The word for today is hear:
Now this is the commandment — the statutes and the ordinances — that the Lord your God charged me to teach you to observe in the land that you are about to cross into and occupy, so that you and your children and your children's children may fear the Lord your God all the days of your life, and keep all his decrees and his commandments that I am commanding you, so that your days may be long. Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe them diligently, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you.
Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
When the Lord your God has brought you into the land that he swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you — a land with fine, large cities that you did not build, houses filled with all sorts of goods that you did not fill, hewn cisterns that you did not hew, vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant — and when you have eaten your fill, take care that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. The Lord your God you shall fear; him you shall serve, and by his name alone you shall swear. Do not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who are all around you, because the Lord your God, who is present with you, is a jealous God. The anger of the Lord your God would be kindled against you and he would destroy you from the face of the earth.
Do not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah. You must diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his decrees, and his statutes that he has commanded you. Do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may go in and occupy the good land that the Lord swore to your ancestors to give you, thrusting out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has promised.
When your children ask you in time to come, "What is the meaning of the decrees and the statutes and the ordinances that the Lord our God has commanded you?" then you shall say to your children, "We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. The Lord displayed before our eyes great and awesome signs and wonders against Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his household. He brought us out from there in order to bring us in, to give us the land that he promised on oath to our ancestors. Then the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our lasting good, so as to keep us alive, as is now the case. If we diligently observe this entire commandment before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, we will be in the right."
Deuteronomy 6 – NRSV
Blessed be the people who hear, and who can tell the story.
Ron
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Sharing: living a realistic life
Frank was a lovely man: wonderful in spirit and disposition. He was the third husband of Ann’s paternal grandmother, Nano. Her previous two husbands had died in the due course of time, and Nano could not stand to be alone. She loved to talk, yet there was no one with whom to share conversation. She loved to travel, and there was no one to share her experiences. Besides, Nano had never learned to drive. Frank was the man who offered the care and the companionship, the traveling partner, that she so desperately wanted.
But the journey did not begin well. As Frank was moving his things into the home they would share, he also moved a couple of his guns. Somehow, although we’re not really sure how, while handling his 22 caliber pistol, Frank shot himself in the foot. Only Frank and Nano were in the house. Nano couldn’t drive. Frank didn’t want to call anyone to come take him to the hospital because, to say the least, the idea embarrassed him. He anticipated the questions: “How did this happen, Frank?” “Did Nano miss, Frank?” So Frank rationalized: "It’s not that far to the hospital; ambulances are so expensive, aren’t they?" He bundled Nano up in the car, hopped into the driver’s seat, and headed out to the emergency room.
Which went well for a while. You might remember from your last first aid class that it is preferable to hold a bleeding wound above your head. Now, it is difficult to drive a Ford sedan while keeping a foot with a bullet hole in it above your head. Consequently, en route to the hospital, Frank passed out while driving. By the grace of God, Frank hit a tree instead of another vehicle. It was a big tree. The tree shuddered, but then settled back down to being a tree. The car shuddered, too, but then ceased to be useful transportation. Fortunately, a nearby witness promptly called for the ambulance that was not going to be avoided.
Frank lived, but he never lived this story down. It is the record of one of the few weak moments in the life of a kind and wise person. The desire to be independent and to keep to ourselves our trials, our tribulations, our embarrassments, and our troubles often causes humans to behave in odd and anti-social ways. Frank would not have dreamed of hurting a flea, but because he wouldn’t think of sharing his dilemma, he could have hurt a neighbor, another driver, or even his beloved.
The word for the day is share. Now most of us are willing to share the good things that God give us. But how willing are we to share the troubles that life puts in our path? The scriptures are very clear about the kinds of things that we are to share with our brothers and sisters:
2 Corinthians 1:7 – share in sufferings and consolation
Ephesians 4:28 – share with the needy
Philippians 4:14 – share in distress
2 Timothy 2:3 – share in suffering
Hebrews 11:25 – share ill-treatment with the people of God
Hebrews 12:8 – share discipline with the other children
Revelation 1:9 – share persecution
When we share our troubles, it means that we are truly able to share the good things in the life of faith as well:
Galatians 6:6 – share in good things with your teacher
Philippians 1:26 – share in boasting about God’s grace
Philippians 1:7 – share in God’s grace
Colossians 1:12 – share in the inheritance of the saints of light
1 Thessalonians 2:8 – share the gospel and ourselves
Titus 1:4 – share faith
Hebrews 13:16 – share what we have
Jude 3 – share salvation
Revelation 20:6 – share in the first resurrection
Revelation 22:19 – share in the tree of life and in the holy city
The other advantage of sharing the good and the bad in this world is that this openness makes us a believable person. People who expect to live without trouble in their lives live in a fantasy world. People who allow others to share the troubles in their lives avoid fantasy and engage in reality. At the same time, how do we balance that openness where we don’t whine about every problem, tell the secrets of other people, or overburden our friends? That’s where wisdom comes into the picture.
Be open, be wise today. Share.
Blessings,
Ron
But the journey did not begin well. As Frank was moving his things into the home they would share, he also moved a couple of his guns. Somehow, although we’re not really sure how, while handling his 22 caliber pistol, Frank shot himself in the foot. Only Frank and Nano were in the house. Nano couldn’t drive. Frank didn’t want to call anyone to come take him to the hospital because, to say the least, the idea embarrassed him. He anticipated the questions: “How did this happen, Frank?” “Did Nano miss, Frank?” So Frank rationalized: "It’s not that far to the hospital; ambulances are so expensive, aren’t they?" He bundled Nano up in the car, hopped into the driver’s seat, and headed out to the emergency room.
Which went well for a while. You might remember from your last first aid class that it is preferable to hold a bleeding wound above your head. Now, it is difficult to drive a Ford sedan while keeping a foot with a bullet hole in it above your head. Consequently, en route to the hospital, Frank passed out while driving. By the grace of God, Frank hit a tree instead of another vehicle. It was a big tree. The tree shuddered, but then settled back down to being a tree. The car shuddered, too, but then ceased to be useful transportation. Fortunately, a nearby witness promptly called for the ambulance that was not going to be avoided.
Frank lived, but he never lived this story down. It is the record of one of the few weak moments in the life of a kind and wise person. The desire to be independent and to keep to ourselves our trials, our tribulations, our embarrassments, and our troubles often causes humans to behave in odd and anti-social ways. Frank would not have dreamed of hurting a flea, but because he wouldn’t think of sharing his dilemma, he could have hurt a neighbor, another driver, or even his beloved.
The word for the day is share. Now most of us are willing to share the good things that God give us. But how willing are we to share the troubles that life puts in our path? The scriptures are very clear about the kinds of things that we are to share with our brothers and sisters:
2 Corinthians 1:7 – share in sufferings and consolation
Ephesians 4:28 – share with the needy
Philippians 4:14 – share in distress
2 Timothy 2:3 – share in suffering
Hebrews 11:25 – share ill-treatment with the people of God
Hebrews 12:8 – share discipline with the other children
Revelation 1:9 – share persecution
When we share our troubles, it means that we are truly able to share the good things in the life of faith as well:
Galatians 6:6 – share in good things with your teacher
Philippians 1:26 – share in boasting about God’s grace
Philippians 1:7 – share in God’s grace
Colossians 1:12 – share in the inheritance of the saints of light
1 Thessalonians 2:8 – share the gospel and ourselves
Titus 1:4 – share faith
Hebrews 13:16 – share what we have
Jude 3 – share salvation
Revelation 20:6 – share in the first resurrection
Revelation 22:19 – share in the tree of life and in the holy city
The other advantage of sharing the good and the bad in this world is that this openness makes us a believable person. People who expect to live without trouble in their lives live in a fantasy world. People who allow others to share the troubles in their lives avoid fantasy and engage in reality. At the same time, how do we balance that openness where we don’t whine about every problem, tell the secrets of other people, or overburden our friends? That’s where wisdom comes into the picture.
Be open, be wise today. Share.
Blessings,
Ron
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Influence: oblivious strength
It was a dark and stormy night.
Well, actually it was a dark night but not so very stormy. At church camp it was late enough for the younger kids to be in bed dozing to the burr of a dozen fans, but early enough for the older campers and staff to be playing a game. Or perhaps having a learning experience.
They are playing a game called angels and demons. The campers are blindfolded, which considering the darkness of the night, is virtually redundant. The campers have an objective. They are supposed to move somehow, as individuals or groups, to a place called Heaven. They are to depend upon their ability to touch and to hear. They cautiously feel their way forward with feet carefully shuffling step-by-step, while listening to the voices of staff members, some of whom are “angels” and some of whom are “demons.” The angels can’t physically guide their humans to Heaven; they have to rely on persuasion. The demons are obviously not intent on getting the kids to heaven; they have a different Plan H. They seek to convince the kids that they are the true guides leading them to the place that they really want to be. Neither angel or demon can come straight out and give their true identity, but they do have to answer any question that the kids ask of them. Or appear to answer the question. Kids are spread out all over camp, as angels lead a group here, or persuade a girl or boy there; demons distract some of the members of a flock here or there, and one leads his group away at a speed close to a goosestep.
One of the demons is stressed. She is (in her true identity) one of those sweet young women who couldn’t put more than two mean words together in a sentence without feeling guilty for a week because she even thought the sentence. Because she thinks that it would be fun for people to not think of her so much a “Miss Goody Two-shoes,” she volunteers to be one of the demons. The problem is, she is spectacularly successful at it. The younger girls hear her voice and circle around her like so many June bugs around a porch light. Only this time she isn’t the light. In a metaphorical way, she is a temporary agent of the Pit of Darkness, the Hub of Hatred, the Lair of the Liar. She did not expect to experience the power that she wields. She is stunned; shaken, even. Eventually, her eyes fill with tears. In her frustration, she calls over an angel of some years and experience to use his considerable persuasive skills to convince her flock to leave the edge of this imaginary cliff. Even his calm and steady voice is not enough to distract, much less dissuade, her charges. Finally, in frustration, she breaks the rules (which causes her no end of cognitive dissonance and guilt) and tells her followers that she is a demon. They refuse to believe such an obvious piece of nonsense. They won’t leave her. The dear little “demon” is stunned and physically shaken by the whole experience.
The word for today is influence. We all have influence; the questions are: With whom? How much? What kind?
Our little demon knew that some of the younger girls were fond of her. What was so shocking to this young woman was the unexpected reality that so many young girls looked up to her, and that they would follow her unflinchingly. Apparently, they would follow her even through Hell, yet refuse to believe that Hell was where they were. Because it couldn’t be Hell if she were there, could it? “If I have this kind of influence over this many souls,” she thought, “how careful of a life am I going to have to live? What kind of life am I going to have to live?”
Very frequently, even the best of us can be oblivious to the power of our influence over others. We influence those that we know, especially those who care about us. Those who care about us take much more seriously the causes that we choose to be passionate about. Those who think that we are wise wonder if they shouldn’t use their time the way that we use our time. Even our demeanor when we enter a room can change the temperature of the place, because others wish to be in sync with how we are seeing the world today.
Paul was aware of the power of his influence:
For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, and we did not eat anyone's bread without paying for it; but with toil and labor we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you. This was not because we do not have that right, but in order to give you an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat.
2 Thessalonians 3:7-10 – NRSV
Be alert today to the ways in which every smile or frown, every silence or every word, every commendation or correction, shapes the way those around you see their little universe. Be aware, be deliberate, and be wise, because you are making choices for more people than you may realize.
Grace, and peace,
Ron
Well, actually it was a dark night but not so very stormy. At church camp it was late enough for the younger kids to be in bed dozing to the burr of a dozen fans, but early enough for the older campers and staff to be playing a game. Or perhaps having a learning experience.
They are playing a game called angels and demons. The campers are blindfolded, which considering the darkness of the night, is virtually redundant. The campers have an objective. They are supposed to move somehow, as individuals or groups, to a place called Heaven. They are to depend upon their ability to touch and to hear. They cautiously feel their way forward with feet carefully shuffling step-by-step, while listening to the voices of staff members, some of whom are “angels” and some of whom are “demons.” The angels can’t physically guide their humans to Heaven; they have to rely on persuasion. The demons are obviously not intent on getting the kids to heaven; they have a different Plan H. They seek to convince the kids that they are the true guides leading them to the place that they really want to be. Neither angel or demon can come straight out and give their true identity, but they do have to answer any question that the kids ask of them. Or appear to answer the question. Kids are spread out all over camp, as angels lead a group here, or persuade a girl or boy there; demons distract some of the members of a flock here or there, and one leads his group away at a speed close to a goosestep.
One of the demons is stressed. She is (in her true identity) one of those sweet young women who couldn’t put more than two mean words together in a sentence without feeling guilty for a week because she even thought the sentence. Because she thinks that it would be fun for people to not think of her so much a “Miss Goody Two-shoes,” she volunteers to be one of the demons. The problem is, she is spectacularly successful at it. The younger girls hear her voice and circle around her like so many June bugs around a porch light. Only this time she isn’t the light. In a metaphorical way, she is a temporary agent of the Pit of Darkness, the Hub of Hatred, the Lair of the Liar. She did not expect to experience the power that she wields. She is stunned; shaken, even. Eventually, her eyes fill with tears. In her frustration, she calls over an angel of some years and experience to use his considerable persuasive skills to convince her flock to leave the edge of this imaginary cliff. Even his calm and steady voice is not enough to distract, much less dissuade, her charges. Finally, in frustration, she breaks the rules (which causes her no end of cognitive dissonance and guilt) and tells her followers that she is a demon. They refuse to believe such an obvious piece of nonsense. They won’t leave her. The dear little “demon” is stunned and physically shaken by the whole experience.
The word for today is influence. We all have influence; the questions are: With whom? How much? What kind?
Our little demon knew that some of the younger girls were fond of her. What was so shocking to this young woman was the unexpected reality that so many young girls looked up to her, and that they would follow her unflinchingly. Apparently, they would follow her even through Hell, yet refuse to believe that Hell was where they were. Because it couldn’t be Hell if she were there, could it? “If I have this kind of influence over this many souls,” she thought, “how careful of a life am I going to have to live? What kind of life am I going to have to live?”
Very frequently, even the best of us can be oblivious to the power of our influence over others. We influence those that we know, especially those who care about us. Those who care about us take much more seriously the causes that we choose to be passionate about. Those who think that we are wise wonder if they shouldn’t use their time the way that we use our time. Even our demeanor when we enter a room can change the temperature of the place, because others wish to be in sync with how we are seeing the world today.
Paul was aware of the power of his influence:
For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, and we did not eat anyone's bread without paying for it; but with toil and labor we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you. This was not because we do not have that right, but in order to give you an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat.
2 Thessalonians 3:7-10 – NRSV
Be alert today to the ways in which every smile or frown, every silence or every word, every commendation or correction, shapes the way those around you see their little universe. Be aware, be deliberate, and be wise, because you are making choices for more people than you may realize.
Grace, and peace,
Ron
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Delegate: Jethro's advice
Today, another message from Lauren:
I was doing my best to work my way through the Bible a couple of years ago, when I stumbled upon a story that I had never heard before. I think a lot of times we reserve the Old Testament for children and the New Testament for adults, so that adults end up remembering the exciting stories without the meat. But that’s an issue for another day ...
Anyway, I read the story our handy-dandy Bibles have labeled “Jethro’s Advice,” and wondered why I’d never paid attention to or heard it before. It is set when Moses has left Egypt with the Israelites, and they have to make it in the desert. Jethro, Moses father-in-law, decides to come visit for a while, as any good father-in-law would do, in order to check up on his son-in-law. The story continues:
Exodus 18
The next day Moses sat as judge for the people, while the people stood around him from morning until evening. When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, "What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, while all the people stand around you from morning until evening?" Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to inquire of God. When they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make known to them the statutes and instructions of God." Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good. You will surely wear yourself out, both you and these people with you. For the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone. Now listen to me. I will give you counsel, and God be with you! You should represent the people before God, and you should bring their cases before God; teach them the statutes and instructions and make known to them the way they are to go and the things they are to do. You should also look for able men among all the people, men who fear God, are trustworthy, and hate dishonest gain; set such men over them as officers over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. Let them sit as judges for the people at all times; let them bring every important case to you, but decide every minor case themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. If you do this, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people will go to their home in peace."
So Moses listened to his father-in-law and did all that he had said. Moses chose able men from all Israel and appointed them as heads over the people, as officers over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. And they judged the people at all times; hard cases they brought to Moses, but any minor case they decided themselves. Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went off to his own country.
When I read this for the first time, I had to reread it. My next reaction was to think, “Why didn’t anyone ever tell me this!” How many of you feel like Moses? Overwhelmed, tired, over-worked, tired, stressed, tired … did I mention tired? How many times do we leaders expect to do it all ourselves? “What you are doing is not good,” Jethro tells us. “You will surely wear yourself out,” you and everyone around you. So it’s not just about US; when we push ourselves too hard for too long, we affect those around us; we are giving them the short stick instead of being the providers, nurturers, protectors, leaders, examples that God has called us to be. “The task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.” That truth is hard enough to admit on its own; but who is going to help you? Aren’t you the one in charge? Aren’t you the one with the responsibility to do these important things? YES. But that doesn’t mean that God expected you, Joe Schmo, to do it all by yourself. WE ARE A COMMUNITY. If God has taught us anything, it is to rely on each other in order to accomplish his plans. Listen to Jethro: “Teach them the statues and instructions and make known to them the way they are to go and the things they are to do.” In other words, teach those you are responsible for to be responsible.
But he doesn’t stop there, because people (children particularly) still need leadership and guidance; he tells us to “look for the able among you.” Who are the able? Well, it depends on which task is at hand. Andrew, my amazing husband, has among all his wonderful talents, the ability to cook and do the laundry. Maybe when I am overwhelmed with work or homework or “x,” I can ask Andrew to make dinner and take care of the laundry, because he is more than capable of handling that task, and vice versa (though my family would argue that maybe its better if Andrew took care of these things regularly ). Maybe the house needs to be cleaned a little (or, as is usually the case, a lot); maybe it’s worth it to hire someone this one time to take care of it so that we can focus on the more important things at hand.
Basically, don’t look at your responsibilities as the big picture and think, “I have to do this because no one else can do it.” Break it down into the little pieces and find ways of sharing the responsibility with those around you: with your family, your community. Because it is in “bearing each other’s burdens” that we truly do become a community, a family. Don’t think of it as letting go of responsibility, but of sharing that responsibility with others; you won’t be hogging all of the glory for yourself, but sharing your problems and successes with those you love and who love you.
I think it’s also important to notice that Moses didn’t shirk his responsibility. Though he felt underprepared for what God had called him to do, he did it (or at least was going to go down trying). I think the other end of the spectrum from unwillingness to share our responsibility, to delegate, is to not accept responsibility at all … but that is another can of worms for another day …
Blessings,
Lauren Allison Barker
I was doing my best to work my way through the Bible a couple of years ago, when I stumbled upon a story that I had never heard before. I think a lot of times we reserve the Old Testament for children and the New Testament for adults, so that adults end up remembering the exciting stories without the meat. But that’s an issue for another day ...
Anyway, I read the story our handy-dandy Bibles have labeled “Jethro’s Advice,” and wondered why I’d never paid attention to or heard it before. It is set when Moses has left Egypt with the Israelites, and they have to make it in the desert. Jethro, Moses father-in-law, decides to come visit for a while, as any good father-in-law would do, in order to check up on his son-in-law. The story continues:
Exodus 18
The next day Moses sat as judge for the people, while the people stood around him from morning until evening. When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, "What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, while all the people stand around you from morning until evening?" Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to inquire of God. When they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make known to them the statutes and instructions of God." Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good. You will surely wear yourself out, both you and these people with you. For the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone. Now listen to me. I will give you counsel, and God be with you! You should represent the people before God, and you should bring their cases before God; teach them the statutes and instructions and make known to them the way they are to go and the things they are to do. You should also look for able men among all the people, men who fear God, are trustworthy, and hate dishonest gain; set such men over them as officers over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. Let them sit as judges for the people at all times; let them bring every important case to you, but decide every minor case themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. If you do this, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people will go to their home in peace."
So Moses listened to his father-in-law and did all that he had said. Moses chose able men from all Israel and appointed them as heads over the people, as officers over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. And they judged the people at all times; hard cases they brought to Moses, but any minor case they decided themselves. Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went off to his own country.
When I read this for the first time, I had to reread it. My next reaction was to think, “Why didn’t anyone ever tell me this!” How many of you feel like Moses? Overwhelmed, tired, over-worked, tired, stressed, tired … did I mention tired? How many times do we leaders expect to do it all ourselves? “What you are doing is not good,” Jethro tells us. “You will surely wear yourself out,” you and everyone around you. So it’s not just about US; when we push ourselves too hard for too long, we affect those around us; we are giving them the short stick instead of being the providers, nurturers, protectors, leaders, examples that God has called us to be. “The task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.” That truth is hard enough to admit on its own; but who is going to help you? Aren’t you the one in charge? Aren’t you the one with the responsibility to do these important things? YES. But that doesn’t mean that God expected you, Joe Schmo, to do it all by yourself. WE ARE A COMMUNITY. If God has taught us anything, it is to rely on each other in order to accomplish his plans. Listen to Jethro: “Teach them the statues and instructions and make known to them the way they are to go and the things they are to do.” In other words, teach those you are responsible for to be responsible.
But he doesn’t stop there, because people (children particularly) still need leadership and guidance; he tells us to “look for the able among you.” Who are the able? Well, it depends on which task is at hand. Andrew, my amazing husband, has among all his wonderful talents, the ability to cook and do the laundry. Maybe when I am overwhelmed with work or homework or “x,” I can ask Andrew to make dinner and take care of the laundry, because he is more than capable of handling that task, and vice versa (though my family would argue that maybe its better if Andrew took care of these things regularly ). Maybe the house needs to be cleaned a little (or, as is usually the case, a lot); maybe it’s worth it to hire someone this one time to take care of it so that we can focus on the more important things at hand.
Basically, don’t look at your responsibilities as the big picture and think, “I have to do this because no one else can do it.” Break it down into the little pieces and find ways of sharing the responsibility with those around you: with your family, your community. Because it is in “bearing each other’s burdens” that we truly do become a community, a family. Don’t think of it as letting go of responsibility, but of sharing that responsibility with others; you won’t be hogging all of the glory for yourself, but sharing your problems and successes with those you love and who love you.
I think it’s also important to notice that Moses didn’t shirk his responsibility. Though he felt underprepared for what God had called him to do, he did it (or at least was going to go down trying). I think the other end of the spectrum from unwillingness to share our responsibility, to delegate, is to not accept responsibility at all … but that is another can of worms for another day …
Blessings,
Lauren Allison Barker
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Patience: warding off great disaster ...
Today, Lauren has decided to give her dad a break and write the devotional thought for him. I think that you will find the change of perspective and pace refreshing:
There is a Chinese proverb---well, there’s pretty much a Chinese proverb for everything, but this one in particular states that “One moment of patience may ward off great disaster. One moment of impatience may ruin a whole life.” As I do with most proverbs, I nodded at it and said, “Oh yes … that’s very wise,” and carefully placed it in the to-be-referenced-for-a-phenomenal-paper file instead of actually applying it to my own life.
Then I became a high school English teacher.
I think that pretty-much sums it up, but for those of you who may not experienced this particular type of eye-awakening event, I’ll explain. One thing that being a teacher will do to you is teach you how to frantically fly back to all those bits of wisdom you heard in the past and somehow salvage them and make them into something that enables you to survive the day without being eaten alive … very slowly … with a spoon.
I recalled this particular Chinese proverb one day when a particular high school junior did a particularly annoying thing that set me off in the particular way that type of action always has. This wonderful student---let’s affectionately call him “Johnny”---was the 19th student in that class period to ask me what the homework assignment was. For the third time. Now, this may not seem like a big deal to most people---all of you NORMAL people out there are already thinking I’m crazy, and that’s okay---but for poor, poor, me, it was what we fondly refer to as “the last straw.” It was toward the end of the semester. It was a Thursday. It was the final class period of the day. It was in the final 15 minutes of the block. It was a rainy day. I hadn’t gotten much sleep. My coffee was cold. My lesson was rushed. You name it: I’m sure it happened that day. In other words, if you remember the book about the “terrible, horrible, no-good, very-bad day,” you could easily have filled in the Alexander’s with “Mrs. Barker” and had most of the details just about right.
Well, when sweet, earnest-to-learn Johnny asked me for the umpteenth time about the homework assignment, I snapped like a finely-aged twig. I looked at Johnny like he had deliberately set out to be the bane of my existence and sharpened my tongue enough to spit out, “HAVEN’T YOU HEARD ANYTHING I’VE BEEN SAYING FOR THE PAST 3 MONTHS!!!!” You can imagine the shocked look that washed across innocent Johnny’s face when my words collided with his comprehension. Now imagine MY surprise when Johnny, who throughout the year may not have been as wonderful, sweet, earnest-to-learn, or innocent as I have let on, contritely mumbled, “I’m very sorry---I’ve had a bad sinus infection that has been affecting my hearing; I didn’t mean any disrespect.” Ouch. “One moment of patience may ward off great disaster,” huh? Well, it may not have been a GREAT disaster, but it could’ve been one. With that brief moment of disrespect and lack of self-control, what kind of example did I set for Johnny? For the rest of the class? And though I meant well (to teach students responsibility), I approached it in a very un-Christian way.
It all comes down to having patience. Patience is empowerment. It empowers you to really reflect on your intentions and find a way to see them through. It calls you to rise above yourself and be what that other person needs. Waiting a minute longer than you think you can. Stilling your lips for a fraction longer. Taking a breath before taking action. It is in the small delays that the world is saved, one relationship at a time. How’s that for a Chinese proverb? Maybe I should write the fortune cookie company in Detroit…
Blessings,
Lauren Allison Barker
There is a Chinese proverb---well, there’s pretty much a Chinese proverb for everything, but this one in particular states that “One moment of patience may ward off great disaster. One moment of impatience may ruin a whole life.” As I do with most proverbs, I nodded at it and said, “Oh yes … that’s very wise,” and carefully placed it in the to-be-referenced-for-a-phenomenal-paper file instead of actually applying it to my own life.
Then I became a high school English teacher.
I think that pretty-much sums it up, but for those of you who may not experienced this particular type of eye-awakening event, I’ll explain. One thing that being a teacher will do to you is teach you how to frantically fly back to all those bits of wisdom you heard in the past and somehow salvage them and make them into something that enables you to survive the day without being eaten alive … very slowly … with a spoon.
I recalled this particular Chinese proverb one day when a particular high school junior did a particularly annoying thing that set me off in the particular way that type of action always has. This wonderful student---let’s affectionately call him “Johnny”---was the 19th student in that class period to ask me what the homework assignment was. For the third time. Now, this may not seem like a big deal to most people---all of you NORMAL people out there are already thinking I’m crazy, and that’s okay---but for poor, poor, me, it was what we fondly refer to as “the last straw.” It was toward the end of the semester. It was a Thursday. It was the final class period of the day. It was in the final 15 minutes of the block. It was a rainy day. I hadn’t gotten much sleep. My coffee was cold. My lesson was rushed. You name it: I’m sure it happened that day. In other words, if you remember the book about the “terrible, horrible, no-good, very-bad day,” you could easily have filled in the Alexander’s with “Mrs. Barker” and had most of the details just about right.
Well, when sweet, earnest-to-learn Johnny asked me for the umpteenth time about the homework assignment, I snapped like a finely-aged twig. I looked at Johnny like he had deliberately set out to be the bane of my existence and sharpened my tongue enough to spit out, “HAVEN’T YOU HEARD ANYTHING I’VE BEEN SAYING FOR THE PAST 3 MONTHS!!!!” You can imagine the shocked look that washed across innocent Johnny’s face when my words collided with his comprehension. Now imagine MY surprise when Johnny, who throughout the year may not have been as wonderful, sweet, earnest-to-learn, or innocent as I have let on, contritely mumbled, “I’m very sorry---I’ve had a bad sinus infection that has been affecting my hearing; I didn’t mean any disrespect.” Ouch. “One moment of patience may ward off great disaster,” huh? Well, it may not have been a GREAT disaster, but it could’ve been one. With that brief moment of disrespect and lack of self-control, what kind of example did I set for Johnny? For the rest of the class? And though I meant well (to teach students responsibility), I approached it in a very un-Christian way.
It all comes down to having patience. Patience is empowerment. It empowers you to really reflect on your intentions and find a way to see them through. It calls you to rise above yourself and be what that other person needs. Waiting a minute longer than you think you can. Stilling your lips for a fraction longer. Taking a breath before taking action. It is in the small delays that the world is saved, one relationship at a time. How’s that for a Chinese proverb? Maybe I should write the fortune cookie company in Detroit…
Blessings,
Lauren Allison Barker
Monday, October 13, 2008
In all things charity ...
Early in the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement, one of the phrases that was used to shape our community was the expression, "In essentials, unity, in non-essentials diversity, in all things charity." These are noble words – words meant to unify, words intended to bring a people together and keep them together.
In reality and irony, these words are first attributed to Augustine. Augustine is one of the most well-known century church fathers of the fourth and fifth centuries because so much that he wrote still affects how so many Christians think. Yet Augustine lived in a time of great controversy. The controversy was not about what kind of music to have in worship, or the roles of women in the church. The arguments of the age were about the nature of Jesus Christ. Is he God? Is he human? The majority of the church decided that, if they were to be consistent with scripture, the words of Jesus, and the tradition of the church, Jesus was God in human flesh. If he is both God and human, how does this work? Serious thinkers spent a serious amount of time and ink over this.
But if only ink had been spilled, that would have been enough. Unfortunately, it wasn’t very long before more blood than ink had been wasted. Christians began the practice of banishing and eventually executing other believers – all in the name of unity, because of their inability to deal with diversity, and a general lack of charity. When the Reformation movement came along, Protestant Christians didn’t do much better. Anabaptists, who believed in baptism much the same as do we, were executed by Protestants. Ironically and cruelly, Protestants executed these baptism-believing Christians by drowning them.
Are we any different? I wonder. We humans have a problem: ideas are dangerous things. Ideas are powerful. Because they are powerful, they have the potential to reshape our thinking, our life, and our world. Yet, because we humans have the ability to misperceive, misunderstand, and misrepresent reality, not all ideas are useful, good, or true. Consequently, we feel the need to protect people, especially certain classes of people (children, students) from ideas that are dangerous in the negative sense of that word. That is where our quote really comes into play.
What is important enough to be essential? When do we cross over the line into the non-essential? Aren’t those questions that we disagree about, too? What is essential for me might very well seem a non-essential to you. How are we to negotiate our differences? Charity would seem to remain the guiding principle. Our conversation should display the virtue of love in our lives – both action and word.
Where are these conversations to take place? If we can’t have them in elementary Bible school class (and I don’t think that anyone would propose this), then where is a safe place that we can have conversations of disagreement that allow for the exchange of ideas and make persuasion possible? I think that it’s important to note that it is not so much location as attitude. Both parties have to feel safe for conversation. Yet persuasion requires compassion (love) for the other person, where debate seems, by its very definition, to involve disdain. Because Augustine engaged more in debate with his opponents than persuasion, his stance caused him to reject certain secondary ideas held by his opponent (the nature of humanity, for example) which weren’t necessary for him to reject. That’s one of the reasons we still have to worry with the doctrines of total depravity and original sin.
Once again, this has been a problem for us. When the Pentecostal churches began to emerge with an unusual view of the Holy Spirit, many within the Churches of Christ found it easier to disavow any contemporary activity or presence of the Spirit than to sort out just what it was that the Spirit might or might not be doing. As a result, we ended up with two groups: one saying the Spirit caused everything that they did, and one denying that the Spirit had done anything for 2,000 years. Both groups disconnected themselves from the truth and from each other. That’s a shame.
Today, it is inevitable that we are going to disagree with someone about something. It may not be the nature of Christ, or baptism, or the Holy Spirit, but it’s bound to be important. Let’s see if we can’t figure out how to prayerfully, lovingly, and truthfully apply this godly saying:
"In essentials, unity, in non-essentials diversity, in all things charity."
Blessings,
Ron
In reality and irony, these words are first attributed to Augustine. Augustine is one of the most well-known century church fathers of the fourth and fifth centuries because so much that he wrote still affects how so many Christians think. Yet Augustine lived in a time of great controversy. The controversy was not about what kind of music to have in worship, or the roles of women in the church. The arguments of the age were about the nature of Jesus Christ. Is he God? Is he human? The majority of the church decided that, if they were to be consistent with scripture, the words of Jesus, and the tradition of the church, Jesus was God in human flesh. If he is both God and human, how does this work? Serious thinkers spent a serious amount of time and ink over this.
But if only ink had been spilled, that would have been enough. Unfortunately, it wasn’t very long before more blood than ink had been wasted. Christians began the practice of banishing and eventually executing other believers – all in the name of unity, because of their inability to deal with diversity, and a general lack of charity. When the Reformation movement came along, Protestant Christians didn’t do much better. Anabaptists, who believed in baptism much the same as do we, were executed by Protestants. Ironically and cruelly, Protestants executed these baptism-believing Christians by drowning them.
Are we any different? I wonder. We humans have a problem: ideas are dangerous things. Ideas are powerful. Because they are powerful, they have the potential to reshape our thinking, our life, and our world. Yet, because we humans have the ability to misperceive, misunderstand, and misrepresent reality, not all ideas are useful, good, or true. Consequently, we feel the need to protect people, especially certain classes of people (children, students) from ideas that are dangerous in the negative sense of that word. That is where our quote really comes into play.
What is important enough to be essential? When do we cross over the line into the non-essential? Aren’t those questions that we disagree about, too? What is essential for me might very well seem a non-essential to you. How are we to negotiate our differences? Charity would seem to remain the guiding principle. Our conversation should display the virtue of love in our lives – both action and word.
Where are these conversations to take place? If we can’t have them in elementary Bible school class (and I don’t think that anyone would propose this), then where is a safe place that we can have conversations of disagreement that allow for the exchange of ideas and make persuasion possible? I think that it’s important to note that it is not so much location as attitude. Both parties have to feel safe for conversation. Yet persuasion requires compassion (love) for the other person, where debate seems, by its very definition, to involve disdain. Because Augustine engaged more in debate with his opponents than persuasion, his stance caused him to reject certain secondary ideas held by his opponent (the nature of humanity, for example) which weren’t necessary for him to reject. That’s one of the reasons we still have to worry with the doctrines of total depravity and original sin.
Once again, this has been a problem for us. When the Pentecostal churches began to emerge with an unusual view of the Holy Spirit, many within the Churches of Christ found it easier to disavow any contemporary activity or presence of the Spirit than to sort out just what it was that the Spirit might or might not be doing. As a result, we ended up with two groups: one saying the Spirit caused everything that they did, and one denying that the Spirit had done anything for 2,000 years. Both groups disconnected themselves from the truth and from each other. That’s a shame.
Today, it is inevitable that we are going to disagree with someone about something. It may not be the nature of Christ, or baptism, or the Holy Spirit, but it’s bound to be important. Let’s see if we can’t figure out how to prayerfully, lovingly, and truthfully apply this godly saying:
"In essentials, unity, in non-essentials diversity, in all things charity."
Blessings,
Ron
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