1/25/11 How would you explain your faith in 25 words or less? What is a concrete condensation of what is the essence of the good news? One example from the New Testament is John 3:16, For God so loved the world that he gave his only son so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. In the Old Testament you can't do much better than my breath prayer for the day which comes from Micah 6:8, What does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Love,
Lynn
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
proud
1/24/11 I am proud of my congregation. On Saturday, we hosted the Austin District UM congregations in an event called Re-Think Leadership. We had close to 300 persons at our facility, filling our sanctuary for a plenary worship session and breaking out into some 10 focus groups. Our Westlake UMC folks were the epitome of hospitality. They came early. They stayed late. They stood out in the cold helping people find parking spaces. They directed people to get registered. They helped set up and clean up. I wish I could I manufactured all of this, but I realize that it is pure gift. The folks made themselves available to be the face of Christ, welcoming the stranger. I am proud to be associated with them.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Sunday, January 23, 2011
wisdom and finances
from my sermon on 1/23/11 from Proverbs
Wisdom and Finance, this is the 3rd in a series of 6 sermons from Enough: Discovering Joy through Simplicity and Generosity. There is also a book you may obtain and small group discussions in most of our Sunday School classes.
I appreciate the many positive comments you have offered. Some are facing retirement, and this series has helped to frame that transition. Some have debts left over from college loans. Some are trying to save for college for their kids. Some are underwater in their home loans. Some of lost jobs, or been furloughed, or been downsized.
I appreciate those of you who have questioned the study, especially those who have asked, Is this just a sneaky way for the church to ask for more of my money? Full Disclosure at this point, the Stewardship Committee chose this study at the suggestion of Texas Methodist Foundation. There is a commitment card coming on Feb. 13. However, the Stewardship Committee realized that this end of year/beginning of year period was a good time for people to review their spending patterns. We are getting our W2's in the mail, we are looking at our credit card bills, and we are preparing our income taxes. Furthermore, the Stewardship Committee understands that we are stewards, managers of all that God has given us. We are just borrowing this stuff for a little while. As long as it is only our money, we will be challenged in this study. If it is God's money, we may find a blessing in this study.
So today when we consider Wisdom and Finance, we remember that line that is used over and over again in Proverbs, The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the LORD. Fear means awe, respect, honor, worship.
The first passage we look at is Prov. 3:9 Honor the LORD with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce. It is the context of worship in which we make our gifts. I have collected a lot of quotes for this series. Here's one: As we make our offering, no matter hwat else we say or do, this morning Lord, this tells what we think of you. The passage talks about first fruits, a concept that is found all through the Bible. First means first in time. You don't wait until the end of the harvest to see if there is enough left over. First also means first in quality. You don't say, That lamb has 3 pretty good legs. You give to God an unblemished lamb, not the culls. You find today and at our website, 6 KEy Financial Planning Principles. The first one is to put God first. It is amazing how this stance prioritizes all of our fianancial decisions.
The next passage is Prov. 21:5, The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to want. Any of you grow up on a farm? Or admit it? How long does it take to bring in the harvest or raise a flock? Success does come quickly. Get rich quick schemes often lead to nothing. I got to attend the UT-A & M basketball game Wednesday night. It was mostly wonderful. The family had a parking place right next to the Drum. We had a lovely meal right there with short walking distance of the entrance. We had courtside seats. I could have leaned forward and touched the Aggie players. You might have seen my on TV on ESPN 2 with my head in my hands as the Aggies never showed up to play and got slaughtered on national TV. This family has worked with many student athletes over the years. Some show great maturity and restraint. But some just can't handle the new found riches. People will give them multimillion dollars because they can run fast or jump high. You know what often happens. They wrap their sportscar around a tree. Much money is spent on cocaine up the nose. Family members manipulate them. Diligent plans lead to abundance. Haste leads to want. There is a Life and Financial Goals sheet in your insert and on our website. It is good for individuals, for couples, for families. Wisdom includes making plans.
Another passage comes from Prov. 21:20 Precious treasure remains in the house of the wise, but the fool devours it. The literal words for precious treasure are choice oil. Extra virgin olive oil seems to be it. It represented the standard for wealth and luxury. The wise make it last. Fools squander it. Where does the money go? We have included a budget worksheet for you to chart your income and your outgo.
The next passage comes from Prov. 23:4-5, Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough to desist. When your eyes light upon it, it is gone; for suddenly it takes wings to itself, flying like an eagle towards heaven. It wold be funny if not so true. We wear ourselves out seeking wealth which only sprouts wings and flies away. Another author says, Possessions are sparrows in flight, which can find no place to alight.
Cathy and I are frugal. We have managed very well on pastor's and teacher's salaries. We have gotten 2 boys through college with no debt. We have many material blessings. We do not have a poor me attitude. But there is a line in the book that has really nailed me, We can be wasteful, because we can get away with it. The more you have the more you tend to waste. Cathy and I are really being challenged by this study. It is causing us to slow down, to pause, to pray, to question do we really need this.
Proverbs is a book of wisdom collected over hundreds of years. As you read some, you will be struck that they come from the hardscrabble life of peasants eking out a life from the land. As you read others, they will be from the royal court, probably from King Solomon himself. And others will sound like they came from school which they probably did as in an instruciton text. But if you read closely, you will find Proverbs saying one thing here and a direct contradiction later on. Let me illustrate in the financial realm. Prov. 10:15, The wealth of the rich is their fortress, the poverty of the poor is their ruin. Prov. 28:11 says, The rich is wise in conceit, but an intelligent poor person sees through the pose. So which is it? You want rules to cover every situation. You want to follow the Bible literally. Proverbs doesn't do that. Why? You have to take responsibility, you have to choose for yourself. No one else can do it for you, not the pastor, not your financial advisor, only you. I can't make you do any of this homework on these sheets. The responsibility is yours. Proverbs 22:2 says, The rich and the poort have this in common, the LORD is the maker of them all.
What are you going to do? I am going to tell you a story. You all are so helpful in sending me good illustrations. Here's one.
Recently I overheard a Father and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure.
Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the Father said, 'I love you, and I wish you enough.' The daughter replied, 'Dad, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Dad.'They kissed and the daughter left. The Father walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, 'Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?' 'Yes, I have,' I replied. 'Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?'..'I am old, and she lives so far away.. I have challenges ahead and the reality is - the next trip back will be for my funeral,' he said.'When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, 'I wish you enough.' May I ask what that means?'He began to smile. 'That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone...' He paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, and he smiled even more. 'When we said, 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them.' Then turning toward me, he shared the following as if he were reciting it from memory.
I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear..I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more. I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting. I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.
He then began to cry and walked away.
Wisdom and finance. I wish you enough.
Wisdom and Finance, this is the 3rd in a series of 6 sermons from Enough: Discovering Joy through Simplicity and Generosity. There is also a book you may obtain and small group discussions in most of our Sunday School classes.
I appreciate the many positive comments you have offered. Some are facing retirement, and this series has helped to frame that transition. Some have debts left over from college loans. Some are trying to save for college for their kids. Some are underwater in their home loans. Some of lost jobs, or been furloughed, or been downsized.
I appreciate those of you who have questioned the study, especially those who have asked, Is this just a sneaky way for the church to ask for more of my money? Full Disclosure at this point, the Stewardship Committee chose this study at the suggestion of Texas Methodist Foundation. There is a commitment card coming on Feb. 13. However, the Stewardship Committee realized that this end of year/beginning of year period was a good time for people to review their spending patterns. We are getting our W2's in the mail, we are looking at our credit card bills, and we are preparing our income taxes. Furthermore, the Stewardship Committee understands that we are stewards, managers of all that God has given us. We are just borrowing this stuff for a little while. As long as it is only our money, we will be challenged in this study. If it is God's money, we may find a blessing in this study.
So today when we consider Wisdom and Finance, we remember that line that is used over and over again in Proverbs, The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the LORD. Fear means awe, respect, honor, worship.
The first passage we look at is Prov. 3:9 Honor the LORD with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce. It is the context of worship in which we make our gifts. I have collected a lot of quotes for this series. Here's one: As we make our offering, no matter hwat else we say or do, this morning Lord, this tells what we think of you. The passage talks about first fruits, a concept that is found all through the Bible. First means first in time. You don't wait until the end of the harvest to see if there is enough left over. First also means first in quality. You don't say, That lamb has 3 pretty good legs. You give to God an unblemished lamb, not the culls. You find today and at our website, 6 KEy Financial Planning Principles. The first one is to put God first. It is amazing how this stance prioritizes all of our fianancial decisions.
The next passage is Prov. 21:5, The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to want. Any of you grow up on a farm? Or admit it? How long does it take to bring in the harvest or raise a flock? Success does come quickly. Get rich quick schemes often lead to nothing. I got to attend the UT-A & M basketball game Wednesday night. It was mostly wonderful. The family had a parking place right next to the Drum. We had a lovely meal right there with short walking distance of the entrance. We had courtside seats. I could have leaned forward and touched the Aggie players. You might have seen my on TV on ESPN 2 with my head in my hands as the Aggies never showed up to play and got slaughtered on national TV. This family has worked with many student athletes over the years. Some show great maturity and restraint. But some just can't handle the new found riches. People will give them multimillion dollars because they can run fast or jump high. You know what often happens. They wrap their sportscar around a tree. Much money is spent on cocaine up the nose. Family members manipulate them. Diligent plans lead to abundance. Haste leads to want. There is a Life and Financial Goals sheet in your insert and on our website. It is good for individuals, for couples, for families. Wisdom includes making plans.
Another passage comes from Prov. 21:20 Precious treasure remains in the house of the wise, but the fool devours it. The literal words for precious treasure are choice oil. Extra virgin olive oil seems to be it. It represented the standard for wealth and luxury. The wise make it last. Fools squander it. Where does the money go? We have included a budget worksheet for you to chart your income and your outgo.
The next passage comes from Prov. 23:4-5, Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough to desist. When your eyes light upon it, it is gone; for suddenly it takes wings to itself, flying like an eagle towards heaven. It wold be funny if not so true. We wear ourselves out seeking wealth which only sprouts wings and flies away. Another author says, Possessions are sparrows in flight, which can find no place to alight.
Cathy and I are frugal. We have managed very well on pastor's and teacher's salaries. We have gotten 2 boys through college with no debt. We have many material blessings. We do not have a poor me attitude. But there is a line in the book that has really nailed me, We can be wasteful, because we can get away with it. The more you have the more you tend to waste. Cathy and I are really being challenged by this study. It is causing us to slow down, to pause, to pray, to question do we really need this.
Proverbs is a book of wisdom collected over hundreds of years. As you read some, you will be struck that they come from the hardscrabble life of peasants eking out a life from the land. As you read others, they will be from the royal court, probably from King Solomon himself. And others will sound like they came from school which they probably did as in an instruciton text. But if you read closely, you will find Proverbs saying one thing here and a direct contradiction later on. Let me illustrate in the financial realm. Prov. 10:15, The wealth of the rich is their fortress, the poverty of the poor is their ruin. Prov. 28:11 says, The rich is wise in conceit, but an intelligent poor person sees through the pose. So which is it? You want rules to cover every situation. You want to follow the Bible literally. Proverbs doesn't do that. Why? You have to take responsibility, you have to choose for yourself. No one else can do it for you, not the pastor, not your financial advisor, only you. I can't make you do any of this homework on these sheets. The responsibility is yours. Proverbs 22:2 says, The rich and the poort have this in common, the LORD is the maker of them all.
What are you going to do? I am going to tell you a story. You all are so helpful in sending me good illustrations. Here's one.
Recently I overheard a Father and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure.
Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the Father said, 'I love you, and I wish you enough.' The daughter replied, 'Dad, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Dad.'They kissed and the daughter left. The Father walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, 'Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?' 'Yes, I have,' I replied. 'Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?'..'I am old, and she lives so far away.. I have challenges ahead and the reality is - the next trip back will be for my funeral,' he said.'When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, 'I wish you enough.' May I ask what that means?'He began to smile. 'That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone...' He paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, and he smiled even more. 'When we said, 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them.' Then turning toward me, he shared the following as if he were reciting it from memory.
I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear..I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more. I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting. I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.
He then began to cry and walked away.
Wisdom and finance. I wish you enough.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
being saved
1/20/11 My breath prayer for today comes from I Cor. 1:18, "For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." We United Methodists have a good word in our theological vocabulary; that word is sanctification. It means we are being made holy our whole lives long. John Wesley said it thus, "We are going onto perfection." I like what Paul says in his letter to the church in Corinth, that we are being saved. It is not just about being baptized, or making a profession of faith, but it is about a life where the power of the cross is ever being realized. We are being saved.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
cry aloud
1/19/11 My breath prayer for the day comes from Psalm 27:7, Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me! I am uncomfortable doing this, speaking my prayers out loud. Oh, I pray with people all of the time, nearly every day, and that is out loud. But my personal prayers I usually pray internally, like an inner voice. Luckily where I usually walk in the city park behind our house there are very few people up and about in the early morning. So today, I spoke the prayers....well not out LOUD....but at least out soft. It does make a difference, maybe not to God, who hears and answers our prayers no matter we deliver them, but a difference to me.
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
when dreams become nightmares
from my sermon on 1/16/11 from I Tim. 6:6-10, 17-19
When dreams become nightmares...that is the title of this message and the title of the chapter in the book by Adam Hamiliton. We are in the 2 nd week of a 6 week series on Enough: Discovering Joy through Simplicity and Generosity. I get way ahead on my sermons, working months ahead, thinking I know where I want them to go, but this one got away from me.
First, when I was preparing months ago, I didn't have it in my head that tomorrow was a holiday upon which we celebrate a famous American's birthday....yes, Martin Luther King. He gave a famous speech on Aug. 28, 1963 that had a line....yes, I have a dream. It is not that dream that has become a nightmare. Nine times in the speech, he says, I have a dream. That dream has not been fully realized. That dream continues to challenge us, convict us, call us to be more the people God intends us to be. Remember that line, I have a dream that my 4 little children will one day live in a nation where they they will be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I went back and re-read that I have a Dream speech. We forget that it began quietly with a lot of economic metaphors. Today the Negro lives on an island of poverty in a vast sea of plenty. We have come today to cash a check, a promissory note. We trust that it is not a bad check with insufficient funds. The bank of justice is not bankrupt. As Americans we have riches of freedom and security of justice.
Just 4 1/2 years later, MLK was assassinated at age 39 on April 4, 1968. I believe that his dream is not a nightmare but still holds hope for us.
The second way this sermon got away from was around the events of this past week, when a congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords, about the age of MLK, had an assassination attempt made on her life. It is ironic that she was trying to engage the public, meet them where they were. It is further ironic, that she was shot in front of a supermarket, with the name, Safeway. We have spent the past week grieving. Six died, including a 9 year old girl, who was born on 9/11. A federal judge was killed. Thirteen were wounded. We have heard the stories of husbands covering their wives with their bodies to protect them from gunfire. There was the congresswoman's intern, on the job for just his 5th day, rushing to her to practice his limited EMS training, making sure she had an airway open, and staunching the flow of blood. Ordinary people like us tackled the gunman and disarming him.
We don't know the motive behind the shooter. I certainly don't make the link to the vitrolic speech in politics, that antagonistic spirit in our country. What got me were the reports that dreams played in this troubled man's life. It was reported that he kept a dream journal, that his nihilism, his attempts at chaos, came out of feeling that nothing existed except his subconcious, that the dream world was the only reality. That is a nightmare.
Thirdly, we get to what the book by Adam Hamiliton says. He states that the American dream of "more is better" has become a nightmare. Our love of wealth has gotten us into trouble. Note that the scripture passage doesn't say money is evil, but that the love of money is a root of all evil. The book talks about Affluenza, that bloated feeling that even when we have too much, we still are not satisfied. We also suffer from Creditis, that desire to buy today and pay for it tomorrow. We have been bitten by the covet bug, as we heard in the children's sermon. I heard put another way: In the beginning, God gave us people to love and things to use. Maybe our problems begin when we start loving the things and using the people.
I have some illustrations. One from the NY Times Sunday magazine a week ago in an article by Kim Walters. He talked about algorhythms used to anticipate what we might like next. Did any of you shop over Christmas, online, with a credit card? You might want to buy bike shorts. A popup ad will appear suggesting bike jersey and bike gloves and bike glasses. Kim has a friend who was shopping for books on Amazon.com. You know that it will suggest another book you might like to purchase. Amazon suggested to this friend the book, The American Idea, an anthology of articles from the Atlantic Monthly magazine. It turns out this friend had edited the book! Kim said, the only thing worse than being misperceived by this math equations is being expertly perceived.
The second example is something I heard on NPR on their tech report. Our smart phones will soon let us know when we are passing by a store that has a sale on the product that we might be interested in. There is even a word for this process: it is called pre-emptive gratification.
The scripture passage talks about how the love of money can lead to a downward spiral, can plunge us into ruin and destruction, where we are pierced by many pains.
Christian practice is not about making a church budget, but about saving our souls from this addictive behavior. The scripture talks about a way of our financial hell: practicing godliness, doing good, being rich in good works, being generous and ready to share. The scripture witness is that this is the path to life that really is life. This is the way out of the nightmare.
I believe that God has a dream for us. It looks a lot like a 9 year old girl getting up on a Saturday morning to see her government in action. It looks a lot like a modern day prophet calling us into accountability. God's dream is not a nightmare. What does God dream for you?
When dreams become nightmares...that is the title of this message and the title of the chapter in the book by Adam Hamiliton. We are in the 2 nd week of a 6 week series on Enough: Discovering Joy through Simplicity and Generosity. I get way ahead on my sermons, working months ahead, thinking I know where I want them to go, but this one got away from me.
First, when I was preparing months ago, I didn't have it in my head that tomorrow was a holiday upon which we celebrate a famous American's birthday....yes, Martin Luther King. He gave a famous speech on Aug. 28, 1963 that had a line....yes, I have a dream. It is not that dream that has become a nightmare. Nine times in the speech, he says, I have a dream. That dream has not been fully realized. That dream continues to challenge us, convict us, call us to be more the people God intends us to be. Remember that line, I have a dream that my 4 little children will one day live in a nation where they they will be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I went back and re-read that I have a Dream speech. We forget that it began quietly with a lot of economic metaphors. Today the Negro lives on an island of poverty in a vast sea of plenty. We have come today to cash a check, a promissory note. We trust that it is not a bad check with insufficient funds. The bank of justice is not bankrupt. As Americans we have riches of freedom and security of justice.
Just 4 1/2 years later, MLK was assassinated at age 39 on April 4, 1968. I believe that his dream is not a nightmare but still holds hope for us.
The second way this sermon got away from was around the events of this past week, when a congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords, about the age of MLK, had an assassination attempt made on her life. It is ironic that she was trying to engage the public, meet them where they were. It is further ironic, that she was shot in front of a supermarket, with the name, Safeway. We have spent the past week grieving. Six died, including a 9 year old girl, who was born on 9/11. A federal judge was killed. Thirteen were wounded. We have heard the stories of husbands covering their wives with their bodies to protect them from gunfire. There was the congresswoman's intern, on the job for just his 5th day, rushing to her to practice his limited EMS training, making sure she had an airway open, and staunching the flow of blood. Ordinary people like us tackled the gunman and disarming him.
We don't know the motive behind the shooter. I certainly don't make the link to the vitrolic speech in politics, that antagonistic spirit in our country. What got me were the reports that dreams played in this troubled man's life. It was reported that he kept a dream journal, that his nihilism, his attempts at chaos, came out of feeling that nothing existed except his subconcious, that the dream world was the only reality. That is a nightmare.
Thirdly, we get to what the book by Adam Hamiliton says. He states that the American dream of "more is better" has become a nightmare. Our love of wealth has gotten us into trouble. Note that the scripture passage doesn't say money is evil, but that the love of money is a root of all evil. The book talks about Affluenza, that bloated feeling that even when we have too much, we still are not satisfied. We also suffer from Creditis, that desire to buy today and pay for it tomorrow. We have been bitten by the covet bug, as we heard in the children's sermon. I heard put another way: In the beginning, God gave us people to love and things to use. Maybe our problems begin when we start loving the things and using the people.
I have some illustrations. One from the NY Times Sunday magazine a week ago in an article by Kim Walters. He talked about algorhythms used to anticipate what we might like next. Did any of you shop over Christmas, online, with a credit card? You might want to buy bike shorts. A popup ad will appear suggesting bike jersey and bike gloves and bike glasses. Kim has a friend who was shopping for books on Amazon.com. You know that it will suggest another book you might like to purchase. Amazon suggested to this friend the book, The American Idea, an anthology of articles from the Atlantic Monthly magazine. It turns out this friend had edited the book! Kim said, the only thing worse than being misperceived by this math equations is being expertly perceived.
The second example is something I heard on NPR on their tech report. Our smart phones will soon let us know when we are passing by a store that has a sale on the product that we might be interested in. There is even a word for this process: it is called pre-emptive gratification.
The scripture passage talks about how the love of money can lead to a downward spiral, can plunge us into ruin and destruction, where we are pierced by many pains.
Christian practice is not about making a church budget, but about saving our souls from this addictive behavior. The scripture talks about a way of our financial hell: practicing godliness, doing good, being rich in good works, being generous and ready to share. The scripture witness is that this is the path to life that really is life. This is the way out of the nightmare.
I believe that God has a dream for us. It looks a lot like a 9 year old girl getting up on a Saturday morning to see her government in action. It looks a lot like a modern day prophet calling us into accountability. God's dream is not a nightmare. What does God dream for you?
Thursday, January 13, 2011
what do you seek
1/13/11 My breath prayer for today comes from John 1:35, Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, What do you seek? It is a good question, one that clarifies our priorities. It is interesting what the would-be disciples answer. They reply, Rabbi, where are you staying? Their answer is not a what, but a who. They seek Jesus. They seek a teacher. But more than that, they want to be where Jesus is. Jesus will take them all the way to the cross....and then to resurrection. What do you seek?
Love,
Lynn
Love,
Lynn
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