Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the two mothers I am proud of - my own mom, whose constant sacrifice for others is inspiring and frightening to behold. She truly lives beyond herself. To my wife and mother of my children - whose ability to engage our boys in constant enjoyment and laughter despite exhaustion and a million other stresses is amazing.

I grew up surrounded by strong women who lived for others and today I find myself trying to teach my boys what it means to be strong men together with strong women. The next few years should be interesting.

God bless each of you as you continue the never ending task of mothering.

Economic Woes Become Consumer Annoyances

I find myself wandering the malls these days trying to keep one toddler happy and an infant quiet. We almost never spend anything and have become aware of a few mall rats like us.

1. The Walk Zealot - these are people who use the malls as their personal gyms walking at brisk paces in laps around the mall. Usually a bad idea to get in their way.
2. The "Mom and Stroller Group" - a group of moms walking sedately pushing any number of children in strollers around the mall - often taking up the entire passageway.
3. The "Business Professional Playing Truant" - any professional looking person, often a man, wandering around the mall talking on a cell phone trying to look like he or she is doing business, but actually they are just avoiding the office.
4. The "Do You Have a Minute Retail Clerk" - my personal all time worst. This person stands with some sort of "freebie" trying to entice all of the above people to come into their store and spend money. They are annoying, invasive and often oblivious to body language and their environment. I was stopped by the same person inside 5 minutes as I walked past a store going one way and back past the store going the other way. I, especially, hate it when they stop to ask you if you are interested in beauty products and try to make up for the obvious mistake by asking if you have a special woman in your life. IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!

I personally fall into the "Leave Me Alone, If I Had Money I Would Hire a Personal Shopper" Category. I go to the mall because it's warm, offers choice and provides places for kids to be fed, changed and played with. I do most of my shopping online - not in the mall. So, while the walkers walk and the strollers stroll, and the wanderer wanders, retail clerks - leave me alone!

Merry Christmas!

Hey all,

Merry Christmas from a wet, cold, snowy, laugh-filled, peaceful, joyful, cider drinking, present opening and beautiful Boston Botsis day. Christmas has been great with family, friends, calls and gifts shared together with the requisite tears of course. It feels as though the King has been present.

I hope yours is filled with Christ too.

Doghouse

Food Lines

I was engaged in one of my favorite practices - watching Christian television and shouting angrily at the stupidity of some of the preachers and shows. It drives Ingrid crazy! Many of these shows seem to be more about giving money to their shows - "sowing seeds" they call it - than about actually sharing the gospel or doing good in the world. One of the shows I was watching often ends with an appeal to help their relief work in Africa. They show lines of children waiting for their food and then appeal to those watching to become partners in their effort. It is a pretty standard and effective appeal.

While watching this I was struck by a saddening and angering thought. Here were children of all ages, toddlers to teenagers, standing in line waiting for food. They had little by means of clothes, some barely had clothing covering their nakedness. Most had no shoes. They were standing in line holding out used plastic or metal bowls hoping to get a handful of maize meal (like corn or grits). They were getting this food from old beaten pots in open roof kitchens or just outdoor fires. For some this would be the only food they would get. And here's the sadness and anger - this was being shown as a relief operation working successfully because these children were getting fed.

Why do we think so small? Why do we look at the enormity of need and settle for things so basic and so tiny as to be almost inconsequential? Yes, for those being fed it meant life instead of death, but what sort of life - hardship, suffering, nakedness, disease and poverty! Instead of settling for just feeding, why don't we get the best minds, alongside those with the capacity to give large amounts of money and solve this massive problem? This is not a criticism of this show. It is a criticism of our small thinking that just feeding children is acceptable relief work. How can we think that we are doing good by providing one meal a day for naked, starving and hurting children and then throw more food away from our own plates at home. Even more than just that problem, why should children in Africa (or any location for that matter) not receive all the possibilities that life has for them. Why should they grow up with nakedness, pain, suffering, starvation, lack of education, and no opportunity to improve their station? This should not be! Children of all races, in all locations should have equal opportunity to improve their lives. And for those critics that would like to remind us all that Africa is filled with corruption and evil and theft - let me remind you that Africa (and other third world regions) were systematically raped and plundered by conquering nations. This problem is not the result of recent evil men and women, it is the result of generations of oppression and domination. And the critics who would cite sin and God's judgment on these nations as a reason for their suffering (the same critics would say that America is blessed by God because of it's godliness) do not understand the true nature of the evil that was inflicted on Africa by colonization, slavery and oppression. The progress of the first world is directly the result of oppressing the third world.

So how can we fix it? I don't know, but I think it needs to be more than just food. There needs to be a concerted effort to bring resources, education, training, and opportunity to these third world countries and allow the intelligence and capacity of the great minds of third world people to blossom and grow. Even the most intelligent person in the world would find it hard to think when dying of thirst and hunger. Even the most intelligent person in the world would find it hard to write and read if they don't have paper or books. Even the most intelligent person in the world if fed would find it hard to work if there are no opportunities to work.

So, how do we fix it? Let's start by getting as many people together as we can to brainstorm, discuss, plan and then act to make difference beyond more than just food. Do you want to join me? Email me at info@hammerchisel.com to get involved!

Advent

This Christmas is kind of weird! Thanksgiving is so late that it lands on the first Sunday of Advent. It felt strange to preach at Grace Point today on a topic unrelated to the worship songs. The worship was great, but the songs were traditional Christmas songs, while the series was on dealing with conflict. Please don't get me wrong - there was nothing wrong with the service, and I am not suggesting that anything should change. It just felt strange for me to be singing Christmas carols while preparing to speak about living as a body.

In fact I gained some new appreciation for the old standard Christmas songs as stand alone worship songs. It was great to see the bedrock of unity within songs like "O Come All Ye Faithful" and the rapture of worshiping the Great Yahweh in "In Excelsis Deo". So, it was not a bad service, actually it was quite good, just strange.

Alone in the office!

Well, it truly is amazing how quiet and peaceful the office is when everyone is gone. Office closes at 3pm, and most people are on their way out or gone. So, why am I here? This happens to be the perfect time to work on my sermon for this week. Quiet reflection, no interruption, reading, study and listening to God is helped best without the constant tap on the door.

Sermon focus is on interpersonal conflict. Probably not the best sermon for me to be giving. My way of dealing withe interpersonal conflict is to use a bazooka! Well, I guess Wayne Corderio's message of preaching to yourself first is going to come in handy this week. So, time for me to start listening to how I need to grow.