McHonza's Xanga

School of Fish?

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:42:30 GMT

"There are 2,000 verses of Scripture that tell us we must be committed to protecting the poor and the oppressed... There is no concern of Scripture that is addressed so often and so powerfully as reaching out to the poor" Tony Campolo

This doesn't mean that we are called to just simply hand people stuff.
(though that very well may be what many particular situations call for)

I love the phrase:
"Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he eats forever."

But do we actually do much teaching?

What I hear more often is something along the lines of "They just need to..." or "Why don't they just..."

That's not teaching, that's judging and blaming.

Jesus said we will always have the poor with us. In my experience, they are not always the same group of people who are always in need, but rather particular people in a particular situation. For some of these, giving a fish may be all that is required. For those that find themselves repeatedly in need, the more involved response of teaching is required those of who will teach. Our calling is to help whoever is in need in whatever way we can. Our turn to be helped has either already happened or will happen. No one is an isolated success.

I don't think we will ever eliminate all of the many, many circumstances by which people find themselves in need of help. But if we see similar circumstances occurring again and again, it is also part of our calling to address that.

You don't have to give all your stuff away.
(though it would be very scriptural to do so)
What we at least need to consider is that helping someone IN need is also an opportunity to help someone OUT OF need.

Jesus, give us the courage to live it. Give us the courage.

Weekly Grind - Grandma

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:17:27 GMT

I got a generation older this week when my 102-year-old grandmother passed away. For as far back as I can remember, Grandma Martinek was a focal point for our family. She and my grandfather started a family that had grown to five generations and over 100 members, not even counting spouses. As her elderly niece phrased it to my mother and her siblings, "We're the old people now."
Faith, family, and friends are three words that could easily be used to describe my grandmother's priorities, but would not tell the whole story.
Her faith was shown in many ways. She had pictures of Jesus in her home. Palms blessed on Palm Sunday stuck out from behind crosses on the wall. She drove herself to church for as long as she could. The gift of a family bible went to every new couple in our family on their wedding day. She supported those of us that moved into other denominations over the years, telling me, "It's all the same, it's all God's church."
What underlined her faith even more was the love she showed to family and friends. She vary rarely was without a smile on her face and she made everyone around her feel special. Holidays, weddings, birthdays, and even funerals were a chance to celebrate together. One of her gifts was baking. She didn't just have a few good recopies that she kept to herself. Grandma made wedding cakes, kolaches, and strudels for generations of us fortunate enough to be connected to her. Weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, and festivals were better because of her. She instructed and taught others who continue the love and care that she put into her efforts.
I think she loved babies more than anything else in the world. She was always so happy to see and hold new additions to the family. My brother and his wife brought their month-old son and 4-year-old to see her the day before she died. She had not eaten for several days and had been spending most of her time asleep, but they said she got so excited that they thought she was going to hop right out of bed. Our last pictures of her are with bright eyes and big smile as she held this newest member of the family.
One of the phrases that stuck out to me at her funeral was when the priest said, "Forgive Annie for her sins. You know she had the best intentions." I thought to myself, "If Grandma fell short, I don't have a chance. We are lucky to have a God of such grace." I hope to take that love that she showed me with her life. There are so many petty things that we let occupy our attention. Jesus told us that the two most important things are to Love God and to Love each other. Nothing past that really ends up mattering very much.
Thank you Grandma for showing such love and pointing us all toward our Lord. Thank you God for giving me so much love, and especially for putting so much of it in the farm girl and baker that was my grandma. You have both blessed me more than I deserve.

Be Blessed!
Michael

Test

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:22:26 GMT

Test, test.

Test

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:22:25 GMT

Test, test.

Really Follow, For Real

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:20:24 GMT

"The matter is quite simple. The bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly." - Soren Kirkegaar

When Lanell gave the message this past Sunday, she told the very compelling story of seeing a need in her community, taking action, and changing not just the lives of those she served, but of changing herself. She explained that scripture very clearly defines what our priorities are supposed to be, but growing up in church didn't always make that clear. As she explained, the Old Testament, the teachings and practices of Jesus Christ, and the writings of Paul all point us to serving the needs of the poor, the sick, and the needy.

The history of our congregation is that of growing to serve the growing city of Woodway. The city of Woodway prospers as part of the greater Waco community. As our congregation grew out of our original space, we committed a great deal of resources to our new location and building. As wonderful as this is, we are called to serve people and we cannot let other matters get in the way of that. Our short distance from our neighbors in need does not excuse us from that call.

Our church budget for next year is almost $850,000. Of that, less than $80,000 is spent on actual ministry and most of that is focused on our own congregation. The rest we spend on our building and related debt, salaries and related compensation. By comparison, Church Under the Bridge donates over half of its budget to the needy. I have read of another church that got rid of their new building designs, pledging to spend at least as much on serving others as themselves. They decided to built an outdoor amphitheater instead and are now better able to minister to their community. When the pastor was asked about possible discomfort for church-goers he replied, "Is what we are doing of so little value that we won't put up with a little inconvenience?

Along with our big budget for next year, we will be starting a new way of dealing with our financial matters. If you have been a part of Financial Peace University that we have been offering for the last couple of years, you will be familiar with the process. It is a system designed to get us, our families and our congregation, past the burden of dealing with money and into a place where we can follow God's call to ministry unencumbered.

This stuff, this Good News, that we claim to follow can be very freeing if we actually take it seriously. It is when we try to control and tame our God, when we undermine and shortcut the teachings and practices of Jesus Christ that we run into trouble. We are called. Give us the courage to follow. Give us the courage.

Be Blessed!
Michael

Really Follow, For Real

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:20:24 GMT

Weekly Grind - Not Excuse, Choices

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:15:30 GMT

Jesus came to show us a new way of living our lives that went way beyond simply following the law. He called us to a life that is different because it is based on love. Not excuses, not rationalizations, not disclaimers. We can't put it on anyone else. We cannot let our personal desires, family, friends, job, politics, or nationality get in the way. These are our choices, plain and simple. And no one will answer for them except us. God, give us the courage to live this. Give us the courage.

Be Blessed!
Michael

Here's Chapter 7 of the Gospel of Matthew that wraps up the Sermon on the Mount.

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
"Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

Weekly Grind - Not Excuse, Choices

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:15:29 GMT

More From Jesus

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 01:47:28 GMT

A few weeks ago I simply shared the 5th chapter of Matthew. Chapters 5, 6, & 7 of Matthew contain the Sermon on the Mount. A great deal of Jesus' teachings are given in what has been called "the greatest sermon ever preached." These 3 chapters have been the focus of my personal time of scripture that I try to engage in daily. Here is Chapter 6.
Be Blessed!
Michael

"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
"This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.' For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Weekly Grind - Thunder Rolls

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:09:21 GMT

Twelve years ago, I needed a car with good mileage for a 104-mile round trip commute to work. Knowing that I would be putting a lot of miles on this car, I really considered it to be disposable. I'm also pretty cheap anyway, so I was looking for something inexpensive. No bells and whistles, just basic transportation. What I found has become "Blue Thunder."

After years of high mileage daily trips for me and then Sherri, our daughter Brooke drove it during high school. That's where the name came from. It is blue and it has quite a few and shakes as well. Then I got Thunder back. Then Alex drove it for a while. Then Sherri again. And then me again. A couple of years ago, the mileage rolled over 200,000. Through all this, we have never had to do any major mechanical repairs. Now there are plenty of things that don't work, most notably the air conditioner for the last couple of years, but it just keeps rolling. I may sound like I'm joking when I say I'll drive it until the wheels fall off. But I'm serious. Then I'll put the wheels back on and see how far it goes after that.

I don't drive it nearly as much as I used to since I got a motorcycle. But when it is really rainy, really cold, or the dreaded combination of the two, I roll in Thunder. If I need to haul some stuff around or take my bicycle or kayak somewhere, Thunder is ready. Not very pretty, not all that comfortable, but ready to take me and my stuff where I want to go.

In the last few years, Thunder has taken on some ministry work. For a few individuals and a couple of families, Thunder was a way to get around when they were in a bind. She just started a new gig this week. I heard a friend's car had quit on him. When I offered Thunder, his reaction was, "Are you SERIOUS?" I assured him I was. This little car of mine, which could be accurately called a "pile of junk." is making someone's life closer to normal right now.

This has been a response to groups of Christians I know who live in shared community. They share a house and living expenses with each other and their neighborhood, trying to live closer to the ideas that Jesus taught and the early Christians attempted of "holding all things in common, that none would be in need." One said, "when somebody shows up with a car, we're like 'Woo! Hoo! We've got a car!"

I've had Blue Thunder appraised to see what its worth. It is technically worthless in the automotive market. The few hundred bucks I might be able to get for it is nothing compared to what it means to someone who needs it, including me. I'm not interested in ever having another car payment or a full coverage insurance bill. Many of the things that we consider necessities are simply earthly desires. These desires take a toll on our ability to lead a life as Christ taught. Blue Thunder actually fills many worthwhile roles while also being somewhat of an inspiration in my opinion.

Find your way to serve. You may feel small, weak, or worn out, but you have a purpose that is exactly what someone else needs. Make some choices that make you uncomfortable. Not for the sake of discomfort, but for the sake of others.

Be Blessed!
Michael