I've found it to be a truism that good leadership and followership both avoid assumptions. Except when they're appropriate, of course.
We've likely all heard about the dangers of assuming: it makes an A-- out of U and ME (spells assume). And yet the paradox is that we have to build our lives on assumptions. Evangelist Cliffe Knechtle always used to talk about how our daily lives were based completely on faith: the faith that cars would stop at a red light so we could cross the street and the like.
I live my life assuming that I'll wake up tomorrow, that my car and house will still be here, that I'll have electricity and Internet and fresh water and enough food or money to buy food. We take out 10- to 30-year mortgages and 3- to 6-year car loans. We lay out 5-year personal and professional development plans. Our lives are built on assumptions that we don't even think about.
Recently my senior pastor spent a month in Malawi and blogged about this idea. Here is what he said that struck me: "We in the U.S. take a whole lot of stuff for granted - hot showers every morning, the ability to flush the toilet every time you use it, the ability to jump on a computer and have internet access. Or the fact that your children are not reading and doing their schoolwork by candle light because the power is out. It sounds romantic, but it really is not. I hope to return even more grateful for all these daily things and not take them so for granted. I also pray for the ongoing development of nations like Malawi, who enjoy the comforts as much as we do, but have also learned how to live without them much of the time."
"Comforts" is a great word choice here. We so often assume that God wants to bless us materially. By materially here I don't simply mean physical stuff, but things in the material realm. This would include all those non-essentials which we think of as "essentials" to the good life. I currently have the luxury of choosing to leave my high-paying job and am now trying to reorient my eyes, my brain, and my calendar and checkbook around this new, more obviously dependent reality.
There are many in the world who do not have this luxury, for whom there is no choice but simply the daily reality of living with less. And, curiously, they are often living more full, more satisfied lives. What is this paradox? How can this be? Could it be that the abundance of our lives is not just disconnected from, but potentially inverse with, our earthly comforts? Could this be the foundation of the beatitudes from Matthew 5: Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven? Could it be that when we have the kingdom of earth, we don't desire the kingdom of God enough?
And, therefore, maybe we won't inherit it after all? Sobering thought, is it not?
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Poverty is a mental thing
I live a very rich life, and yet so often I am frustrated at my own poverty.
My rich life is evident for all to see: I own a home (well, the mortgage company and I sort of co-own it), a minivan, furnishing, clothing, books (lots of books), and the like. I have immediate, extended, and in-law families that love and support me. I have many friends all over the world, including many of my neighbors, current and former coworkers, and classmates. I have an active life, with many worthwhile things to do. I never lack for anything I need, and almost never for anything I want.
And yet I am poor.
I am poor because it never seems enough. There is always something more I want to own, to do, to, well, I suppose to be. I suppose that gets at the crux of the issue, doesn't it? I want more friends, more goods, more knowledge, more ... because I am not satisfied with who I am.
When I go through a buffet line, or even open my own refrigerator and cupboards, and I see a limited quantity of something, my instinct is to grab it because it will soon be gone. My instinct, that is, is to get mine while I can, because there isn't enough ... and the implication is that I must have it. If four of us go out to eat and there are only three items on the appetizer plate, someone must go without it, and it shouldn't be me. Not because I "deserve" it, really, but because I'm afraid I don't deserve it.
Where does this attitude come from? What insecurity do I have, and is it unique to me? I imagine -- though the theologians reading this might beg to differ -- that this is some of what James 4 is talking about. He says that no one who is a friend of the world can claim to be a friend of God. God owns it all, and never runs out. Jesus was the same way: the heir of God, and he never seemed to lack.
Romans 8.17 says that we are co-heirs with Christ. So that means ... that I also have everything, and lack nothing. But I don't live that way. I am stingy, not generous; hoarding, not free-giving; always noting what I don't have rather than what I do have.
Could it be that poverty is not determined based on my bank account? Or my balance sheet? Or my closet? But instead based on my mind?
And if so, and I am poor, then that means ... my poverty is a lack, not of funds or things, but of faith. And that's going to be much harder to deal with.
My rich life is evident for all to see: I own a home (well, the mortgage company and I sort of co-own it), a minivan, furnishing, clothing, books (lots of books), and the like. I have immediate, extended, and in-law families that love and support me. I have many friends all over the world, including many of my neighbors, current and former coworkers, and classmates. I have an active life, with many worthwhile things to do. I never lack for anything I need, and almost never for anything I want.
And yet I am poor.
I am poor because it never seems enough. There is always something more I want to own, to do, to, well, I suppose to be. I suppose that gets at the crux of the issue, doesn't it? I want more friends, more goods, more knowledge, more ... because I am not satisfied with who I am.
When I go through a buffet line, or even open my own refrigerator and cupboards, and I see a limited quantity of something, my instinct is to grab it because it will soon be gone. My instinct, that is, is to get mine while I can, because there isn't enough ... and the implication is that I must have it. If four of us go out to eat and there are only three items on the appetizer plate, someone must go without it, and it shouldn't be me. Not because I "deserve" it, really, but because I'm afraid I don't deserve it.
Where does this attitude come from? What insecurity do I have, and is it unique to me? I imagine -- though the theologians reading this might beg to differ -- that this is some of what James 4 is talking about. He says that no one who is a friend of the world can claim to be a friend of God. God owns it all, and never runs out. Jesus was the same way: the heir of God, and he never seemed to lack.
Romans 8.17 says that we are co-heirs with Christ. So that means ... that I also have everything, and lack nothing. But I don't live that way. I am stingy, not generous; hoarding, not free-giving; always noting what I don't have rather than what I do have.
Could it be that poverty is not determined based on my bank account? Or my balance sheet? Or my closet? But instead based on my mind?
And if so, and I am poor, then that means ... my poverty is a lack, not of funds or things, but of faith. And that's going to be much harder to deal with.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Which God do I serve? The Lord, or money?
One of the most interesting facets of my movement away from my well-paying job into directing and co-directing two different nonprofits is the uncertainty of income.
You'll note I didn't say the absence of income. I am quite confident that we will have income sufficient to cover our needs. I am, however, uncertain where it will come from.
I had many conversations with people from my old job, from church, through the nonprofits where I serve on the board, from my contacts in the community, my neighbors, and my family. Everyone I talk with, it seems, has one central question: how will you pay your bills? (Closely followed by: what about health insurance? That's another blog post for another day.)
My answer is as simple as it is hard. I believe the Lord will provide to pay the bills. If indeed he has called me, called us as a couple and a family, to do what we are setting out to do, then how could I do otherwise than to trust him? I'm reminded of Psalm 20.7: "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." In my early 20s I trusted this way, but somehow over the past 15 years that seems to have changed. Now I'm getting back to it.
Many don't believe me about security and trusting. But I recently, on many folks' recommendations, started listening to Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University talks. There is much sense in there, I agree ... but to me, it sure seems like human wisdom and not God's plan. Let me briefly explain.
Ramsey talks about saving to create "financial security." How is this different from trusting in horses and chariots? Am I really to save money so that I will be secure? And how much money is "security"? As John D Rockefeller once famously said when asked how much was enough: "Just a little more." No amount of money is ever enough; there is always something more we want, something more we want to do. And even if we could reach a set amount ($5k? $10k? $1m?) where are we going to draw that definition? Shouldn't we be going to Jesus to see what he would have us do with our money?
I'm not saying saving is a bad idea, but when I save so that I have "security" I make it a human, Pharisaic rule. Does want me to be "secure" in my finances, or in his provision? Does he really ask me to "build wealth"? To "pay myself first"? Is it more important for me to own my own home, for me to have $5k in the bank ... or is it more important to use all I have so that others might have food, water, clothing, shelter, opportunity?
I'll continue to process this topic over time. I currently think and speak like only a black-and-white new convert can. I have thoughts of selling all I have and giving it all to the poor, trusting in God to provide for my needs in the future. Are we all called to do that? No, I suppose not ... but I bet some of us are. And I bet many others of us are called to take in, to provide for, those who do.
Where is your security today? In your possessions? Your bank account? Your job, which provides that income and (likely) insurance? Or are you trusting in the Lord to take care of things regardless of your job, income, housing, and bank statuses? May we learn better how to follow the one true God.
You'll note I didn't say the absence of income. I am quite confident that we will have income sufficient to cover our needs. I am, however, uncertain where it will come from.
I had many conversations with people from my old job, from church, through the nonprofits where I serve on the board, from my contacts in the community, my neighbors, and my family. Everyone I talk with, it seems, has one central question: how will you pay your bills? (Closely followed by: what about health insurance? That's another blog post for another day.)
My answer is as simple as it is hard. I believe the Lord will provide to pay the bills. If indeed he has called me, called us as a couple and a family, to do what we are setting out to do, then how could I do otherwise than to trust him? I'm reminded of Psalm 20.7: "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." In my early 20s I trusted this way, but somehow over the past 15 years that seems to have changed. Now I'm getting back to it.
Many don't believe me about security and trusting. But I recently, on many folks' recommendations, started listening to Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University talks. There is much sense in there, I agree ... but to me, it sure seems like human wisdom and not God's plan. Let me briefly explain.
Ramsey talks about saving to create "financial security." How is this different from trusting in horses and chariots? Am I really to save money so that I will be secure? And how much money is "security"? As John D Rockefeller once famously said when asked how much was enough: "Just a little more." No amount of money is ever enough; there is always something more we want, something more we want to do. And even if we could reach a set amount ($5k? $10k? $1m?) where are we going to draw that definition? Shouldn't we be going to Jesus to see what he would have us do with our money?
I'm not saying saving is a bad idea, but when I save so that I have "security" I make it a human, Pharisaic rule. Does want me to be "secure" in my finances, or in his provision? Does he really ask me to "build wealth"? To "pay myself first"? Is it more important for me to own my own home, for me to have $5k in the bank ... or is it more important to use all I have so that others might have food, water, clothing, shelter, opportunity?
I'll continue to process this topic over time. I currently think and speak like only a black-and-white new convert can. I have thoughts of selling all I have and giving it all to the poor, trusting in God to provide for my needs in the future. Are we all called to do that? No, I suppose not ... but I bet some of us are. And I bet many others of us are called to take in, to provide for, those who do.
Where is your security today? In your possessions? Your bank account? Your job, which provides that income and (likely) insurance? Or are you trusting in the Lord to take care of things regardless of your job, income, housing, and bank statuses? May we learn better how to follow the one true God.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Our next adventure
When I handed in my resignation from my paying job last spring, I expected to be working full time on AllOne Community Services (allonecommunity.org), as reflected in yesterday's post (http://leadingandfollowing.blogspot.com/2011/01/what-is-this-all-about.html). God apparently had other ideas.
Our whole family went to Kenya last year so that Rose (and to a lesser extent me) could teach at the Kenya Free Methodist Bible School. We stayed a few days in Nairobi at the beginning and the end -- including spending Zephaniah's 8th birthday on a safari at Nairobi National Park -- with Vickie Reynen, the International Child Care Ministries (ICCM) Africa regional coordinator. Rose and I had numerous conversations with Vickie about adapting to Kenyan culture, trying to learn from what is positive in the US church and what is positive in the Kenyan church. We spent many enjoyable hours talking and being toured around.
Our middle two weeks in Kenya were spent in Kericho teaching at the modular school. For most of the days this meant Rose was teaching while I was hanging out with my sons. And I was afforded a lot of time to process my current experiences and think about other things. (If you care to read more about that experience, you can check out my notes on Facebook.)
One of the things Rose and I consistently heard during and after our time there was how well we fit in. We spent most of our time listening; even though we were the teachers, we recognized that any subject expertise we brought to the table was less than the gap we had in cultural awareness. So our classroom sessions were facilitated discussions, where we would present some basic material and then ask the students to share with us what that looked like in their cultures. And we also enjoyed being with the students.
Imagine our surprise when a couple months after returning from Kenya, Vickie mentioned that she had suggested us to the missions agency for a possible microenterprise ministry leadership position. What Vickie didn't know was that Rose and I have been talking for several years about opening a fair trade store and coffeehouse here in our neighborhood. Once we even filled out an application to lease space, but the building owner leased it to another tenant instead. So we were intrigued.
The intrigue continued through a couple months' worth of conversations with various folks at Free Methodist headquarters. It appeared that God was opening the door for us to step into this ministry at just the time Rose would be stepping down from pastoring and I would be leaving my former employment. We continued, prayerfully with each step, until it became clear that this is what God has for us as a couple.
What does this mean? Well, first we have a lot of work to do, understanding what SEED (which stands for Serving, Empowering, Encouraging, Developing) currently does, where it is strong and where it could use improvement. And meeting all the folks at FM headquarters along with the existing SEED project sites, which are scattered across the continents: projects in Peru, Kenya, Uganda, India, China, Cambodia, and the Philippines. And there are a hundred potential sites in 30 or 40 countries.
We also have a lot of work to do to understand the options. We are familiar with microcredit/microfinance, with Fair Trade, and with market and SWOT analyses, for instance, but every place, every culture, every person or group of people, is going to be unique. We know that God has prepared us for this work, not to the extent that we can be confident in our own abilities but so that we have some raw material that he will put together in the best way to meet people's needs.
This new adventure will be a dance of leadership and followership at multiple levels:
So again, God has taken us from a position of having a very safe, solid income to not knowing how we'll pay the bills. And because he's leading, all we have to do is follow and trust. More to come on that.
Our whole family went to Kenya last year so that Rose (and to a lesser extent me) could teach at the Kenya Free Methodist Bible School. We stayed a few days in Nairobi at the beginning and the end -- including spending Zephaniah's 8th birthday on a safari at Nairobi National Park -- with Vickie Reynen, the International Child Care Ministries (ICCM) Africa regional coordinator. Rose and I had numerous conversations with Vickie about adapting to Kenyan culture, trying to learn from what is positive in the US church and what is positive in the Kenyan church. We spent many enjoyable hours talking and being toured around.
Our middle two weeks in Kenya were spent in Kericho teaching at the modular school. For most of the days this meant Rose was teaching while I was hanging out with my sons. And I was afforded a lot of time to process my current experiences and think about other things. (If you care to read more about that experience, you can check out my notes on Facebook.)
One of the things Rose and I consistently heard during and after our time there was how well we fit in. We spent most of our time listening; even though we were the teachers, we recognized that any subject expertise we brought to the table was less than the gap we had in cultural awareness. So our classroom sessions were facilitated discussions, where we would present some basic material and then ask the students to share with us what that looked like in their cultures. And we also enjoyed being with the students.
Imagine our surprise when a couple months after returning from Kenya, Vickie mentioned that she had suggested us to the missions agency for a possible microenterprise ministry leadership position. What Vickie didn't know was that Rose and I have been talking for several years about opening a fair trade store and coffeehouse here in our neighborhood. Once we even filled out an application to lease space, but the building owner leased it to another tenant instead. So we were intrigued.
The intrigue continued through a couple months' worth of conversations with various folks at Free Methodist headquarters. It appeared that God was opening the door for us to step into this ministry at just the time Rose would be stepping down from pastoring and I would be leaving my former employment. We continued, prayerfully with each step, until it became clear that this is what God has for us as a couple.
What does this mean? Well, first we have a lot of work to do, understanding what SEED (which stands for Serving, Empowering, Encouraging, Developing) currently does, where it is strong and where it could use improvement. And meeting all the folks at FM headquarters along with the existing SEED project sites, which are scattered across the continents: projects in Peru, Kenya, Uganda, India, China, Cambodia, and the Philippines. And there are a hundred potential sites in 30 or 40 countries.
We also have a lot of work to do to understand the options. We are familiar with microcredit/microfinance, with Fair Trade, and with market and SWOT analyses, for instance, but every place, every culture, every person or group of people, is going to be unique. We know that God has prepared us for this work, not to the extent that we can be confident in our own abilities but so that we have some raw material that he will put together in the best way to meet people's needs.
This new adventure will be a dance of leadership and followership at multiple levels:
- Clearly, we need to be responsive to God's leading all the way through
- Rose and I will be learning how to lead and follow, and partner, with each other in working together on a daily basis. We have very different strengths and very different approaches, so molding those will be a great challenge -- and a lot of fun. We could not have even thought about this 14.5 years ago
- We'll all be learning about how to lead and to follow as we work with conferences, churches, headquarters, non-US sites, and possible donors
So again, God has taken us from a position of having a very safe, solid income to not knowing how we'll pay the bills. And because he's leading, all we have to do is follow and trust. More to come on that.
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