Stewardship

The Unmistakable Voice of God

The day started off well and just kept getting better. It was Sunday morning and I got up and dressed long before anything else in the house was stirring. I not only had time to check for any major news events, but I spent time in prayer for a number of things on my mind. I filled in the check for the morning offering, even remembering that it was a special offering day – the world hunger offering.

I thought about putting some extra cash in my wallet. I remembered that it had been empty since Friday when I paid Fernando for mowing my grass. Instead of grabbing some money from the desk, I decided to wait until after church, knowing that I would need some cash to pay for the Thanksgiving dinner at church in the evening.

We located a good parking spot, which is not always possible and found a place to sit in the sanctuary in the general vicinity where we always park. We don’t want to throw off the equilibrium of the church by locating on the other side of the room. The first thing I noticed was the man sitting in the row in front of us.

He noticed us as well, and turned around to introduce himself. "Archie Campbell," he said proudly. I had never seen Archie before so I asked if it was his first time in church. He said he had been attending the past four Sundays and that he planned to join the church today. We rejoiced with him, encouraged him for a few minutes, and then proceeded to pursue some further information.

Archie was dressed in faded jeans with a black and orange sweatshirt. It is not the attire of the majority of folks at our church, but we do have a number of homeless people who attend, so it is not unusual. Archie said he did not have a job, although he had spent nine years with the circus, working with the elephants (no doubt, there are some great stories he could tell). He was just evicted from an apartment so he spent last night sleeping in a car. He shared photographs of his ex-wife, his daughter, and granddaughters. He talked about being raised in a children’s home and he had no extended family.

I suspect Archie’s story is very similar to the experiences of most homeless people. From the beginning, he has been at a disadvantage compared to most of us. Circumstances, choices, temperaments, and maladies have combined to make him vulnerable. He truly is living on the edge of survival. Very early in our conversation I sensed that I needed to give him some money. I felt some guilt for not putting cash in my wallet before leaving home.

Don't Shoot Your Eye Out

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)

Earlier this month, Kenneth Jaramillo was shooting his .50 caliber rifle at a gun range north of Fort Worth near the Texas Motor Speedway. He fired a few rounds at a berm, a pile of dirt, and apparently overshot the target at least once. One of the bullets travelled five miles, passed through the roof of an RV, and struck the arm of a female race fan. The woman is expected to recover, but the experience illustrates the importance of aiming in the proper direction.

In Matthew 6, Jesus is talking about the things that drive us - our goals and aspirations, the things we are aiming toward. These words remind us that our destination determines the route.

In ancient times, wealth was often attained by accumulating precious metals and fancy clothes. All of these were susceptible to moths, rust, or thieves. Today in our society, wealth is measured in investment accounts and real estate. These valuables are also susceptible to loss. Very few of us have not lost value in our earthly treasures in the past few months.

If your destination is to become wealthy according to the world’s standards then you will take a different route. Your time and energy will be spent on pursuits that are designed to produce money. Decisions will be made based on what is the most profitable.

The tragedy is that we invest our lives in accumulating worldly wealth even though we know that it is subject to loss. Even if you manage not to lose it during this life, does anyone really believe that money is eternal! The old saying that "you will never see a hearse pulling a U-Haul" is correct.

The Sky is Falling

As far back as I can remember I have been a voracious reader. I have tried to expose my mind to great literature all of my life. One of the first stories in my memory is about a character named Chicken Little from a story titled, "The Sky Is Falling." As Chicken Little was eating lunch one day, an acorn fell on her head and the immediate conclusion was that the sky is falling. For the remainder of the day, the confused chicken spread fear to Henny Penny, Cocky Lockey, and Goosley Loosey. In the end, Chicken Little decided to carry an umbrella so she would not be bothered by the falling sky.

Reading the news today and listening to all the stories about the American economy, it seems that the sky might really be falling. At least the stock market is dropping like hard candy from a busted piñata. Gasoline prices have also been in a freefall, but I consider that a good thing.

The reaction of many folks to all this economic news is much like the reaction of Chicken Little. There is an enormous fear that we are about to have "The Greater Depression," surpassing the one experienced by our Grandparents. I understand this concern because many people are losing their jobs, their homes, and their nest eggs. To these people the sky might as well be falling.

I Am Embarrassed

I am not easily embarrassed. I grew up with a lot of physical malfunctions so my body has been poked, prodded, and handled by doctors, nurses, and airport security personnel all of my life. I spent several years working at a police department so I have heard and seen people at their worst. I am not overly absorbed with what other people think and say about me. As I said, I am not easily embarrassed.

It is only possible to be embarrassed when you care about losing something. It is the things that are most important to us that cause humiliation. I am embarrassed when my children do something stupid, but when your children act up I am just angry. I might be embarrassed by getting a traffic ticket, but I might chuckle as a drive past you talking to a traffic officer on the shoulder of the highway.

Yet, I am now confessing that I am embarrassed. To be more specific, I am embarrassed to be known as a Christian. Let me clarify before I move on. I am not embarrassed by anything that Jesus has done or that He has asked me to do. Obviously, I am disappointed and saddened that I have not been quick to obey many times. But the source of my embarrassment is the way many of my Christian brothers and sisters have conducted themselves the past few months in the political arena.

We have just finished the tenth Presidential election that has been held since I was old enough to vote. I have a few vague memories of the two elections prior to these ten. Each year the vitriol gets worse, but this year the rage was more shocking than ever and Christians were leading the charge. My email inbox was filled with charges of liar, fraud, terrorist, and anti-Christ. Christian blogs prophesied that an incorrect vote would turn our nation into Sodom and Gomorrah.

I understand hyperbole and the use of metaphor in political debate. This was much more. Many Christians were motivated by anger and hate. Racism and rage were commonly heard in the voices of some of our Christian leaders. It is embarrassing that as followers of Jesus we have resorted to name-calling, lies, innuendo, and false accusations when it comes to political debate. We can – we must – do better!