A lot of times the topics chosen for these posts are things that have happened my life that have been reminders of the right way to do things, or have morphed into lessons. Then other times it's about what I believe God has put on my heart or something I have seen as a recurring theme, which I believe is sometimes something God has put in my way. This is one if those posts.
I have been surrounded by the concept of encouragement lately. It's been in every aspect of my life. We have even been learning about it in school recently. I know many places in my daily life where I have seen encouragement help, or where I see a need for it. I think we see it just a little too rarely these days.
Encouragement is seen throughout the Bible. Amazing Biblical characters were encouragers. Acts 15:32 (NLT) says "Then Judas and Silas, both being prophets, spoke at length to the believers, encouraging and strengthening their faith." Just about any one of Paul's letters contains a wonderful amount of encouragement. Many of these statements are famous, such as his encouragement to Timothy and all youth in the faith in Timothy 4:12(NIV) "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity." In fact, Timothy took this encouragement so intensely to heart that he was sent, in 1 Thessalonians 3:2, to encourage others. "We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God's fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith" (1 Thessalonians 3:2).
And of course encouragement is encouraged (no pun intended) in many other verses as well, from 1 Thessalonians 4:18 which says "Therefore encourage each other with these words." To Hebrews 10:25, which points out that encouragement is one of the biggest reasons to seek Christian fellowship, saying "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
Encouragement can have an unbelievable effect on others. Sometimes the effect one tiny bit of encouragement can have is beyond fathoming, snowballing out and spreading so that you would hardly even comprehend it's greatness. If you've ever seen the movie Pay it Forward, it is a similar concept. Pay it Forward is, in my mind, an excellent movie. Though not without its flaws and moral errors, the premise is this: a child plans a way that if he does x number of good deeds asking only that these people pay it forward, and each of those individuals does x number of good deeds, with the same request to pay it forward, eventually he could change the world. His teacher scoffs at him, but ultimately his dream does just that, spreading across the world and even saving lives. Encouragement can snowball out of control, and that is a good thing. Even a smile can change someone's day, and change how they interact with others. Romans 15:5 says "May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus."
Now I play on the varsity volleyball team at my school. The team is a perfect example of a lot of lack of encouragement, and some examples of good encouragement. As with any volleyball team we have some very competitive players on the team. Now, I am not one of those people who thinks winning doesn't matter. I love to win. But for me, the end does not justify the means. If you can't play or win right, and treat the other players right, then even if you "won" you didn't win. And of course there are some on my team who agree with me. I think every member of the team if they stopped to think about it would agree.
During a game, if we're losing or it's close, the ultra competitive players and often even the not-so competitive players get stressed out. This is common, it happens in every sport. And the character of a team is determined, in my opinion, by how they respond to this.
All players at some point make a mistake, it just happens. Since the fall, man is not perfect. So anyway, I've noticed that if someone (let's call her Player B...or how about Betsy) makes a mistake, then they get a negative response. Early in the game, if Betsy messed up, she would likely have received advice from the other players, even the competitive ones, or encouraging tips. Our team in general is full of women of great character who treat one another well. But if Betsy messes up when the game is close or if we're loosing, she will get one of three responses from the other players. One, (Player A, Annika) will glare (not especially constructive, but not too destructive either.) Two, Annika might say something thoughtless or poorly worded, usually with the intent to help, (such as "Stay in your spot!" or "Next time hustle Betsy!") and while these are not intended badly they tend to make Betsy even more nervous, leading to more mistakes. If Annika responded with a calm correction, or waited for the coach to say something, or didn't correct at all but encouraged Betsy to do it right, she would probably calm down and the odds of the next time going better would be increased. Or Three, Annika or Player C (Cassiopea) will yell across the court ordering Betsy around. This tends to make even the most timid player angry. While aggressive players can often play angry, the type of player who makes a nervous mistake is not very likely to respond to anger well. All three of these responses result in Betsy's playing getting worse and the team continuing to loose. In addition, Cassiopea and Annika's anger is misdirected. Each player on the team usually (and on our team always) has made a mistake by this point. Criticizing Betsy for her mistake because it is close now is insensitive when Annika missed her first serve and Cassiopea spiked it right to the other team's setter, who sent it back over.
Remember when I talked about how Jesus said to take the plank out of your own eye before bothering with the speck in another's? Of course correct members of your team. But Betsy almost always already knew what her mistake was. Telling it back to her in a rude manner doesn't help anyone. You could tell her what she did wrong nicely, but even better, tell her how to do it right, also nicely. In the situation where Betsy becomes angry, she sometimes makes angry comments to Player D or E (Desiree and Esmerelda) and they either make more mistakes or become angry. Ultimately it degrades the reaction of the team. Obviously this series of responses doesn't help the team. This occurs more than once usually until the whole team is disjointed and disgruntled and plays far worse. It can be stopped later on, if Betsy responds by peacefully forgetting the insult given them and moves on for the team, which is what should happen in a game. The fact is, the team is most important, but the most effective method is to not start the cycle at all.
Annika's whole attitude is wrong. Everyone makes mistakes, even them, probably just a minute ago too. They need to remember to simply correct the person in a kinder tone, not that hard really. It's also really important, if you want to correct someone, to remember to notice when they do right as well.
What I also really like though, is that we have some Desirees and Esmereldas on our team, who step up to Betsy and say, "Ignore her, yes you should stick to your position, but don't worry, your spike earlier was amazing, take a deep breath, I know you can do it!" I feel I should point out that Annika and Cassiopea aren't mean people, and if you caught them at the beginning of the game, they would probably be doing this as well. They are just letting their competitive streak get the better of them. I'm all for being competitive until it actually starts to make the team play worse. That's where I draw the line. There's smart competitive and there's dumb competitive.
Now I have felt God's calling to be an encourager this year. I have tried very hard to be an Esmerelda and a Desiree. During the games, I give a constant stream of compliments when someone has done right. That's really important, Betsy is more open to your suggestions if you notice what she did right as well. Also it is important not to correct someone if you know less than them, you could be wrong. With a constant stream of encouragement going, when someone makes a mistake, try something like "That hit had great power, if you snap your wrist a little more it might keep it in control a little better. Go for it, you've got this." it really depends on the person, but this can be so much more effective. Also remember, it is very important not to treat one player differently than any other. Giving a player more complements than another, especially unwarranted ones, is a chance to create frustration on a team as well.
This encouragement brings the whole team together, and when the team is visibly together, the community (from the concession worker to Annika's little brother cheering in the stands) comes together as well. Now this, of course, has been a metaphor. The team could be any group of people, a youth group, a senior class, a church family, or a sports team. It is very important to help a community come together through encouragement. Annika and Betsy both play better. This is obviously an example. And Annika is not always the same person in every game, and neither is Betsy, we all have off days. And every "player" responds differently. All I am saying is, take a little time out to encourage the people around you. And when you notice someone doing something "wrong" no matter when or where it is, think twice before you say something to ensure what you say will help the problem, not compound it!
"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope," Romans 15:4.
"And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else," 1Thessalonians 5:13-14 .
Monday, October 22, 2007
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Disdain-able Discord
I know you all knew I had high hopes but low expectations for the resolution of the conflict between Haven Baptist Church (made up name) and Haven Christian Central (also made up name). And I assume you all are eagerly awaiting an update. I also assume I have a slightly delusional-ly optimistic view of my readership numbers. cest la vie.
So I say with some disappointment that the situation remains unresolved. HBC has now said that HCC can no longer use any of their technology, including not only the technology which had been tampered with (whether or not that was the school's fault) such as their amps, and the remaining faulty power cords and mics (most of which the poor instructor had replaced on her own dime anyway), but also the tech items which had not been improperly used or damaged at any point, including the power point projector, and the laptop connected to it.
This not only means an added expense for the school, and one it cannot afford given its priorities, it also means that the poor young-in-spirit, middle-aged teacher with a baby still in a carrier, has to bring in a sound box, amps, mics, chords, mic stands, music stands, and other sundry technological and sound items on her own, twice a week.
I remain disgusted by this unchristian behavior. I had hoped that the members of the church who work in the offices within sight of the door the poor woman needs to enter through with all her gear would step up and help (as I have known them to be truly remarkable individuals and strong in their faith) but they have not. I hope they are not associated with this divisive incident at all.
I am, however, impressed with how the school has stepped up in the meantime! A student always seems to be around to watch the teacher's infant in the carrier, and gentlemen students (with permission of their teachers) seem to magically have a free moment when she needs to carry things in. I think this is an amazing example of members of a ministry rising above.
I suppose my surprise is unwarranted regarding the behavior of members of HBC, I just cannot imagine someone behaving like that in a church. I truly believe Christians must hold ourselves to a higher standard of work ethic, moral behavior, and character. This is a part of the ministry of the church for goodness' sake.
I know for a fact that the praise band teacher is having back problems. She was in tears the other day because of the stress and the disappointment at how she and her students were being treated. Forgive a moment of "ranting" but do you want to know what the last offense was? Someone set a miniature amp down on a cord. A 1X2 foot guitar amp. And we're not talking a little mic cord or a connector or adapter cord, we're talking a half-inch thick, permanent connector cord. If you know about sound, you know that won't do any damage to the cord. Perhaps many many repeated cases of dropping something on a cord of that type might eventually cause some damage.
But for the church, I understand, this offense was the last straw. And in their eyes, their actions are completely justified. And if they were right that this is carelessness or intentional, they would be right in doing this....by the world's standards. But Matthew 18:22 (NIV) says that when Jesus was asked how many times we must forgive our neighbor, "Jesus answered, 'I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.'" And Matthew 5:39 (NLT) says "But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also." People of God are called to give someone a second chance, and a third, and a fourth. And as I spoke of before, we are called to speak to a person and hear them out before seeking their punishment before the church. Jeremiah 7:5 calls us to deal with one another justly and change our actions if they do not fit God's request for our dealings with one another in the church.
Remember, Proverbs 20:11 says "Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right." We need, as Christians, to act in an honorable way. To stand up be an example. To strive to be more like Christ. Galatians 6:4 says "Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else." We will be held accountable by others, and we should hold ourselves accountable. And when Ephesians 6:7-8 says "Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free," we know that God will hold us accountable as well.
But fear of retribution and being held accountable is not the only motivation to make a positive change here. John 3:18b-19 says "let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence"
So I say with some disappointment that the situation remains unresolved. HBC has now said that HCC can no longer use any of their technology, including not only the technology which had been tampered with (whether or not that was the school's fault) such as their amps, and the remaining faulty power cords and mics (most of which the poor instructor had replaced on her own dime anyway), but also the tech items which had not been improperly used or damaged at any point, including the power point projector, and the laptop connected to it.
This not only means an added expense for the school, and one it cannot afford given its priorities, it also means that the poor young-in-spirit, middle-aged teacher with a baby still in a carrier, has to bring in a sound box, amps, mics, chords, mic stands, music stands, and other sundry technological and sound items on her own, twice a week.
I remain disgusted by this unchristian behavior. I had hoped that the members of the church who work in the offices within sight of the door the poor woman needs to enter through with all her gear would step up and help (as I have known them to be truly remarkable individuals and strong in their faith) but they have not. I hope they are not associated with this divisive incident at all.
I am, however, impressed with how the school has stepped up in the meantime! A student always seems to be around to watch the teacher's infant in the carrier, and gentlemen students (with permission of their teachers) seem to magically have a free moment when she needs to carry things in. I think this is an amazing example of members of a ministry rising above.
I suppose my surprise is unwarranted regarding the behavior of members of HBC, I just cannot imagine someone behaving like that in a church. I truly believe Christians must hold ourselves to a higher standard of work ethic, moral behavior, and character. This is a part of the ministry of the church for goodness' sake.
I know for a fact that the praise band teacher is having back problems. She was in tears the other day because of the stress and the disappointment at how she and her students were being treated. Forgive a moment of "ranting" but do you want to know what the last offense was? Someone set a miniature amp down on a cord. A 1X2 foot guitar amp. And we're not talking a little mic cord or a connector or adapter cord, we're talking a half-inch thick, permanent connector cord. If you know about sound, you know that won't do any damage to the cord. Perhaps many many repeated cases of dropping something on a cord of that type might eventually cause some damage.
But for the church, I understand, this offense was the last straw. And in their eyes, their actions are completely justified. And if they were right that this is carelessness or intentional, they would be right in doing this....by the world's standards. But Matthew 18:22 (NIV) says that when Jesus was asked how many times we must forgive our neighbor, "Jesus answered, 'I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.'" And Matthew 5:39 (NLT) says "But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also." People of God are called to give someone a second chance, and a third, and a fourth. And as I spoke of before, we are called to speak to a person and hear them out before seeking their punishment before the church. Jeremiah 7:5 calls us to deal with one another justly and change our actions if they do not fit God's request for our dealings with one another in the church.
Remember, Proverbs 20:11 says "Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right." We need, as Christians, to act in an honorable way. To stand up be an example. To strive to be more like Christ. Galatians 6:4 says "Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else." We will be held accountable by others, and we should hold ourselves accountable. And when Ephesians 6:7-8 says "Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free," we know that God will hold us accountable as well.
But fear of retribution and being held accountable is not the only motivation to make a positive change here. John 3:18b-19 says "let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence"
Monday, October 01, 2007
Presidents, Politics, and Professions of Faith
My entry today is a little different from what I normally talk about, but I think it holds an important lesson. Please don't take offense at my strong views, if you disagree with me, that's great, I would love it if you would comment your views, but please hear me out.
Today I had what was perhaps the most disturbing conversation I have had in a long time, and get this, it was in class. (No that's not the disturbing part.) We were discussing presidential candidates, and my teacher, my teacher, said "I can't see how people can be seriously considering Obama as a candidate, can't they tell that he's a Muslim." WOAH! Alarms went ringing in my head. Now, I obviously personally believe that a Christian is best for the U.S. Presidency, I like to think that a true Christian will have most of my most important moral views in common. Of course, I also look for Christian values in things like finances (work ethic, avoiding debt), political interactions (treating others as we would like to be treated, while still not stepping down from what we believe in), military action (violence as defense of a person or a nation, or to help others do so for themselves, not to gain power or political position), etc.
That said, I would absolutely consider voting for someone of another religion if I believed their moral, political, and fiscal policies were the best of the available candidates for our country. Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's. Of course I want our president to be a Christian, a true believer, but sometimes that option is just not on the table. In which case, I wouldn't want anyone of strong moral fibre to be dismissed based on any religion. Just as I would not want a Hindu to dismiss a candidate they agreed with because they were a Christian. I'd like to reiterate that yes, given a true believer as an option for president, I believe that their morals and policies would meet with mine and that yes, that would be my first choice for president.
If I am being honest, I am obligated to admit that I have disagreements with some of these policies in regard to Mr. Obama. And I also feel that, although Mr. Obama attends church and considers himself a Christian, I see concerns in his actions (and perhaps some of the statements of his pastor - I am planning on looking into this further) that make me wonder if he is actively and continuously seeking a better relationship with Christ. But that aside, the comment on the part of my teacher is offensive and disappointing on principle.
While not voting for someone because you don't agree with their ideals is alright with me, not voting for them because of their religion is often going to be a trap. Several presidents I thought were horrors claimed to be Christians. Judge someone on their moral fibre. We as Christians are offended when people stereotype us as judgmental, hypocritical, or closed-minded. But we stereotype Muslims as violent or hateful.
Then when I protested this horrific statement saying "That's not a reason not to vote for someone," thinking that someone who's Muslim, and believes in pro life, american freedoms, democracy, peace and truth is a perfectly good person no matter what their religion, she says "All Muslims hate Americans" PAUSE!
Needless to say, I had to hold my tongue and speak very carefully at this point, having found out that my teacher, having done no research, has prescribed to some pretty radically right-wing statements of the conservative press. And I usually consider myself fairly conservative. Having taken several classes on world religions and doing many studies on them on my own, I had to point out "Muslims believe in peace, and are usually good people, it is only a few radical factions that hate and want to destroy Americans." What I wish today I had also added is that just because they are not correct in their religion doesn't make them evil, it just makes them lost. Lost people can always be found.
Here she said "Obviously you don't know very much about the Muslim religions, it is a part of their doctrine to hate Americans."
Now this, contrary to popular belief, is UTTERLY untrue. The original teachings of the Qur'an are most often interpreted by believers as saying that the call to Jihad is a call to spiritual warfare, the fight against the sin in your life, fighting against complacency and evil and moral wrong. Most Muslims believe that peace is the best way, and living your life in a way that is good and right will lead to a better afterlife. It is only the later-prescribed prophets of certain factions, certain religious leaders' interpretations of Muhammed's words, and splinter groups which preach that Americans were evil, and these prophets are rejected utterly by main-stream Muslims. While many would and will argue that the explicit words of "the prophet" Muhammed used jihad literally, since this concept is not a part of the mainstream Muslim culture, in that case it is a point against Muhammed (who is dead and does not intend us harm today) not against Muslims in general.
Understand, I do not think Muhammed was a prophet, I think Muslims are on the wrong path. But I also do not think Islam is traditionally a religion of war.
Did you know that after 9-11 hundreds of peaceful american-Muslim families, and Chaldean families (Christians of middle eastern descent) were robbed, vandalized, beaten in the streets, and some killed. And by the thinking "They are all the same, they all did this to the World Trade Centers, to our nation" these horrific acts of violence are justified. That's sick. I would never want all Christians to be judged by what those claiming to be Christians did during the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, the Salem Witch Trials, and in the selling of indulgences. Punish those guilty of the crime, not those who happen to look the same, sound the same, or be affiliated with the same group.
Not only is lumping everyone into one category wrong, it is just plain messed up, people. I won't be friends with her, she's Jewish. He will make a horrible governor, he's a Christian. or "I can't see how people can be seriously considering Obama as a candidate, can't they tell that he's a Muslim?" How can we not see that we are doing exactly what we detest. How hard is it to see that this isn't what God wants. Not only that, but it's not true.
What part of our religion says we can dislike people because they disagree with us? How are we to minister to people if we write them off right away. Often times Christians are labeled as hypocritical, or someone who has only met a few Christians before, and all of them were hypocritical, will think all Christians are hypocritical. We Christians find that kind of thinking horribly offensive, and yet some people I know are thinking the exact same way about someone else.
This all boils down to an obnoxiously simple statement: "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." Matthew 7:12, also known as the Golden Rule. We, as Christians don't want to be judged negatively based on our religion. We don't want to be lumped in with the hypocritical, and judgmental people; the loud minority of our faith, the squeaky wheel that seems to get the most attention. Of course the majority of true believers aren't hypocrites. If you don't want to be judged because of your religion, don't judge others according to their religion.
I am friends with several Muslims. I don't rag on them about their religion. I have made it immensely, and consistently clear that I believe Christianity is the true path. I have made it abundantly clear that I am willing to talk to them whenever they have questions. If I had come up to one of my friends and said "you people hate Americans" or even treated her in a way that implied I believed that, I would never have established a relationship with her that was deep enough that I can today hope one day I will plant a seed that will eventually grow into true faith.
Have you ever had someone, after they found out you were a Christian say "Oh, you're one of those." Or perhaps you have had someone just stop calling you when they found out your faith or had someone start treating you badly. Didn't that hurt? Think about it.
Yes, choosing a US president is an overarching example, but this is a problem that afflicts people of all faiths in all walks of life. I think lumping anyone into a group and thinking they don't deserve the same treatment as others is a dangerous thought. From there it tends to be a short putt rather than a long drive to thinking someone is beyond salvation, or that its not worth trying. The people of Jesus' time believed a tax collector was beyond salvation, but Jesus proved them wrong. I think I would like to be the person who proves that someone can be saved not the person who decides that they cannot.
Today I had what was perhaps the most disturbing conversation I have had in a long time, and get this, it was in class. (No that's not the disturbing part.) We were discussing presidential candidates, and my teacher, my teacher, said "I can't see how people can be seriously considering Obama as a candidate, can't they tell that he's a Muslim." WOAH! Alarms went ringing in my head. Now, I obviously personally believe that a Christian is best for the U.S. Presidency, I like to think that a true Christian will have most of my most important moral views in common. Of course, I also look for Christian values in things like finances (work ethic, avoiding debt), political interactions (treating others as we would like to be treated, while still not stepping down from what we believe in), military action (violence as defense of a person or a nation, or to help others do so for themselves, not to gain power or political position), etc.
That said, I would absolutely consider voting for someone of another religion if I believed their moral, political, and fiscal policies were the best of the available candidates for our country. Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's. Of course I want our president to be a Christian, a true believer, but sometimes that option is just not on the table. In which case, I wouldn't want anyone of strong moral fibre to be dismissed based on any religion. Just as I would not want a Hindu to dismiss a candidate they agreed with because they were a Christian. I'd like to reiterate that yes, given a true believer as an option for president, I believe that their morals and policies would meet with mine and that yes, that would be my first choice for president.
If I am being honest, I am obligated to admit that I have disagreements with some of these policies in regard to Mr. Obama. And I also feel that, although Mr. Obama attends church and considers himself a Christian, I see concerns in his actions (and perhaps some of the statements of his pastor - I am planning on looking into this further) that make me wonder if he is actively and continuously seeking a better relationship with Christ. But that aside, the comment on the part of my teacher is offensive and disappointing on principle.
While not voting for someone because you don't agree with their ideals is alright with me, not voting for them because of their religion is often going to be a trap. Several presidents I thought were horrors claimed to be Christians. Judge someone on their moral fibre. We as Christians are offended when people stereotype us as judgmental, hypocritical, or closed-minded. But we stereotype Muslims as violent or hateful.
Then when I protested this horrific statement saying "That's not a reason not to vote for someone," thinking that someone who's Muslim, and believes in pro life, american freedoms, democracy, peace and truth is a perfectly good person no matter what their religion, she says "All Muslims hate Americans" PAUSE!
Needless to say, I had to hold my tongue and speak very carefully at this point, having found out that my teacher, having done no research, has prescribed to some pretty radically right-wing statements of the conservative press. And I usually consider myself fairly conservative. Having taken several classes on world religions and doing many studies on them on my own, I had to point out "Muslims believe in peace, and are usually good people, it is only a few radical factions that hate and want to destroy Americans." What I wish today I had also added is that just because they are not correct in their religion doesn't make them evil, it just makes them lost. Lost people can always be found.
Here she said "Obviously you don't know very much about the Muslim religions, it is a part of their doctrine to hate Americans."
Now this, contrary to popular belief, is UTTERLY untrue. The original teachings of the Qur'an are most often interpreted by believers as saying that the call to Jihad is a call to spiritual warfare, the fight against the sin in your life, fighting against complacency and evil and moral wrong. Most Muslims believe that peace is the best way, and living your life in a way that is good and right will lead to a better afterlife. It is only the later-prescribed prophets of certain factions, certain religious leaders' interpretations of Muhammed's words, and splinter groups which preach that Americans were evil, and these prophets are rejected utterly by main-stream Muslims. While many would and will argue that the explicit words of "the prophet" Muhammed used jihad literally, since this concept is not a part of the mainstream Muslim culture, in that case it is a point against Muhammed (who is dead and does not intend us harm today) not against Muslims in general.
Understand, I do not think Muhammed was a prophet, I think Muslims are on the wrong path. But I also do not think Islam is traditionally a religion of war.
Did you know that after 9-11 hundreds of peaceful american-Muslim families, and Chaldean families (Christians of middle eastern descent) were robbed, vandalized, beaten in the streets, and some killed. And by the thinking "They are all the same, they all did this to the World Trade Centers, to our nation" these horrific acts of violence are justified. That's sick. I would never want all Christians to be judged by what those claiming to be Christians did during the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, the Salem Witch Trials, and in the selling of indulgences. Punish those guilty of the crime, not those who happen to look the same, sound the same, or be affiliated with the same group.
Not only is lumping everyone into one category wrong, it is just plain messed up, people. I won't be friends with her, she's Jewish. He will make a horrible governor, he's a Christian. or "I can't see how people can be seriously considering Obama as a candidate, can't they tell that he's a Muslim?" How can we not see that we are doing exactly what we detest. How hard is it to see that this isn't what God wants. Not only that, but it's not true.
What part of our religion says we can dislike people because they disagree with us? How are we to minister to people if we write them off right away. Often times Christians are labeled as hypocritical, or someone who has only met a few Christians before, and all of them were hypocritical, will think all Christians are hypocritical. We Christians find that kind of thinking horribly offensive, and yet some people I know are thinking the exact same way about someone else.
This all boils down to an obnoxiously simple statement: "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." Matthew 7:12, also known as the Golden Rule. We, as Christians don't want to be judged negatively based on our religion. We don't want to be lumped in with the hypocritical, and judgmental people; the loud minority of our faith, the squeaky wheel that seems to get the most attention. Of course the majority of true believers aren't hypocrites. If you don't want to be judged because of your religion, don't judge others according to their religion.
I am friends with several Muslims. I don't rag on them about their religion. I have made it immensely, and consistently clear that I believe Christianity is the true path. I have made it abundantly clear that I am willing to talk to them whenever they have questions. If I had come up to one of my friends and said "you people hate Americans" or even treated her in a way that implied I believed that, I would never have established a relationship with her that was deep enough that I can today hope one day I will plant a seed that will eventually grow into true faith.
Have you ever had someone, after they found out you were a Christian say "Oh, you're one of those." Or perhaps you have had someone just stop calling you when they found out your faith or had someone start treating you badly. Didn't that hurt? Think about it.
Yes, choosing a US president is an overarching example, but this is a problem that afflicts people of all faiths in all walks of life. I think lumping anyone into a group and thinking they don't deserve the same treatment as others is a dangerous thought. From there it tends to be a short putt rather than a long drive to thinking someone is beyond salvation, or that its not worth trying. The people of Jesus' time believed a tax collector was beyond salvation, but Jesus proved them wrong. I think I would like to be the person who proves that someone can be saved not the person who decides that they cannot.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Detestable Divisions
Sorry I haven't been on here in awhile, I've been really busy- I had spinal surgery, a fusion of my vertebrae. It's been a long road and hope has been hard to grasp. I'm hoping to start having a greater presence here, maintaining my goal of holding myself accountable and having others hold me accountable.
There has been a topic I have been considering discussing for a very long time, one which I was not certain I could discuss with equanimity. But I feel waiting has given me a little perspective, and I feel I can now write with reason, although I am still disappointed. I have really found that using this blog has a forum has been an amazing way for me to take my disappointment in some of the mistakes I have seen around me and turn it to a lesson and gain some perspective on it.
As you know by now I attend a Christian School. This school has a Praiseband. The school is a college preparatory academy which is in a church building. The school is considered a mission of the church in which it resides. Lets call the church Haven Baptist (if there is a real Haven Baptist, I apologize, this is a fictional name in this case). We'll call the school Haven Christian Central.
The school has a church service each and every friday which has worship music provided by HCC's Praiseband class. This class uses Haven Baptist Church's (HBC's) sound system in the sanctuary. The church does not lock the sanctuary during the week, and there are several church groups which use the sanctuary after school during the week. Unfortunately, there tends to be problems with the church's sound system, whether someone is tampering with it during the week, the praiseband doesn't turn it to the right settings, someone comes in and uses the keyboard without permission, or the church doesn't record where it left the settings properly so that the school can restore it.
Despite the fact that the school has documented cases of church personnel coming in during the week and using the sound system, the church always blames the praiseband if there are technical difficulties. Most of the time in the cases of visible tampering it is ultimately proved that one of the church groups used the sound system with permission. But the church finds it easier to believe that students (even under the control of a dedicated teacher) would mess it up than members of their own congregation. It really isn't that unreasonable of a thought process if you forget that the class has a document listing all the settings which need to be returned and the church groups which use the sanctuary request it from the church office proper, not from HBC's worship team, so they have no such document.
The church (now understand this is one instance and this is an amazing, spirit-filled church, and only some of the members are involved with this situation) doesn't even bother to check and see if they have their facts right. Nor do they keep an eye on their sound system during the week. The praiseband class started going to the principal of the school whenever they noticed something was changed when they came in to practice. The principal started sending time-stamped e-mails to members of the church when this happened. Just as was suspected, the church members came to us within a day, saying the school had done it. Fortunately those times there were records in the e-mails the principal had sent to the church. Despite this convincing evidence, issues continue, and the praiseband continues to get blamed.
For some reason, the word of the principal (elected by a School council chaired by several church members) is not enough to vouch for the class, and the amazing praiseband teacher. At this point the church began to "protect themselves." (again not an illogical course of action) by hiding the good microphone cords and equipment. Unfortunately, the equipment remaining ceased working. And despite requests by the principal and the class instructor,the praiseband ultimately had to go buy their own on the teacher's personal money (the school couldn't afford them).
Somehow, despite using a greater amount of their own equipment the class was still perceived as causing problems with the sound system. The church limited the volume the students could use, the locations on the stage to which they were permitted to place amps, and the settings the amps had to be set to when the church returned.
Eventually the teacher decided that trying to work with the church wasn't going to work (sad) and decided to buy her own sound system for the school, again with her own money. And here's why it has been on my heart today to post this - now HBC has decided that the new sound system is dangerous to the electrical circuits in the sanctuary and the students should not use it.
Now, I know this was a long situation to read through, and I am very sorry to have taken so long to get around to the point, but I find this very disappointing. The school is supposed to be a ministry of the church, the church supporting it. The praiseband is asked to perform at the church, and to go from school to school advertising for the church. The praiseband performs at all of the functions promoting the church and the school and is also used at fundraisers for both institutions.
Now, I know all church's at some point encounter what we call "political" issues. We face conflicts within our churches all the time, conflicts over funding and authority, conflicts between ministries and with ministries and the church. But in a spirit-filled church, these are usually dealt with by delving into the scriptures, or peacefully and prayerfully negotiating. Normally in a situation like this I would assume one of the institutions didn't have its heart in the right place. But the fact is, having met members of the church and church council, I truly believe that they are Christ-filled people.
So shouldn't Christian workers in God work together instead of against each other. Colossians 3:23 says "whatever you do, labor as for Christ, not for man." This ministry is an important part of the church, providing funding and members, etc. It is a huge ministry in the community as well, the school holds can drives, fundraisers, provides wholesome education for the people of the community, christian events and fellowship.
Colossians 3:17 says "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." It is very disturbing to see a church at odds with itself, fighting with another of Christ's servants. Even those who do not know the path know that to get along one needs to hear another out, not jump to conclusions, hear the evidence, give others the benefit of the doubt.
Matthew 18:15-17 lays out the groundworks of how to deal with conflict within a church body or with a brother in Christ, saying "“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector." This not only points out the flaws in the method of mediation these Christian groups have used. While the praiseband teacher sent private letters before addressing the church board and the school board, which was a solid plan, the church ignored her action and continued to behave as if she had not attempted to heal the rift in the church. Ultimately, once groups from both sides of the equation became involved the gossip began which just worsened the issue.
1 Timothy 3 describes the character a leader in the church should have, dignity, honesty, a clear conscience, and both they and their wives are required to not be slanderers and gossips. Ephesians 4:29 says "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." and Proverbs 16:28 says "A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends."
In some situations I would advise that perhaps this is a sign that the service is not spirit filled. But many students have come to Christ in the school's chapel service, it's winning hearts. I really feel this church shouldn't be fighting something so obviously filled with the spirit of Christ. I think sometimes when a mission or a ministry is meant for great things, everything of the world comes against it to prevent the spread of God's message.
I think this should serve as an example for all of us. If we as a church, person, nation, decide our needs or wants are more important than God's will, than we are in the wrong. We need to be supporting other believers in every way so we can to get the message of Christ out to the world. Obviously, fighting a ministry is not doing that.
I am sure you all know the great commission by heart, but here it is "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you....Matthew 28:19-20a
I feel this should be a call to unite as a church, as people of Christ, and work together to spread His message. To cast aside all divisive thoughts and actions, to heal rifts and join together. Remember our mission.
There has been a topic I have been considering discussing for a very long time, one which I was not certain I could discuss with equanimity. But I feel waiting has given me a little perspective, and I feel I can now write with reason, although I am still disappointed. I have really found that using this blog has a forum has been an amazing way for me to take my disappointment in some of the mistakes I have seen around me and turn it to a lesson and gain some perspective on it.
As you know by now I attend a Christian School. This school has a Praiseband. The school is a college preparatory academy which is in a church building. The school is considered a mission of the church in which it resides. Lets call the church Haven Baptist (if there is a real Haven Baptist, I apologize, this is a fictional name in this case). We'll call the school Haven Christian Central.
The school has a church service each and every friday which has worship music provided by HCC's Praiseband class. This class uses Haven Baptist Church's (HBC's) sound system in the sanctuary. The church does not lock the sanctuary during the week, and there are several church groups which use the sanctuary after school during the week. Unfortunately, there tends to be problems with the church's sound system, whether someone is tampering with it during the week, the praiseband doesn't turn it to the right settings, someone comes in and uses the keyboard without permission, or the church doesn't record where it left the settings properly so that the school can restore it.
Despite the fact that the school has documented cases of church personnel coming in during the week and using the sound system, the church always blames the praiseband if there are technical difficulties. Most of the time in the cases of visible tampering it is ultimately proved that one of the church groups used the sound system with permission. But the church finds it easier to believe that students (even under the control of a dedicated teacher) would mess it up than members of their own congregation. It really isn't that unreasonable of a thought process if you forget that the class has a document listing all the settings which need to be returned and the church groups which use the sanctuary request it from the church office proper, not from HBC's worship team, so they have no such document.
The church (now understand this is one instance and this is an amazing, spirit-filled church, and only some of the members are involved with this situation) doesn't even bother to check and see if they have their facts right. Nor do they keep an eye on their sound system during the week. The praiseband class started going to the principal of the school whenever they noticed something was changed when they came in to practice. The principal started sending time-stamped e-mails to members of the church when this happened. Just as was suspected, the church members came to us within a day, saying the school had done it. Fortunately those times there were records in the e-mails the principal had sent to the church. Despite this convincing evidence, issues continue, and the praiseband continues to get blamed.
For some reason, the word of the principal (elected by a School council chaired by several church members) is not enough to vouch for the class, and the amazing praiseband teacher. At this point the church began to "protect themselves." (again not an illogical course of action) by hiding the good microphone cords and equipment. Unfortunately, the equipment remaining ceased working. And despite requests by the principal and the class instructor,the praiseband ultimately had to go buy their own on the teacher's personal money (the school couldn't afford them).
Somehow, despite using a greater amount of their own equipment the class was still perceived as causing problems with the sound system. The church limited the volume the students could use, the locations on the stage to which they were permitted to place amps, and the settings the amps had to be set to when the church returned.
Eventually the teacher decided that trying to work with the church wasn't going to work (sad) and decided to buy her own sound system for the school, again with her own money. And here's why it has been on my heart today to post this - now HBC has decided that the new sound system is dangerous to the electrical circuits in the sanctuary and the students should not use it.
Now, I know this was a long situation to read through, and I am very sorry to have taken so long to get around to the point, but I find this very disappointing. The school is supposed to be a ministry of the church, the church supporting it. The praiseband is asked to perform at the church, and to go from school to school advertising for the church. The praiseband performs at all of the functions promoting the church and the school and is also used at fundraisers for both institutions.
Now, I know all church's at some point encounter what we call "political" issues. We face conflicts within our churches all the time, conflicts over funding and authority, conflicts between ministries and with ministries and the church. But in a spirit-filled church, these are usually dealt with by delving into the scriptures, or peacefully and prayerfully negotiating. Normally in a situation like this I would assume one of the institutions didn't have its heart in the right place. But the fact is, having met members of the church and church council, I truly believe that they are Christ-filled people.
So shouldn't Christian workers in God work together instead of against each other. Colossians 3:23 says "whatever you do, labor as for Christ, not for man." This ministry is an important part of the church, providing funding and members, etc. It is a huge ministry in the community as well, the school holds can drives, fundraisers, provides wholesome education for the people of the community, christian events and fellowship.
Colossians 3:17 says "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." It is very disturbing to see a church at odds with itself, fighting with another of Christ's servants. Even those who do not know the path know that to get along one needs to hear another out, not jump to conclusions, hear the evidence, give others the benefit of the doubt.
Matthew 18:15-17 lays out the groundworks of how to deal with conflict within a church body or with a brother in Christ, saying "“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector." This not only points out the flaws in the method of mediation these Christian groups have used. While the praiseband teacher sent private letters before addressing the church board and the school board, which was a solid plan, the church ignored her action and continued to behave as if she had not attempted to heal the rift in the church. Ultimately, once groups from both sides of the equation became involved the gossip began which just worsened the issue.
1 Timothy 3 describes the character a leader in the church should have, dignity, honesty, a clear conscience, and both they and their wives are required to not be slanderers and gossips. Ephesians 4:29 says "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." and Proverbs 16:28 says "A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends."
In some situations I would advise that perhaps this is a sign that the service is not spirit filled. But many students have come to Christ in the school's chapel service, it's winning hearts. I really feel this church shouldn't be fighting something so obviously filled with the spirit of Christ. I think sometimes when a mission or a ministry is meant for great things, everything of the world comes against it to prevent the spread of God's message.
I think this should serve as an example for all of us. If we as a church, person, nation, decide our needs or wants are more important than God's will, than we are in the wrong. We need to be supporting other believers in every way so we can to get the message of Christ out to the world. Obviously, fighting a ministry is not doing that.
I am sure you all know the great commission by heart, but here it is "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you....Matthew 28:19-20a
I feel this should be a call to unite as a church, as people of Christ, and work together to spread His message. To cast aside all divisive thoughts and actions, to heal rifts and join together. Remember our mission.
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