The Unsigned Criticism

 

Good morning.  It’s Thursday morning!

 Well, we got one of “those” notes this past Sunday from who we think is one of our members.  It was one of notes that sometimes comes when someone is unhappy about a decision that was made on behalf of the congregation.  This particular decision is regarding some upgrades and maintenance projects that we need to complete.  We’ve told the congregation about them and have told our members that if they would like to contribute to the cost of the upgrades and maintenance over and above their normal contributions, we would certainly appreciate any help they could give.

 I won’t tell you the exact words in the note, but the gist of it was that these things are not needs, but rather wants.  The writer wondered why we didn’t instead spend those funds on gospel meetings, door knocking, prison ministry, homeless outreach, and other endeavors.

 And, of course, it was an unsigned note.

 Well, I won’t go in to all of the ministries the church is involved with…everything from feeding the homeless to mentoring in the public schools, along with providing support for and volunteering at a local home for troubled teen and pre-teen girls.  I am gratified at all of the outreach, work, and support by our members in the name of Jesus Christ in the Wichita area as well as world wide through various missions points ranging from Cambodia to India, Africa, South America, Russia and others.  No, we are not perfect.  But I believe we have in general a heart for people and a love for Jesus Christ and His good news which we willingly share whenever given the chance.

 Notes such as this, along with accusations, criticisms, and other such which come to me unsigned are in my mind worthy of nothing more than the paper they are written on.  I remember back to an older man who since has gone to his reward, who was a long-time member of this congregation.  A businessman, Bob was very polite and also very astute.  Whenever some kind of thing such as this came his way, he would say, “I’ll give this all the consideration it deserves,” and promptly would toss it away and forget it.  I will do the same with this unsigned criticism.

 What the writer doesn’t know is that our Elder board and staff have wrestled with many of these issues for over three years.  We’ve discussed, thought about, prayed for, and did our best to come up with the most cost-effective and best projects that were most needed in order to operate a church ministry in the middle of downtown Wichita.  We have done nothing flippantly or quickly.  The bureaucracy has moved very, very slowly sometimes in these last years.  We believe we have done the best we could do, asking for the hand of God to guide us all along the way.  We have no second thoughts about our actions and decisions.

 If the writer of the note, or anyone for that matter, wishes to do one of the ministries mentioned in the note…organize another homeless ministry, get a door-knocking campaign together…or do it himself…organize a gospel meeting, start a prison ministry, or one of any number of outreaches, he or she is free to do so.  And we the church will support them in their endeavors.  We always have supported volunteers who wish to be part of an outreach, and we will continue to do so.  Meanwhile, we will continue on the path we believe God has chosen for us as a congregation, taking care to do so with sober judgment and due diligence.

 We will always, it seems, occasionally have to deal with anonymous writers of notes which are critical and have no purpose other than to make the writer somehow feel better or, dare I say, superior in some way.  We will, however, continue to give such anonymous notes and criticisms “all the consideration they deserve.”

Blessings,

Grace & Mercy

 

Good morning.  It’s Thursday morning !

 Any time the church embarks on something new and different, there will be those who will embrace the new and different, and those who long for the old ways of church life and living.  I suppose it’s inevitable that this kind of thing happens, because whether in church, politics, family life, the work environment, or wherever, there will always be differences of opinion regarding what, how, when, where, or who.  Each one who has an opinion of course believes his or her opinion is the correct one; no one honestly holds an opinion that he knows or believes is wrong.

This kind of behavior is common not only in church life, but in many areas of life and living.  Politics is a prime example, along with business or work decisions, family relationships, and other areas of life.  But it isn’t as simple as just looking at some issue for a few brief moments and making some kind of informed judgment.  Much of the time the issues involved are not nearly as black-and-white as one might believe.  Additionally, most of us who form opinions don’t know enough about the situation to be able to form a truly educated and informed opinion.

We aren’t privy to all of the information.  We aren’t sure whether the information we have is biased or not, or even truthful in some cases.  We allow our own world view to shape and form our opinion, creating our own bias.  We tend to gravitate toward that information and those people who share our world view, thereby reducing or eliminating ideas or thoughts that might be contrary to what we already believe and would open up our thought process.  And sometimes we even develop a sort of self-righteous attitude which invades our thoughts and tends to further polarize the situation and our opinions.  We are indeed fallible individuals.

So, why do I bring up all of this?  Just this.  It’s fine to hold opinions.  It’s fine to express those opinions in a proper way and in the proper venue.  But to allow opinions which in most cases by far are inaccurate or incomplete to become dividing walls is foolish and ignorant.  And for the Christian, such behavior goes against clear Biblical teaching.

Proverbs 18:2 says this:  “A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only expressing his opinion.”  Paul, in Romans 14 talks much about differences of opinion.  Here is some selected text from that chapter as Paul talks about some who observe dietary restrictions and others don’t; and some observe certain holidays and others don’t.  The principles in this text are timeless even if the specific examples don’t necessarily apply.

Do not quarrel over opinions.  One person believes he may eat anything, while another eats only vegetables.  Let not the one who eats despise the one who does not, and let not the one who does not eat pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him.

One person observes one day as better than another, while another observes all days alike.  Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.  The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord.  The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.  For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself.  Why do you pass judgment on your brother?  So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

I readily confess that it is sometimes a herculean challenge to refrain from comments and thoughts that serve to divide rather than unite.  To admit that I am wrong in an opinion I may have held for many years is also a huge hurdle to overcome.  However, I am not infallible.  I am not the end-all and be-all of knowledge.  My world view is a natural and powerful bias.  My life experiences, my environment, my family, education and perceptions of things color how I form opinions.

In political circles, the Democrats aren’t perfect.  Neither are the Republicans, the Socialists, the Libertarians, the Progressives, or anyone else.  And all political activity operates in accordance with its own agenda.

In Christian circles, I am not the final and perfect arbitor & interpreter of holy scripture.  I certainly don’t know it all.  I am just like everyone else…my need for grace and mercy from the Living God is mandatory to my well-being.  And as I receive grace and mercy, so I am to give grace and mercy to others.  As I forgive others, I will myself be forgiven.

May God help us to find grace and mercy in these troubled times.  Blessings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some Random Thoughts

 

I have struggled this week to find an acceptable topic for my Thursday Thought.  I have had an avalanche of thoughts and ideas go through my head over the weekend and earlier this week, but none have really gelled as they usually do.  So let me just give you an idea of what’s been happening this week in the way of my thoughts for this Thursday video.

I’ve had thoughts about both the beauty & loveliness of the created order, and also about the brokenness of that same creation.  Earlier this week, I stood about three feet away from the hummingbird feeder we keep in our yard and I observed that beauty, watching up to five hummers fighting and tormenting one-another for control of the feeder.  Of course, none ever really got hurt…it was all aerial acrobatics, divebombing, and posturing.  And the hummers seemed unconcerned that I was within touching distance of them when they managed to land on the feeder and sip some nectar.  It was a sort of surreal experience, and one that held me for probably 15 or so minutes…just watching and marveling.

On the other side of that, and in line with the brokenness of the creation, one encounter with a homeless person stands out.  Mary is a frequent flyer at the church.  She never has a lot of need, but always has some small need…a bottle of water, food enough for a sort of a meal, or just someone to talk to who isn’t going to take advantage of her in some way.  She’s an older woman, and I have no idea how she’s managed to survive on the street for as long as she has.

This week, she needed a little food & water, and someone to talk to for a few minutes.  She also wanted us to keep a prized possession of hers…a small rock with a John Deere tractor logo embedded in it…in the office for safe keeping so it wouldn’t be stolen.  Her rambling explanation of the small limestone rock didn’t make much sense to me except that I gather it belongs, or once belonged to her daughter.  We visited some out on the lawn in the shade of a tree, and I accepted the rock and told her she could come get it any time the office was open.

I’ve also had thoughts about the state of the world today, politics, Afghanistan, COVID, elections, and all that goes along with those topics, which I’ll melt into a sort of unified thought.  And that thought is this:  I don’t know enough, and will never know enough to truly know whether this policy, that decision, some rule or regulation, or a court decision is really the right and correct one for the time and situation.  I’m not an expert in international relations.  I have very little knowledge of the law, the courts, and the legal system.  I’m not privy to the conversations, diplomatic cables, intelligence briefings, and other information needed to make an informed decision regarding policy and practice.

I have opinions, yes.  But my opinions are no more and no less valid than anyone else’s.  And the opinions I hold are based on very little factual information, which has been further biased by my world view and the world views of those who gave me the information.  I am in no way the all-knowing god of what is right and wrong, good and bad.  And neither are you.  It’s time we all accepted that fact, speak less, listen more, and lavish grace upon one-another.  As the Apostle Paul says in the New Testament, “Let your conversation be filled with grace…”

I have had many more thoughts this past week, but I’ll end with this one.  I’ve seen the value of human relationship.  Now, I’m not talking about the casual, “How are you?”  “I’m fine,” relationship, but rather the deeper, more personal, and beneficial relationships that we have with a relative few individuals.  People who will, with a text or phone call drop what they are doing and come to the aid of their friend, whatever the need may be.  People who will listen without judgment.  People who will enjoy just being there.  People who can be counted on unconditionally, in any circumstance, at any time, in any way.

These people may be best friends.  They may be someone who is part of the family.  They may be a co-worker or member of the church family.  Or they may be someone you don’t even know who has stepped up into the gap, so to speak, to protect and serve…with their life if necessary.  I’ve seen that in action this week.  And it makes me proud to be a human being…grateful to have such people in my life.

I trust you too have such people in your life.  I also trust that you will see the beauty of the creation that surrounds you, will understand and work to mitigate the brokenness that is among us, and will measure each word you speak, think, or write in terms of the grace that accompanies it.

May your Thursday be a blessed day.

"Grace Bats Last"

 

This coming Saturday is September 11, 2021.  For some of the very young, this date may not mean much; but for most of us that date is one that will forever be burned into our conscience.  Just as December 7, 1941 was burned into the hearts and minds of a couple of generations ago for what we now call Pearl Harbor Day, so 9-11 will be on our minds and hearts for many years to come.

 If you are like most of us, you know exactly where you were and what you were doing when you heard the news of the first plane ramming one of the twin towers…then the second doing the same thing to the other tower.  You recall President Bush’s face when, as he was reading to a group of elementary school kids, he was told that the nation was under attack.  You recall at least some of the wall-to-wall coverage by the media, the look of total astonishment and bewilderment on the faces of the responders, and the sight of people leaping out of the windows of the towers multiple tens of stories up…looking at certain death one way or the other.

 You recall some of the memes that were put on social media.  You recall talking with family and friends, trying to process the events of the day.  As time went on, you began to wonder why we didn’t know this was going to happen and why we didn’t take measures against terrorism on American soil to protect us from it.

 As you processed the events of 9-11 over the next weeks and months, something changed within you as well.  Almost imperceptibly, you began to feel a bit more nervous and concerned about things in general.  You became weary of the news cycle.  You wondered in the back of your mind when the next shoe would figuratively drop.  You began to feel a bit less safe and secure in your everyday environment.  You were trying to adjust to a “new normal” and a “new reality,” but you were somehow still connected to the old and were  having trouble moving over to that new thing called terrorism.

 And things haven’t changed much over the years.  Yes, we’re finally out of Afghanistan, which was a result of 9-11.  I don’t know if it was the right thing to do to go in in the first place, and I don’t know about leaving, and how we left.  And I don’t know if we really accomplished our purpose in being there.  I’ll leave all of those decisions, and the responsibility for them…to those who are supposed to know and whose job it is to make those decisions.

 Yes, it’s true there hasn’t been another attack on American soil like the one on 9-11 since that day 20 years ago.  And yes, we now have the TSA and other measures designed to protect us and even thwart future terrorist activities.  We’ve spent trillions of dollars on protection, military conflicts, and safety in one way or another.  Yet for some strange reason, I don’t feel much safer.  I still am some nervous and concerned.  I still tire of the news cycle.  I still wonder when the other shoe will drop.  I still remember those who lost their lives, those who jumped out of 80-story windows, and those who ran toward danger rather than away from it.  I recall with thanksgiving those who have served and are serving, whether in the military, or in public service such as police, fire, and EMS.

 And one other thing I recall.  I recall a recent post by Anne Lamott as she mused about the current situation regarding COVID, the hurricanes, Afghanistan, and other major events of the day.  In the post she talks of how the current situation has affected her and how she would respond to her Sunday School class of kids…well…rather than tell you what she wrote, I’ll just read what she wrote and let these words enter into your conscience.  This is Ann Lamott now.

 I am having trouble remembering all the things to be freaked out about right now. It’s once again like trying to put an octopus to bed; just when you think you’ve finally tucked in all the arms, one pops out. I feel alternately crushed, enraged, and flabbergasted; also, hopeful and amazed by the roaring and tender humanitarian response to Afghanistan, hurricane Ida, and Texas.

What would I tell my Sunday School kids today if we were in person? I always tell them the same things—that grace bats last: to notice the beauty all around us, the meadows near us, tawny beneath the soft grey fog; to know that God calls them Beloved, as is and no matter what; to listen and hear each other.

 This is Jay again.  Did you catch that phrase, “Grace bats last?”  That’s a signature phrase of Lamott, using a baseball analogy.  And here is another quote from her explaining more about what that phrase means to her.  This is from an interview in 2013.

 Interviewer: We live in a supposedly religious country. Yet we are bitterly divided and not very civil with each other.

Lamott: I believe that against all odds, grace bats last, and that little by little, in ways that may not be visible for awhile, this polarization will heal. For my part, I pray not to be so self-righteous, and to keep remembering that we are all one family.

 This is Jay again.  So, on this 20^th anniversary day of 9-11, as you recall the events of that day and of the months and years following, please also remember that “Grace bats last,” and that we truly are all one family.  And take that truth into the present as you navigate this uncertain world of COVID, freaky weather, political turmoil, polarization, and tragedy.  Notice the beauty that surrounds you.  Notice the work of God as He works through His people to redeem the creation.  Notice the love of God as he calls us to Himself.

 May God bless his creation this day and bless us, the crowning glory of that creation.

T ruly Seeing Others

 

A few days ago, I found out that a relative of mine, a cousin, has spent the past five years or so in an abusive relationship that culminated earlier this year in the suicide of the abuser during an attempt by law enforcement to take him into custody on outstanding warrants.  My cousin had married this man, who had managed to hide his abusive nature from both her and her parents and family during the courtship.  They had children together.  Now she is a divorced widow and her kids have no father.  Her life is not at all what she or the family envisioned some years ago.  Even with all of the trauma this man brought to her, she is grieving the multiple losses and trying to piece life back together for herself and her children.  It’s a herculean task.

That same day I received a call from a woman we have helped from time to time with food and other needs.  She has been in poor health recently, with uncontrolled diabetes, a mass in her brain, other medical issues, and is grossly overweight as well as disabled.  In that call, she informed me that she also had one leg that had swollen to twice normal and is infected.  She had gone to the emergency room, but was dismissed because no bed was available for her due to COVID.  Because no bed was available, she could not receive IV antibiotics.  She was given oral antibiotics instead which have to date not helped.  She has no transportation of her own and is dependent on others for pretty much everything.  She is not sure what to do and is going pretty much hour by hour, day by day.

I also got a call that day from another woman we help some who has been in the hospital on and off for a couple of weeks with uncontrolled diabetes.  They are wanting to move her to skilled care, but she doesn’t understand what that all entails, and was concerned that she might lose her apartment if she was in skilled care for several months.  And if she lost her apartment, she would have to go back on a waiting list for government subsidies and navigate the bureaucracy to try to find a home when she was released.  Meanwhile, she would be essentially homeless, possibly while in skilled care, with no place to store her personal items.

She has some cognitive and mental processing difficulties, and in all probability the social worker who talked with her didn’t know that and didn’t explain things to her level of understanding.  We assured her that skilled care was a temporary thing, usually just two or three weeks, and that she could keep her apartment.  Another member offered to see that her rent was paid for September.  She seems to have a better understanding now, but is still apprehensive.

These stories are just three of the many that I hear regularly.  People who for whatever reason are falling behind in life in some way…financially, emotionally, or physically.  Some have only fallen a short distance, and with some effort and help get back on their feet.  Others have become what some would call a “train wreck,” and the way out for them is dark and virtually unattainable without a massive infusion of capital and resources.  Many times, no amount of resources, financial and otherwise, are enough to mold that person into what society expects.  There’s just too much damage that has been done in terms of abusive relationships, childhood neglect, lack of proper education, cultural upbringing, inability to adequately mentally process one’s circumstance, physical disability, lack of cognitive ability, and sometimes what many would call just plain bad luck.

It is these people…the people behind stories such as these…that I most think about and am concerned for.  I encounter these people in my work with the church.  Each time I leave such an encounter I am amazed and bewildered by the massiveness of the issues they face daily…hourly.  They battle constantly to stay alive, to keep their nose above water, and to provide for whatever family they may have.  They navigate the often byzantine labyrinth of government aid programs and bureaucracies.  They endure the indignity of being refused help by non-profits and NGO’s because they don’t meet some qualification or have some kind of paperwork.

They are constantly on the search for help for the immediate need…today…this afternoon…never having the time, energy, or wherewithal to even begin to think of future need or future plans.  Their long-term outlook stops at or before the end of the day that they are living.  Tomorrow is just a distant fog, and safety, security, basic needs met, and good health are pipedreams that serve only to amplify their present situation in their minds.  With me, those future visions are inviting and anticipated…pleasant thoughts of the future.  With them, the future consists of sinister apparitions that torture and put down rather than being a pleasant call to action to achieve.

I admit that even with several years of doing this, I have no idea how these people make their way from one day to the next, let alone one month or year to the next.  I can’t imagine how they think or plan.  I have no clue what motivates these people to live even into the next hour, nor do I have any comprehension of just how incredibly difficult life is for them.  Yet when I interact with them, for the most part they are pleasant, caring, asking about me and my well-being, and appear to be at least somewhat content to have made it as far in life as they have.  They have survived.  Against almost incredible and overpowering odds, they have survived.  They can truly be called survivors.

We in the middle and upper classes don’t have a clue.  We don’t now and never will fully understand.  We cavalierly take for granted the incredible blessings we have been given.  We somehow believe we deserve those blessings, and complain loudly if any one disappears for even a short time.  We are selfish and petty.  We are greedy and covetous.

I have to wonder what would happen if we lived in the shoes of a Rocky, Arlene, Rachel, or Bobby…real people I know who live what I’ve described every day…every hour.  May we repent of our arrogance, pride, and greed.  May we see others as Jesus himself sees them…precious souls of infinite value.

Blessings.