Today a sort of re-write of Psalm 146.
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
Sing praise to God all of your life.
You can trust the faces
filling up the news.
But when their time is over
their breath departs with all their views.
Set your eyes on heaven.
Trust in God above.
A God who brings us justice.
A God who fills our hearts with love.
The Lord, your God, created
the heavens and the sea.
The blind man's eyes are opened!
The prisoners are all set free!
God comes to those who hunger;
lifts up those who are down.
God gathers all the hurting.
The wicked are brought tumbling down.
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
Sing praise to God all of your life.
..............................................
I thought it would be nice to maybe just have a more poetic--and shorter (!) thought to kick off our week together. See you around this week.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
What's up with By the Way this week
Once in a while, I'll be posting an update for our friends in prayer who are supporting this new ministry here in Nashua.
After much delay, we finally managed to get our cool flyers to post in the area. So we hopefully will be able to put these up in places where folks can see them. I have to admit I felt a little sneaky when I put one up in the laundromat today.
Plus, you should start to see our gathering times in The Hippo and The Telegraph. I have no idea yet where they will show up.
I sent out notes to the folks from our Facebook group that had joined and just asked how they were doing, and if they had any prayer concerns. I can't share those here, but it was interesting to see the responses. We pray for all the folks on our group page, and all the wait staff that work at the Unos we frequent on Thursday nights. They just might be the most prayed for people in the restaurant!
If you are interested in becoming a prayer partner for our ministry, drop us an email.
After much delay, we finally managed to get our cool flyers to post in the area. So we hopefully will be able to put these up in places where folks can see them. I have to admit I felt a little sneaky when I put one up in the laundromat today.
Plus, you should start to see our gathering times in The Hippo and The Telegraph. I have no idea yet where they will show up.
I sent out notes to the folks from our Facebook group that had joined and just asked how they were doing, and if they had any prayer concerns. I can't share those here, but it was interesting to see the responses. We pray for all the folks on our group page, and all the wait staff that work at the Unos we frequent on Thursday nights. They just might be the most prayed for people in the restaurant!
If you are interested in becoming a prayer partner for our ministry, drop us an email.
How much $ is enough?
There is this story in Luke (16: 1-13) that talks about a wealthy man and the distribution of wealth. Actually, it is more about this manager that he's hired--well, actually, it's probably about more than that too....but give me a minute.
So this manager is responsible for collecting the landowner's debts for him. But, the landowner suspects that the manager is being dishonest. One day he decides to just fire him. But the manager catches wind of this and decides to act rather shrewdly. He goes to the different debtors and tells them to change the amounts they owe. Now surprisingly this works, because instead of being fired, the manager is actually promoted, sort of, by being told that he at least was collecting the debts in some way. This is a big oversimplification, but that's the gist of this particular parable that Jesus tells.
Everytime I hear this, the "oldest child" in me yells "NOT FAIR!" I mean, the guy was caught cheating, basically, and he gets to keep his job. Another sign of incompetence rising to the top? Well, let's think about this for a minute.
The point in this parable is that Jesus is trying to point out that we need to truly know where our loyalty lies. If we follow Jesus, and want to create a new way of life, we need to decide if we are going to strive after our old ways, or focus on him. The interesting thing though is that while admonishing us that we can't "serve two masters" there is this implication that we can at least have a choice in the matter. We are given much to be entrusted with in our lives that does not belong to us and what we decide to do with this is crucial to our relationships with others, and most importantly, our relationship with God.
The bottom line kicker to this passage is Jesus' statement that you cannot serve both God AND wealth. What does that look like in your life?
When I hear that statement I begin to realize that though we are all driven to try and make money and that we all try to find ways to save, and face it, mostly just spend money, we cannot let it become the focus of our lives. If you are spending a lot more time at the bank or with your checkbook lately than you are focusing on what God is calling you to, and whom God is calling you to be, well, it would seem that money is what you are serving.
One of our folks sent me a note because they had just learned about "tithing." Tithing is an ancient Biblical custom of giving 10% of our "bounty" back to God. It is a reminder that what we have is all a gift anyway. That check may have our name on it, but it really is a sign of God's blessing in our life. So if you make $500 a week, well $50 of it "belongs" to God. I know you might wonder about what God needs with money, but it really is not about that at all. It's about your relationship with God. Do you trust God enough to release your overdependence on keeping every penny for yourself, or are you ready to release it back into the world in some way, shape, or form?
There are times when I'm like that shrewd manager. I want to keep a little bit more for myself because I have my eyes on that big screen TV, or some other object that is marketed as a source for happiness. But, I know that no matter what it is, I really don't need it, don't have room for it, can't really afford the pricetag, and will still not be "satisfied" with just this purchase. Then when I feel guilty, I want to maybe put a little more in my offering check for the ministry here or in my home congregation.
I can tell you that after year's of struggling with this, having grown up in a family that revelled in the scarcity of everything(!), I think I am finally turning a corner. Instead of flinching when writing out our monthly tithes, I find myself increasing the amounts. And somehow, there is always enough left to cover the bear necessities of life (food, clothing, shelter) and then some.
What's all this about, well, it has to do with what you do in the little parts of your life, the unseen areas. Places that people do not know about or see. Jesus wants us to be as alert about doing right things as crooked folks are with being alert to keep from getting caught. Basically, if you are honest in small things, you'll probably be honest in the big things. If you are a crook in small things, you will probably be a crook in big things.
One more analogy...say you have two jobs. I know many of you do. Well, if you really love the one job because you feel you are really making a contribution, I bet at some point, even though you might need the income from the other job, you will start complaining about it, or someone there will bug you, or you will find it to be a real pain. Well, it's the same way with following Jesus, you can't chose it as your "second" job. But, you can make everything you do a sign of God's kingdom here on earth.
Now that was a long devotion, to get to this, I think this story is about God's grace. God knows we will have moments of weakness when we try to be a bit sneaky in our life and faith. God knows we get distracted by small things that are often made out to be big things. But God takes a look at the little things. The things others may not always see at first, and knows that these are signs of greater ways you live your life.
It's not supposed to be a guilt trip, but it is a great reminder to celebrate everything around us as a sign of God's grace and involvement in our world. This week, see if you cannot find a couple of ways that you are celebrating God's presence in your life.
So this manager is responsible for collecting the landowner's debts for him. But, the landowner suspects that the manager is being dishonest. One day he decides to just fire him. But the manager catches wind of this and decides to act rather shrewdly. He goes to the different debtors and tells them to change the amounts they owe. Now surprisingly this works, because instead of being fired, the manager is actually promoted, sort of, by being told that he at least was collecting the debts in some way. This is a big oversimplification, but that's the gist of this particular parable that Jesus tells.
Everytime I hear this, the "oldest child" in me yells "NOT FAIR!" I mean, the guy was caught cheating, basically, and he gets to keep his job. Another sign of incompetence rising to the top? Well, let's think about this for a minute.
The point in this parable is that Jesus is trying to point out that we need to truly know where our loyalty lies. If we follow Jesus, and want to create a new way of life, we need to decide if we are going to strive after our old ways, or focus on him. The interesting thing though is that while admonishing us that we can't "serve two masters" there is this implication that we can at least have a choice in the matter. We are given much to be entrusted with in our lives that does not belong to us and what we decide to do with this is crucial to our relationships with others, and most importantly, our relationship with God.
The bottom line kicker to this passage is Jesus' statement that you cannot serve both God AND wealth. What does that look like in your life?
When I hear that statement I begin to realize that though we are all driven to try and make money and that we all try to find ways to save, and face it, mostly just spend money, we cannot let it become the focus of our lives. If you are spending a lot more time at the bank or with your checkbook lately than you are focusing on what God is calling you to, and whom God is calling you to be, well, it would seem that money is what you are serving.
One of our folks sent me a note because they had just learned about "tithing." Tithing is an ancient Biblical custom of giving 10% of our "bounty" back to God. It is a reminder that what we have is all a gift anyway. That check may have our name on it, but it really is a sign of God's blessing in our life. So if you make $500 a week, well $50 of it "belongs" to God. I know you might wonder about what God needs with money, but it really is not about that at all. It's about your relationship with God. Do you trust God enough to release your overdependence on keeping every penny for yourself, or are you ready to release it back into the world in some way, shape, or form?
There are times when I'm like that shrewd manager. I want to keep a little bit more for myself because I have my eyes on that big screen TV, or some other object that is marketed as a source for happiness. But, I know that no matter what it is, I really don't need it, don't have room for it, can't really afford the pricetag, and will still not be "satisfied" with just this purchase. Then when I feel guilty, I want to maybe put a little more in my offering check for the ministry here or in my home congregation.
I can tell you that after year's of struggling with this, having grown up in a family that revelled in the scarcity of everything(!), I think I am finally turning a corner. Instead of flinching when writing out our monthly tithes, I find myself increasing the amounts. And somehow, there is always enough left to cover the bear necessities of life (food, clothing, shelter) and then some.
What's all this about, well, it has to do with what you do in the little parts of your life, the unseen areas. Places that people do not know about or see. Jesus wants us to be as alert about doing right things as crooked folks are with being alert to keep from getting caught. Basically, if you are honest in small things, you'll probably be honest in the big things. If you are a crook in small things, you will probably be a crook in big things.
One more analogy...say you have two jobs. I know many of you do. Well, if you really love the one job because you feel you are really making a contribution, I bet at some point, even though you might need the income from the other job, you will start complaining about it, or someone there will bug you, or you will find it to be a real pain. Well, it's the same way with following Jesus, you can't chose it as your "second" job. But, you can make everything you do a sign of God's kingdom here on earth.
Now that was a long devotion, to get to this, I think this story is about God's grace. God knows we will have moments of weakness when we try to be a bit sneaky in our life and faith. God knows we get distracted by small things that are often made out to be big things. But God takes a look at the little things. The things others may not always see at first, and knows that these are signs of greater ways you live your life.
It's not supposed to be a guilt trip, but it is a great reminder to celebrate everything around us as a sign of God's grace and involvement in our world. This week, see if you cannot find a couple of ways that you are celebrating God's presence in your life.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Feeling Lost?
This is going to be an interesting week. We have a military assessement that will be revealed about our involvement in Iraq that intentionally coincides with the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. While we all wait, remember, and consider the information and spin we will receive, this week the scritpure lessons seem to open a door to a different life free of fear and open to welcoming all people.
For some reason, the Old Testament lesson comes from Exodus (32:7-14). It's smack dab in the middle of the desert wanderings. The Israelites, liberated from slavery to Pharaoh, have been in search of a place to call home and they wander about through essentially one generation of people. In the midst of this, Moses takes off to consider their course, and talk with God. But the people get restless. They demand from his brother Aaron (left behind to lead until Moses returns) some symbol that they can latch onto.
Yep, it's the story of the "golden calf". When I read this today, I thought how interesting that this false God demands them to give up their gold, a precious commodity. The money (so to speak) gets collected but goes to create this one symbol. It's not going to do anything else, but perhaps the Israelites could be moved by having this bright example of their collective wealth on display. Would this wealth make them more powerful? And I thought, what if someone attacked them and took this huge object? It would definitely cause economic problems for them. So, I thought about this idea of having wealth on display and how so many of us part with our own "gold" to show off that we are part of a larger community. (The recent IPhone cost reduction and frustration from early purchasers perhaps is a small illustration of us shelling out money for the latest thing.)
Onwards to the Gospel of Luke (chapter 15), the story of the young son who takes his inheritance and goes off to drinking, whoring, and dancing his money away until he wakes up eating pig slop with the pigs and wonders how he ever got there. He decides his best bet is to just go home and take a job as a laborer with his father's workers thinking at least they are better cared for than this.
Now the surprise is that instead of a yelling match, his father runs to meet him and welcomes him home with a big party. All this much to the irritation of the "good" older son who is focused on issues of fairness and wants to know why his brother is being celebrated for doing wrong and squandering his money. (If you are the oldest in your family, you will likely identify with this son!)
You know, in that Exodus story, Moses comes down from the mountain and gets pretty angry, which is nothing to what God considers, i.e., finding a different group of more thankful people. But Moses intercedes pleading the case of the people and we get a glimpse of God's grace. It is that same grace that the father extends to his son in Luke.
It's also the same grace that we here at By the Way extend to each person we meet. And, it's one of the reasons why we also meet in places like Unos in the bar area having conversations when they arise and being an open door for people who may have lost hope, reconnecting them to others who are striving for a different life.
In the introduction to this story, Jesus overhears the "grumbling" of the religious folks that he eats with sinners and hangs out with them. I have to tell you that there are times when we too face a similar sort of grumbling. But if we all hung out in identifiable buildings devoted to the faith, how would anyone hurting so bad be able to enter in to the door. Hence, we are here, "by the way" to walk with you remind you that you are loved and allow you to shine.
So if you're feeling lost, feel free to drop in at Panera on a Tuesday, or at one of the Thursday night gatherings. There's enough grace for all of you.
For some reason, the Old Testament lesson comes from Exodus (32:7-14). It's smack dab in the middle of the desert wanderings. The Israelites, liberated from slavery to Pharaoh, have been in search of a place to call home and they wander about through essentially one generation of people. In the midst of this, Moses takes off to consider their course, and talk with God. But the people get restless. They demand from his brother Aaron (left behind to lead until Moses returns) some symbol that they can latch onto.
Yep, it's the story of the "golden calf". When I read this today, I thought how interesting that this false God demands them to give up their gold, a precious commodity. The money (so to speak) gets collected but goes to create this one symbol. It's not going to do anything else, but perhaps the Israelites could be moved by having this bright example of their collective wealth on display. Would this wealth make them more powerful? And I thought, what if someone attacked them and took this huge object? It would definitely cause economic problems for them. So, I thought about this idea of having wealth on display and how so many of us part with our own "gold" to show off that we are part of a larger community. (The recent IPhone cost reduction and frustration from early purchasers perhaps is a small illustration of us shelling out money for the latest thing.)
Onwards to the Gospel of Luke (chapter 15), the story of the young son who takes his inheritance and goes off to drinking, whoring, and dancing his money away until he wakes up eating pig slop with the pigs and wonders how he ever got there. He decides his best bet is to just go home and take a job as a laborer with his father's workers thinking at least they are better cared for than this.
Now the surprise is that instead of a yelling match, his father runs to meet him and welcomes him home with a big party. All this much to the irritation of the "good" older son who is focused on issues of fairness and wants to know why his brother is being celebrated for doing wrong and squandering his money. (If you are the oldest in your family, you will likely identify with this son!)
You know, in that Exodus story, Moses comes down from the mountain and gets pretty angry, which is nothing to what God considers, i.e., finding a different group of more thankful people. But Moses intercedes pleading the case of the people and we get a glimpse of God's grace. It is that same grace that the father extends to his son in Luke.
It's also the same grace that we here at By the Way extend to each person we meet. And, it's one of the reasons why we also meet in places like Unos in the bar area having conversations when they arise and being an open door for people who may have lost hope, reconnecting them to others who are striving for a different life.
In the introduction to this story, Jesus overhears the "grumbling" of the religious folks that he eats with sinners and hangs out with them. I have to tell you that there are times when we too face a similar sort of grumbling. But if we all hung out in identifiable buildings devoted to the faith, how would anyone hurting so bad be able to enter in to the door. Hence, we are here, "by the way" to walk with you remind you that you are loved and allow you to shine.
So if you're feeling lost, feel free to drop in at Panera on a Tuesday, or at one of the Thursday night gatherings. There's enough grace for all of you.
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