My other blogI read this opinion piece today and felt like sharing it. It doesn’t need any introduction and nothing I could say would add to it, so I’ll share my favorite quote from it, and then you can just go ahead and click because it is definitely worth your time.
“’They’ll know we are Christians by our love’ the song goes. At this County Council meeting, you could know most of them by the hatred on their faces.”
Happy reading.
In the last several months I have heard “strong” Christians tell people who are struggling financially to pull themselves up by the bootstraps, not to worry about money because worry is a sin, reminding the less fortunate that he who doesn’t work doesn’t eat, etc.
Why is it that people who are called by Christ to feed the hungry, clothe the poor and take care of the widows, revile the poor? Why do churches treat the less fortunate less than human? Why do we who have been touched by God treat the beggars of our day as untouchables? Do we really believe that the poor want to be poor because otherwise they would be rich? Here are few other questions:
Here’s an idea— before we go trying to diagnose why those less fortunate aren’t as “blessed,” and before we start beating them over the head with a list of dos and don’ts, lets do some needed housekeeping and remove the plank from our own eyes.
Creative Commons License photo credit: Call To Adventure
I found this story the other day while reading another blog I frequent weekly. It’s about a Baptist
Church in Texas that has a long-standing relationship with the local Hooters restaurant. Their most recent project together was to raise money for the only church left standing on Oak Island after Hurricane Ike.
I found this story incredibly refreshing. I always like to see the church in action, and the description of how God worked in this relationship between a Baptist church and a restaurant known for its scantily clad women reminded me of several stories of Jesus where He shows compassion on people most Christians today would consider unsavory.
So, hats off to the pastors and congregation members at Rice Temple Baptist Church in Houston for loving instead of condemning. This is what sharing Christ-like love with a world in need is all about. You are a shining example to all churches of what we need to be doing more of. As far as churches go, I’d say you’re a 10.
Creative Commons License photo credit: John Corigliano - Window to the Magic
I can’t help it. I enjoy watching the first few weeks of American Idol. I get a kick out of watching
the wannabes get shot down. My wife— being the saintly woman she is— thinks my joy in this arena is evidence of a sick mind and a depraved heart. She’s probably right. But my feeling has always been that these fine fools deserve to be humiliated since they come before the judges thinking they are God’s gift to music, only to be deflated by what the rest of us call reality.
But tonight, I vowed to look at this comedy of errors in a different light. As I watched reject after reject face the music, bringing with them all of the accolades from tone-deaf parents, cheers of dishonest friends and countless hours of practice that simply never will make perfect, I saw myself.
I come before God, bringing accolades of friends, the applause of people, my feelings of self-righteousness, and a laundry list of good deeds that I think will earn me gifts from God. I come before God thinking I’m good enough and that I am worthy to stand before Him and offer my songs or prayers. I boast about accomplishments I claim as my own…
And God looks back and reminds me of the reality in which I actually live. All of the things in my entire life that I would call good— every accomplishment and every victory— amount to filthy rags. Nothing I have done and nothing I ever will do could ever be good enough to earn a golden ticket. Realizing this, I’m left with only one thought:
I’m just glad my judge isn’t Simon.
One of my favorite Bible verses since I was but a wee lad has been Romans 12:2. I’ve memorized it in several translations. I have always found it to be an easy verse to accept, but lately, it has proven to be much more difficult to believe.
It’s a common verse, but for anyone not familiar, here is a quick paraphrase:
”Conform no longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then, you will be able to discern God’s Will, His good, pleasing and perfect will.”
It’s easy to recite. It’s easy to know. But it isn’t so easy to believe. When insurance rates rise and income goes down, it isn’t easy to say that God’s will is good. When a spouse is sick and the chance of having children looks bleak, it is difficult to say through gritted teeth that this circumstance is pleasing to God. When the pantry is bare and you have a choice between buying food and keeping the lights on, it is almost impossible to see the perfect will of God in such a circumstance.
This has been my struggle the last few months. I know that my idea of good is different from God’s. I know that what pleases me is completely the opposite of what is pleasing to God. I know that I’m as far from perfect as an ant is to a giant, and God has been perfect for all of eternity. In practice though, it is so hard for me to believe that my momentary hardships are actually good.
On this side of eternity, I’m certainly not seeing anything that resembles what I would think of as good or pleasing or perfect. So, I’ve found this verse, dusted it off and spent some time meditating on it. I may not know how God is going to use the circumstance I am in. I may have absolutely no idea how this can possibly be called good a year or two years or a thousand years from now, but I know the words of Romans 12:2 tell the truth about God.
One of my biggest battles recently has been truly believing that God is actually good. It’s so easy lately to look at the struggles I’ve been facing and feel like God doesn’t care. But I know in my heart He has a plan. I know in my heart His plan is good, pleasing and perfect. I also know that God doesn’t change.
I trust that God was good when he brought my wife and I together. I trust that God was good when He provided us with a house. I trust that God was good when He gave us jobs and with income. I trust that God was good when He kept us from being hungry and homeless in the past. If God was good, God still is good because He, unlike our present economy, is stable. He’s the same God He always was and if He delivered us from hardship before, I am confident He will again. But, it’s a fragile confidence.
Come quickly, Lord.
The last year was a big year for the First Hand Web Network with the re-launch of our teen website, a major re-organization of or Jesus1st site and our main website, and the addition of this blog. As a way of remembering one of our most productive years, and in the hopes of having an even more productive 2009, this entry will highlight the top 8 content items of 2008 across our network. Here they are, in no particular order:
CONTRADICTIONS (real.faith blog): This was a bit more creative than most of the blog posts and it works as a good summary of the majority of the blog’s content.
TIME WELL SPENT (Jesus1st): Similar to the above item, this one asks how much time Christians devote to social and political causes as opposed to performing acts of service.
ARE YOU AUTHENTIC? (Jesus1st): More questions for believers. This time about whether or not the things we say and do reflect Christ’s heart.
YE OLDE SACRED CALF (real.faith blog): A little blog about everybody’s favorite Bible translation.
WHAT IS A DISCIPLE? (TeenSite): On a more serious note, this article does an excellent job of examining what makes someone a follower of Christ and what role our actions play in the process.
STICKING IT TO LABELS (real.faith blog): Also known as: why I want everyone to know and love Christ, but don’t necessarily want them to “become a Christian.” This one also explains our approach of putting Jesus before religion.
SHOULD CHRISTIANS CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN? (TeenSite): It’s a valid question, and one that teens, adults and parents ask every year. This short article examines the question in light of Paul’s teaching in chapter 8 of 1st Corinthians. This article received quite a bit of feedback and was one of our most popular articles.
GIVING A SHIT (real.faith blog): This blog post has it all. A quote from a Christian leader, profanity in the title, a plea for followers of Christ to show love and compassion, a quick evaluation of Christian subculture and several links to our newest project, “The Hithchhiker’s Guide to Christianity.”