Stewardship --- The Austin Group

Tithing That Produces Fear

Fear is a big motivator. People go to work on time and do what they are told because they are
afraid of losing their job. Most people drive the speed limit (or close to it) because they are afraid of getting a ticket. We don’t say anything to the obnoxious person standing in line behind us at Wal-Mart because we are afraid they might be violent.

We fear that someone is going to steal our stuff; disastrous weather will damage our property; an auto accident will destroy our family; or the doctor will tell us we have an incurable illness. This kind of fear can be paralyzing, keeping us from realizing our potential.

However, fear can also be a good thing. We usually avoid dangerous activities because we are afraid of being hurt. Sometimes we stay away from sinful activities because we fear being caught or exposed. In fact, fear might even start us down a healthy path.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10).

According to this Proverb, fear is not the goal. Wisdom is the goal, but fear is the starting point. Therefore, fearing God is a good thing because of where it leads.

If fear can be healthy, then we should seek this kind of fear. You might be surprised to learn one of the ways you can experience this fear.

“You shall surely tithe all the produce from what you sow, which comes out of the field every year. You shall eat in the presence of the LORD your God, at the place where He chooses to establish His name, the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and your
flock, so that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always.” (Deuteronomy 14:22-23)

Of all things, tithing will help us “learn to fear the LORD your God always” (v.23). Taking your tithe to church on Sunday will put you on the path toward God’s wisdom.

Once you are aware of this truth, is it possible to ever say, “I can’t afford to tithe.” How can you possibly put a monetary price tag on wisdom? In fact, it seems to me that the question is not whether we can afford to tithe, but rather, can we afford to miss the opportunity to tithe?

This seems like a very small price to pay to get on the path toward wisdom.

What Makes Valentine's Day Special

One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. (Romans 14:5-8)

Every holiday is unique in its own way, except perhaps for those Monday holidays which are only observed by the government and banks. In fact, the very word "holiday" suggest a day which is different from other days.

Every society has holidays. Some countries observe historical events. Other nations place a great deal of emphasis on religious celebrations. Even Mardi Gras has a spiritual origin, though, from my experience of the Mardi Gras celebration, there is not much of the sacred left in the event.

As you might suspect, the word "holiday" literally means a "holy day." Of course, the word "holy" means set apart. Therefore, a holiday is a day which is set apart from the others. Some holidays are more set apart than others. Christmas requires an entire week to celebrate after a month of preparation. The past President’s birthdays barely receive an occasional mention.

Other holidays are the subject of debate and even anger. Most states observe Martin Luther King’s birthday which seems reasonable. However, other states refuse to make this a holiday, apparently believing state employees already miss enough work.

That reminds me, some holidays are observed without any official declaration by the President or Congress. No one pays them much attention anyway until they raise taxes. Super Bowl Sunday is one of those holidays that has just evolved. People take the day off (even if it is Sunday). They plan family gatherings. Churches alter schedules and there is much celebration. It is only a matter of time until they move it to Monday and close all the banks.

As I said at the outset, every holiday is unique in its own way. I would like to explain why Valentine’s Day is a very special day. The following is my list of reasons why it is important to observe this day set apart for love.

The Merging of Joy and Sorrow

In two days I am expecting to have one of those milestone experiences of life that are both joyful and difficult. My father will be preaching at a nearby church this Sunday morning. It will be the first time I have heard him preach in many years. I grew up listening to him every Sunday morning and evening. He stood tall and proud in the pulpit, confidently proclaiming a message that called us to follow Jesus. Many people did. He has a notebook filled with names of people he has baptized over the years and I am proud to say that my name is on that list.

I have not heard my father preach in many years. Until a year ago, he and my mother lived in another city where he remained very active, preaching and working with churches. However, it just never happened that we were in town at a time when he was scheduled to preach. Honestly, I didn’t think much about it because I had heard him so many times growing up.

A year ago, he and my mother moved to Fort Worth, primarily to be closer to family. They are now eighty-five years old and Daddy was having some health concerns. Once they arrived, doctors were able to find and treat some significant problems and he is now feeling much better. However, he still has an eighty-five year old body that has limped through life with an artificial leg. His one knee, which has done the work of two for more than six decades, is about finished. Each step is very tentative, but he is too proud to use a walker or even a cane to help with stability. Instead, he prefers to hold on to my mother who will be able to provide little resistance should he start to fall.

Because of his health and the fact that he is unknown in our city, he has not had the opportunity to preach since moving. However, his pastor has invited him to preach this coming Sunday and we are all planning to attend to hear Daddy preach one more time. My two brothers and their families as well as two of our sons plan to be there and we are going to have Sunday lunch together as well. It should be a good day.

Yet, it will be difficult. I am confident it will be the final time that I hear him preach. In fact, I’m not sure he can stand for twenty minutes and I know it will be very difficult for him to climb the three steps required to get to the pulpit. Although I am excited about seeing and hearing him proclaim the Gospel one more time, it will not be the image in my mind of the many times I have seen him stand confidently before a congregation to deliver a word from the Lord.

Eight days after he preaches, Daddy and Mama are moving back to where they came from a year ago. Other than the good doctors who treated Daddy, they have not appreciated anything about their stay in our city. It is a move that makes no reasonable sense. Two eighty-five year olds, who physically cannot survive without the assistance of one another to make it through the day, are moving five hours away from the nearest family member. They crave the comfort of familiarity of a place.

Daddy is hoping that being in a city where his preaching is well-known will provide opportunities. It might – I don’t know. However, I will not be there to hear it. That is why I am confident this will be the final time for me to hear him preach. It will be a difficult experience.

My Super Bowl Review

You have probably seen the television commercial with the four old guys who have attended every Super Bowl game. That is quite an accomplishment, although I heard that one of them was sick this year and could not make the game. I have never attended a Super Bowl game in person, but I have watched every contest on television. That’s right, every game from back before it was actually called the Super Bowl and was known simply as the NFL/AFL Championship game.

This year was no exception. I watched the game and these are my observations.

Pregame: I normally don’t pay much attention to the pregame show, but this year I watched most of it. I think it was because it was on Fox television and I like the broadcasters on that network. The reason I like them is because it seems they do not take football overly serious. If I want to hear about football for several hours I can watch ESPN or read some blogs. I like Terry Bradshaw because he acts like a dufus and he knows he’s a dufus – great combination. Frank Caliendo was good with his impersonations of Charles Barkley and Shaq. The celebrity stuff was unnecessary for me, but it did keep Sharon involved.

National Anthem: First major sporting event that I can remember when they did not have the National Anthem. They did some sort of patriotic moment but I never heard the anthem. A very nice looking young lady stood out there and did something that resembled the first part of the historic song, but it got lost about halfway through. However, it was interesting and I am sure no one was trying to be unpatriotic.

Game Announcers: Troy Aikman always does a good job (and that comment is from a non-Cowboy fan) and this was no exception. He does not get in the way of the game and actually pays attention to what happens on the field, which is not true with some announcers. Joe Buck is fine doing football. I am not a big fan of his baseball announcing because it seems that he is bored, but he was good yesterday.

Halftime: Perhaps I am in the minority, but I thought it was good. Even though I am not a big Black-eyed Pea fan, I am aware of their music and they did their own music. It would have been shocking if they had done something else. Those who complained about the music should not have been surprised. It is impossible to find a musical group that is appreciated by a hundred million people. Perhaps they should have contracted with the folks who did the closing ceremonies for the China Olympics.

Television Commercials: Overall disappointing! They provided a few chuckles but none of them called for rewinding and watching again (as I did with the National Anthem).

The Actual Game: I went into the game without having a favorite team. Usually when that happens, at some point early in the game I will find my allegiance moving toward one team. Did not happen this year. I really did not care who won. It was a pretty good game since it remained close until the final minute. By the way, it was the only game all year that I actually watched the entire contest. I am a very casual football fan, a situation that started after John Elway and the Denver Broncos won their second Super Bowl. At the conclusion of that game, I told Sharon that I was now satisfied and football became a very minor interest for me.

Postgame: By then, I was mostly done. However, it did seem that Roger Staubach wanted to be somewhere else as he carried the trophy onto the podium.

Before I finish, I do need to put in a plug for Papa John’s pizza. We received delivery in about thirty minutes even though we anticipated it might take more than an hour. The pizza was very tasty and the only problem was that I ate too much. That was my tribute to the excess that is required of a Super Bowl celebration.

 

Who Belongs to Your Family?

Carlina White was just three weeks old when she was abducted from a hospital in Harlem. Her parents took her to the hospital because they were concerned about her high fever. They were met by a very concerned nurse and assured that everything would be fine. However, the nurse and the baby disappeared. That was twenty-three years ago.

Having grown up as Nejdra Nance, the young woman became suspicious about her identity when she was about sixteen years old and realized she looked nothing like her mother. She was finally told a story about her birth mother being unable to raise her because of a serious drug problem. However, the true story has finally come out after more than two decades. Ann Pettway, the nurse who kidnapped and raised the baby, has been arrested by the FBI and Carlina has been reunited with her birth family.

The more you read and think about this story, the bigger mess it becomes. I don’t know how this young woman can keep from having some kind of identity crisis. Who will she relate to as her mother? The woman who gave birth or the woman who raised her? Remember, the woman who raised her also kidnapped and held her hostage away from her family for twenty-three years. What about her father? Her birth father is no longer around having been divorced from her birth mother. What about siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents – all those other familial relationship we often experience. Who really belongs to Carlina White’s family?

In many ways, her experience is not unlike the everyday lives of folks all around us. It is very common for people to have multiple sets of parents created by divorce and remarriage or adoption. Some children live in two different homes with a set of siblings in each home. Extended families can include relatives from a variety of relationships. If you are going to map out a family tree, be prepared to have multiple branches shooting off in numerous directions.

On the same day that I read the story of Carlina White in the New York Times, I went to my parents’ house for a short visit. While there, they gave me a quilt they recently discovered tucked away in an old cedar chest. Although they were not sure how they came to have possession of the quilt, it was obvious where it came from. In the center square of the quilt was my great grandfather’s name along with the words "Macedonia Baptist Church" and the date 1906. Carefully stitched onto the quilt were dozens of other names, obviously members of the church in the early 1900’s. My great grandfather was the pastor of this little rural church located near Bolivar, Missouri.

We Can Do Better!

Over the weekend a terrible tragedy occurred when an Arizona Congresswoman was critically shot, thirteen others wounded, and six killed as a young man went on a shooting rampage. Evidence seems to suggest that the Congresswoman was the primary target of his attack. I don’t know any more about this situation than you do, but it appears that the culprit was an angry young man with some serious emotional issues.

The weekend is over and it is now time to start the process of blame. That is one of our favorite pastimes – when something terrible happens we need to blame somebody. When a hurricane destroys a major city, blame the President. If your retirement account is not growing like you want, it must be Congress’ fault.

Concerning the shooting in Arizona, blame was quickly attached to several sources. There is the State of Arizona with inadequate gun laws, local law enforcement officials who should have read the warning signs put out by the shooter, a community college that expelled the young man but did not force him to get psychological help, politicians who "targeted" the Congresswoman in campaign ads, even the victim herself who had the audacity to support health care reform.

Given the vitriol that constantly surrounds all of us, I am one of those who thinks it was only a matter of time until a tragedy like this occurred. We are fed a steady stream of slander and hatred toward everyone who dares to think differently or is even willing to ask a tough question. I am amazed that we have anyone who is willing to hold public office.

But, it is not just in the political realm. A few weeks ago at the conclusion of a football game, a player for the Dallas Cowboys was photographed getting an autograph from a player on the other team. Writers, talk show hosts and callers harped for a week about the sorry sight. They were stunned that players could actually be civil to one another after a game. Fans wanted the intensity of the game to carry over into all of life. They want players who are so angry and viscous during the game that it takes several days to calm down.

Five Minutes a Day for God

I stumbled across an interesting sight the other day on a very popular Christian website. One of the things that first caught my eye was an advertisement for a Bible study resource. The ad read, "Men – know God better in just 5 minutes a day." I don’t care how busy you are, you can find five minutes every day, especially if it will result in greater knowledge of God.

This slogan must be a winner in our hurried, hassled, accelerated, rushed world. We are all busy, especially us men. We must get to work early, get home in time to spend the evening with the kids, take a weekend job so we can keep the family outfitted with stuff, and do all the other things required of a good husband and father. One of the things that always seems to get lost in the shuffle is our relationship with God.

Now, someone comes along and offers to help me "know God better in just 5 minutes a day" and I know I can squeeze another five minutes into my busy life for something that important. Perhaps it’s true that I can have everything plus a good relationship with God.

As I am reaching into my wallet to get a credit card so I can click the button to order the 5 minute per day resource, my eyes notice the title of an article. It is just a few inches down and little to the left of the advertisement. The article is entitled, "Are You Too Busy For God?" That question triggered a conundrum for me. I just admitted that it would be a challenge to find an extra five minutes for God. I am probably too busy for God!

Are You Naughty or Nice?

A local area pastor is promoting a website where we can report stores and other businesses for giving into the Grinch and allowing Christmas to be stolen. Folks are invited to report their experience, labeling a company as either "naughty" or "nice," depending on how they handle Christmas. In other words, if an employee should say, "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas," that store should be on the naughty list.

So, I got to thinking. It’s not enough that the stores I frequent should be on the nice list. We need to make sure that we all avoid the naughty list. I have some further suggestions that can help keep us on the right side of the ledger:

• Put a star atop the Christmas tree so we can spiritualize our extravagant gift giving
• Make sure our giant Santa in the front yard is not larger than our Nativity set
• Read the Christmas story (the one in the Bible) before our tribute to materialism and gluttony on Christmas day
• Attend a Christmas Eve service at church (this is for those who are real serious about Christmas)

If we are going to continually judge each other for the way we celebrate Christmas we are probably going to be frustrated. The truth is that there are two holidays celebrated on December 25. There is one holiday for Christians that commemorates the birth of the Savior. This celebration is marked by nativity sets, Christmas programs at church, carols, Advent, and many other religious exercises. This holiday is characterized by saying, "Merry Christmas."

The other holiday observed on the same day is a secular version of Christmas. This holiday features gift giving, Christmas parties, Santa Claus, school closings, eggnog, and many other festive activities. This is the holiday that most folks celebrate, including the vast majority of Christians. The big difference is that many Christians celebrate both events. People who observe this holiday normally say, "Happy Holidays," although they might also use, "Merry Christmas."

Problems arise that lead to the creation of the Grinch website initiated by our preacher friend when Christians expect everyone else to celebrate both holidays. We tend to think that since we use their Santa Claus that they should be using our greeting. Why do we expect non-believers to use Christian expressions and symbols? If they do, that’s great, but if they don’t, why are we offended?

My son and I tried our own experiment as we were out and about today. I greeted people with a "Happy Holidays" and he used "Merry Christmas." Often, the response we received was identical to the one we used. However, I am happy to report that the cashier at the Best Buy in Hurst, Texas, responded to my "Happy Holidays" with a very emphatic "Merry Christmas." I am going to the website and put her name at the very top of the "Nice" list and pray that Santa will be extra special to her this year.

I do wonder why the website where we report those who don’t observe the true meaning of Christmas uses secular images like "Grinch," Christmas tree balls, and "Naughty and Nice" lists. Oh well, I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday!

Thoughts from the Past

I wrote this article more than 5 years ago.  I came across it again and thought it might deserve another look. 

 

"... in a pluralistic world, a religion is valued based on the benefits it brings to its nonadherents." (Brian McLaren)

We certainly live in a pluralistic world. But, we also have become a pluralistic society as Americans. When I went to school, we studied about the world's religions. Now, our kids sit in class with friends who belong to the world's religions. I learned what it meant to be Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, etc. by reading and lectures. Today, our kids learn by talking to their friends and observing their rituals. They have a much different standard of reference.

If McLaren is correct when he says that a religion is valued based on the benefits it brings to nonadherents or followers of that religion, then it becomes much clearer why people are having such a difficult time with Christianity. Look at what we have communicated to nonadherents:

• When you die you are going to hell.
 
• You are wrong about ... (abortion, homosexuality, politics, etc. you fill in the blank) so you should be punished, now and for eternity.
 
• You are a bad person because you don't ... (go to church, read the Bible, pray, etc., again you fill in the blank).

While it is true that Christians are responsible for the majority of hospitals, orphanages, crisis ministries, and other worthwhile endeavors that have benefited nonadherents, that aspect of Christianity is seldom recognized. Perhaps we are screaming our judgment so loud that people don't notice the good things we do.

This Doesn't Sound Good

I am reading through a boring book that is filled with interesting information. I hate it when that happens – someone has very useful material but their writing skills tend to make it difficult to locate and extract the nuggets. It is kind of like panning for gold in a desert creek instead of a Rocky Mountain stream. The gold is just as valuable but the experience of getting it may not be inspiring.

The recent nugget I discovered is the observation, after examining and reviewing and dissecting numerous surveys and studies, that ninety-seven percent of all money that people give to the church is spent on the people who give it. After wading through their research and conclusion, I think the ninety-seven percent figure might be a little overstated, but not by much. Think about it! We build and maintain buildings, conduct activities and events, hire staff to meet our needs, which consumes most of the money churches receive.

That’s discouraging!

The problem is that we have constructed massive organizations that require huge amounts of money to sustain. A successful church is expected to have multi-million dollar buildings, professional staff to minister to everyone in the family, as well as first-class media and entertainment resources. Anything less makes it very difficult for a church to sustain growth.

How many parents with young children are willing to attend a church that does not have children’s activities? How often do parents make church choices based on who has the best youth program? How important is it for a church to have professional quality musicians and state of the art video productions?