, Jesus’ life can be summed up by saying that he did those things. Jesus’ teachings can be summarized by saying that he taught those things.

In the west (Europe and North America, and Japan and China to a lesser extent), we have more money than anyone else in the world. I believe that the poorest person you know, would be wealthy in most communities in the rest of the world. We have been entrusted with great wealth, and our biggest problem is that we too often squander it. When we get a little extra cash we buy a bigger, fancier, costlier television, or a new outfit, or an mp3 player, or a video game, or go on a trip. All of these are things that we do not need, but we “have” to have them.

So how can we make a difference? What can I do to help solve the most serious problems in the world (and these are the most significant issues in the world)?
Live more simply. Your parents would have thought that a 25” color television set was extravagant. How could you explain spending more for your flat-panel HDTV plasma number than they did for their first car?

• Be generous. Give away some stuff. Give away some money. Volunteer some time at a shelter, food pantry or soup kitchen.
• Be observant. Notice who there is around you who needs some help. Help others to feel good about themselves and their situation.
• Give. In addition to church, you can find other charities- Christian and otherwise- who are making a difference. Try Heifer Project, Compassion International and Food for the Poor to start with.
• Pray. Pray for those who are hungry, who do not have clean water, who live in poverty. But also, pray for the rest of the world, those of us who have money. Pray that we will learn that we cannot continue to turn our heads, but that we must do something- give something.
• Go somewhere. You do not have to go to Sudan or Haiti to find poor and hungry people. They are here in the USA, in Indiana. Go and make a difference.
  

I do not have this all figured out. I certainly am not perfect in my generosity or my giving to others. But I am working on it. I am committing to making 2007 a year of sharing what I have and helping to meet the needs of others. I hope that you will join me.

Jack Bauer is like Jesus?

Do you remember a couple of years ago when The Passion of the Christ first came to movie theatres? There was all sorts of furor over the violence, the blood, the unnecessarily graphic nature of the film. Even Christians, who agreed with the content, tone and message of Mel Gibson's movie were occasionally moved to shudder, or at least scratch their heads and wonder why. You see, no matter how much we love Jesus, no matter how grateful we are for his suffering and sacrifice, we really do not want to have too much information about the details. It is just too uncomfortable and ugly for us. We want the Christian world to be pretty and pleasant.

So, I was watching my favorite television program the other day. Jack Bauer was once again in the middle of saving the world. That's what he does on 24, after all. I was thinking to myself how grateful I am that Jack is out there protecting me and saving me from all the bad guys. And though I know that the program is a fantasy, I secretly pray that there are some real Jack Bauer's in the world. I hope that there are people- men or women- who put my safety above everything else.

And there was Jack, torturing another suspect/ criminal/ terrorist to get the information that would save the world. There were no other options. Jack had to use extreme measures. He had to use torture so he could get the information before the bomb/ nuclear device/ assassination/ biological weapon went off.

It was then that I realized that as much as I love Jack Bauer, as much as I think that I- and our country- need him, if I knew him in real life, I would not choose him as a friend. What he does is important, crucial in fact. But it is ugly and unpleasant. Jack is, in reality, an unsavory character. He is surrounded by unsavory people. What he does makes me wince and disgusts me, but I need Jack. I need him to save the world.

Isn't that just like Jesus? We do not want to know the details about his suffering, his torture, his death, but we need him. I need him to love and forgive me. I need him to save the world.

Local Church Vision Plan

As our churches consider what it means to have a mission statement, or a vision plan, let me propose these steps.

1. A 'dream team' of leaders from both congregations should be appointed. This team will deal with the rest of this plan and offer proposals to the church councils of both congregations.
2. The 'dream team' will be charged with guiding the congregations (and other interested persons) through an analysis of the local church(es), it's needs, strengths and the desires of it's constituents. The dream team will also assess the needs- social and spiritual- of the churches and the surrounding community. Vision planning will result from these assessments and analyses. Finally, the dream team will set goals that will move us to accomplishment of this new vision.
3. The dream team will set action steps for the church to follow. These will include concerns in the areas of facilities and resources, spiritual life (including discipleship, ministry and fellowship) and programming.
4. The Church Council of each congregation will then receive, discuss and approve the mission/ vision statement, goals and action steps.
5. The Church Council will then become responsible for the implementation of the vision plan.

The Great Discconect

Once again someone has gone nuts and killed a lot of innocent people. Viriginia now joins Colorado, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Washington and other states as places where unspeakable tragedy has taken place. And although the media does very little to minimize our risks- think about the round the clock attention that these events get for days on end and the disturbing and disturbed celebrity status that is granted to killers- the primary responsibility does not belong there.

In this event, Blacksburg, Virginia, it seems clear that the killer had serious mental health issues. Counseling and institutionalization should have been considered and may have prevented this terrible thing. But the failure of mental health professionals at Virginia Tech is not the primary culprit.

Many have criticized the slow response of campus police and administration in dealing with the shooting in the dormitory. The contention is that quicker action and a campus lock down could have prevented the second shooting in the classroom building. However, university officials cannot be blamed for one individual who would have found a way to do damage no matter what the response.

Others have proposed that guns and gun control are the issue. Some have said that if there were more controls and regulations the shooter would have been denied access to his weapons of choice. Others maintain that if gun laws were looser there would have been other armed people in the classroom building and the killer could have been contained much sooner. But both of these arguments deal with symptoms of a deeper problem.

I believe that killers like this are disconnected. Our culture violates a basic need of humanity. People need to be around people. We are social creatures. We need community. We need conversations and interactions. We need to be needed by other humans and we need other humans. However, our society discourages these relationships.

From infancy we are trained to be independent. We are taught how to take care of ourselves and to solve our own problems. When I can take care of myself, I don't need you. And when I don't need you, I will stay away from you. Eventually, this will lead to distrust of other people. And when I don't trust others to help me, or to know me, I become lonely and disconnected.

We live in the same house on the same street for years without knowing the names of our next door neighbors. We shop in the same stores, are served by the same clerks, and never speak to them on a personal level. I can go to worship with the same congregation for my whole life and never get to know anyone on a personal level. I am disconnected from the rest of the world.

And here is the progression; Independence leads to isolation. Isolation leads to loneliness. Loneliness leads to disconnection. Disconnection leads to catastrophe.

It becomes incumbent on everyone, then, to do something about this disconnection. We should do something for the good of those who are disconnected and for our own safety. Refuse to accept the popular idea that independence is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Refuse to be isolated and to let those around you be isolated. Make connections with as many people as you can. Make meaningful connections that will last beyond today.

And pray for everyone you meet.

Crash into Imus

Yesterday I watched the film Crash again. It was just as powerful this time as it was on first viewing. Crash stars Matt Dillon, Sandra Bullock, Thandie Newton, Brendon Fraser, Don Cheadle and a host of others. The story of Crash is difficult (read impossible) to summarize. So let it suffice to say that Crash is about racism. There are whites, blacks, Hispanics, Arabs, Persians and Asians all acting like bigots, and all being discriminated against. It is a very uncomfortable film for an honest person to watch.

• It is difficult to watch Crash because all to often we hear people saying aloud what we think and keep to ourselves. We see people acting out the bigotry that we secretly harbor in our hearts. We are left scratching our heads. Feeling guilty. Feeling angry. Most of all, we feel like we should do something to atone for our own lapses.
• It is difficult to watch Crash because we see that our own ethnic group is not the only one that nurtures hatred. We are not special. As much as I hate someone else, they also hate me.
• It is difficult to watch Crash because it makes us realize that we are all the same. Yes, we look different. We speak different languages. We have different cultures. But we all share the same fears and insecurities.

And that is what it is all about. We are afraid. We are insecure. I worry that someone else is better than me, smarter than me, prettier, or stronger, or richer than me. I am afraid that I will become less important as you become more important.

Don Imus screwed up the other week. He knows it. We all know it. It wasn't his first screw up, and it won't be his last. In fact, we will all screw up and say the wrong things, believe the wrong things or do the wrong things. Imus just did it in front of millions of critics. He expressed the concerns, the fears, that many (all?) humans have. So the question is, how can we avoid that?

I believe that a relationship with God is the opposite of fear. The Bible teaches that fear does not come from God. That means that it must be anti-God. My fears are not holy. Your fears, Don Imus's fears are not from God. That same passage in the Bible says that God gives love, peace and sanity. Loving, sane, peaceful people are the ones who are able to overcome racism and hatred. And that comes from God. In another place, the Bible says that love casts out fear. There is no room for racism and hatred where the love of God is.

So, reject stereotypes (true or not) that lead to prejudice and bigotry. Do not follow leaders who espouse agendas that serve to advance a particular ethnic or cultural cause. And especially, do not follow 'Christian' leaders, denominations or groups that perpetuate fear and separation.

New Year's Resolutions 2007.1

I know all the arguments against making New Year’s Resolutions. I know that they do not last. We do not keep them. They only serve to discourage us when we fail. But I cannot help myself. I keep making resolutions. Every year I make a whole list. I think that if I make a lot of resolutions then surely I will be able to keep one or two. This year I am making resolutions in two categories and you get to see them all.

Category I- Ministry Resolutions

• In 2007 I plan to make youth ministry a priority for our congregations. This will include enhancing, emphasizing and expanding the Coconut Hut and other youth activities. We will also work to recruit and develop new leaders for youth ministry.
• We will build the Kid’s Club. This will include a much needed effort to find, recruit, train and deploy new leaders.
• There will be an emphasis on supporting, working with and expanding the Building Blocks Pre-School.
• We will develop a new leadership training program. This will include Lay Speaking training and other opportunities.

Category II- Personal Resolutions

• I will read the Bible in 2007.
• I will read seven books of classic literature. (I don’t know why I picked seven, but it seemed like the right amount.)
• I am going to pray about and find the project that I will invest the rest of my life in. Right now the leading contenders are AIDS orphans in Africa and human trafficking of children in Southeast Asia and around the world.
• I am going to write one song each Friday.

Well, there it is. It seems like a lot. Now you know what I am going to do with 2007. What are you going to be up to?

Some six year reflections

I am just finishing up my sixth year as pastor of my current churches. That is a long time for me. I am planning on being here at least two more years (if the Lord is willing). Although this is not a terribly significant milestone for most, it has caused me to do some reflection. In these six years we have accomplished a lot. There has been a lot of experimentation. I know that I have changed and grown. I am sure that the same is true for both of my congregations.

I think that one of the things that is distinctive about my work in ministry is that I am all about doing things. I am always on the go, looking for new ideas, innovation. My goal is to build an active, doing, going church. The accomplishments that I point to are almost all related to this sort of doing and going into the world mentality.

Here are some of the accomplishments and some of the experiments that have taken place these years.

• During my tenure as pastor our churches have participated in 11 missions trips. Over 50 different people have served in mission during these six years. Now a second generation of missions is beginning as one of our members is planning to lead a team to the Gulf Coast this fall.
• The missions giving, support and commitment has increased in both congregations.
• The Coconut Hut youth ministry center was launched for teens in the Howe, Indiana area.
• The MAP, Ministry Apprenticeship Program, was developed to lead young adults into deeper levels of spiritual commitment, discipleship and leadership in the church.
• We have had, and continue to have several small group Bible studies. Several members of both churches have led groups.
• There has been an increase in Bible reading, memorization and knowledge as we have all committed ourselves to grow in God's Word.
• We have hosted several outreach concerts and events for the community and beyond.
• We began the very popular Christmas Coffeehouse. Each years 150 people attend this musical showcase.
• The Howe Church has adopted (rescued) the Building Blocks Pre-school. Building Blocks is now a very important part of our ministry.
• Seven members of our two small churches have received denominational training and are certified as Lay Speakers. This is quite a step in leadership for each of them.
• There has been increased participation by laity in church services and programs.
• We have held a periodic Guitar Class as a training tool for potential worship leaders and an outreach to community members.
• I have just recently convened a group of pastors from the Howe area for fellowship and accountability. We are meeting on a monthly basis.
• Our churches have increased their commitment and involvement in all areas of church camping. We have had directors, counselors and campers on a regular basis.
• Upon arriving in Howe, I found that our Vacation Bible School was led by an outside, para-church organization. We have since reclaimed this important ministry.
• We began a new ministry of outreach, Warm Welcomes, to low income members of our community.
• We held a Stuffed Sunday, in which we donated several car/truck loads of used clothing to a local community free store and clothing bank.
• We had a very successful diaper drive to assist with the needs of our local Compassion Pregnancy Center.
• We have increased our connections to a local youth ministry, The Shed. I currently serve as the Board Chair and three of our teens serve on the youth board.
• Finally, we have had several people called into the ministry, and sent out into church leadership.