Now THAT’S Economic Stimulus!

Frank

A church in Texas has given a new purpose to the traditional collection plate. Instead of taking up an offering, they offered the plate to whomever needed it. In the past two months, they’ve given away a half-million dollars and this has inspired the congregation to be more generous than ever. Not only are they giving to congregants in need, but they’re also giving back to the community and spreading the wealth to missions. I love this quote from the pastor when questioned if he worried about being taken advantage of, “I told my church a couple weeks ago, if I’m not being taken advantage of, I’m not being like Jesus.”

This church is not alone in this either. The article doesn’t say, but they may have been inspired by the book The Kingdom Assignment and its continued ministry.

This is an inspiring story, and one I hope my own congregation can repeat in some fashion. In a time when so many are worried how they’re going to pay for their next meal or if they’ll still have a job in a week, this church is doing what churches should be doing: helping those in need and inspiring hope. It’s an example we should all consider.

On Sunday I shared for our contribution and related the story of the rich young man in Matthew 19. Considering the comfort we enjoy in this country and the religious freedom we have, I pointed out that giving sacrificially is likely the hardest thing we will ever do as Christians. Jesus told his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 19:23) Hope, from stories like this, make it that much easier.

Now THAT’S Economic Stimulus!

Frank

A church in Texas has given a new purpose to the traditional collection plate. Instead of taking up an offering, they offered the plate to whomever needed it. In the past two months, they’ve given away a half-million dollars and this has inspired the congregation to be more generous than ever. Not only are they giving to congregants in need, but they’re also giving back to the community and spreading the wealth to missions. I love this quote from the pastor when questioned if he worried about being taken advantage of, “I told my church a couple weeks ago, if I’m not being taken advantage of, I’m not being like Jesus.”

This church is not alone in this either. The article doesn’t say, but they may have been inspired by the book The Kingdom Assignment and its continued ministry.

This is an inspiring story, and one I hope my own congregation can repeat in some fashion. In a time when so many are worried how they’re going to pay for their next meal or if they’ll still have a job in a week, this church is doing what churches should be doing: helping those in need and inspiring hope. It’s an example we should all consider.

On Sunday I shared for our contribution and related the story of the rich young man in Matthew 19. Considering the comfort we enjoy in this country and the religious freedom we have, I pointed out that giving sacrificially is likely the hardest thing we will ever do as Christians. Jesus told his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 19:23) Hope, from stories like this, make it that much easier.

My Last Post on NBC’s Kings, Honest!

Frank

There was an interesting article in Entertainment Weekly a week or so back asking why science fiction doesn’t work on TV but does in movies. While not discussed, I think the problem lies in a movie’s ability to wrap up a story line in a couple hours rather than stretch a story over an entire television season if not multiple seasons. Our ADHD, 24-hour news cycle culture doesn’t have the patience for it.

This problem is found in shows like Kings or Life, two of NBC’s latest fatalities. An article at the comic book news portal, Newsarama, compares Kings with Eli Stone (another tragic loss), in that not only having to overcome the challenge of a serialized drama they also had to overcome the stigma of being “about God”. (The creators of both series are in the comic book business, but the hope that would translate into a built-in audience never saw fruit.)

While the religious undertones were a part of the problem with both of these shows, other factors such as time slot and marketing were factored more largely. I really liked Eli Stone myself, but there was no way I was going to stay up to watch it after Lost living on the West Coast. That’s one reason my television viewing is primarily online with the occasional supplement of Netflix. And that’s part of the problem- networks still haven’t figured out a way to take into account online viewership or DVD rentals to gauge popularity. I have yet to meet anyone who has seen Eli Stone that didn’t like it, so it was more a question of finding the time to take on a new show. And serialized dramas have the built-in challenge of viewers not being able to jump in mid-season or even second season without catching up on all the backstory. For example, if you’ve never watched Lost I dare you to watch last week’s season finale. There’s no way to watch that show and not feel, well, lost.

Kings was a different case however. It only got a few shows in before being cancelled and the plot wasn’t so complex that you couldn’t figure out what was going on jumping in mid-stream. In fact, some have said that was the problem- they drew out their storylines too far (in comic book terms, the story was too decompressed). But the biggest problem was the accessibility of the show. NBC gave Kings a big push to kick it off, but they never really said what the show was about. I had to read up on it online after seeing the butterfly banners all over LA to realize it was a “modern retelling of the story of King David”. That had me hooked, but I knew it would be hard to hook others. The article mentions how marketing could’ve been handled differently- targeting different demographics by emphasizing different aspects of the story. Really, Kings had it all: it was somewhat sci-fi in that it was an alternate-reality allegory, it had equal parts teen drama (think David and Michele’s relationship in an episode of Gossip Girls) and adult soap (King Silas and his brother, his infidelity and his wife could’ve come straight out of Dynasty), and despite some criticisms the religious undertones were never overstated. In fact there was one episode where the Reverend Samuels didn’t even show up until near the end. And I don’t consider butterflies swarming (do butterflies swarm?) around David to be “preachy.”

But once the cat was out of the bag that this show was in any way spiritual it was automatically given the label of religious. I never got the impression that this show was preachy, but then again I was the target demographic. And while there was spirituality involved it could hardly be called religious. There is no mention of the God of the show being the Judeo-Christian God, the Reverend Samuels could have just as easily been Leo McGarry in the West Wing, and in the last episode the protagonist expressed doubt God even existed or if he did then he doesn’t care. But there is a preconceived bias against anything spiritual. Read the comments on Newsarama and you’ll see this (“I can’t turn on the TV without being preached to!”). I was taught in elementary school that all stories have morals even if they’re as basic as “crime doesn’t pay”. Those morals have to be rooted in something, right? Don’t do to others what you wouldn’t want them to do to you is universally accepted, but turn that into a quote from Jesus and suddenly you’re preachy. So while Kings and Eli Stone are cancelled, shows that celebrate hedonism and debauchery (The Bachelor, Gossip Girls, Grey’s Anatomy, et al) continue unrestrained. I’m glad I don’t waste my money on cable.

My Last Post on NBC’s Kings, Honest!

Frank

There was an interesting article in Entertainment Weekly a week or so back asking why science fiction doesn’t work on TV but does in movies. While not discussed, I think the problem lies in a movie’s ability to wrap up a story line in a couple hours rather than stretch a story over an entire television season if not multiple seasons. Our ADHD, 24-hour news cycle culture doesn’t have the patience for it.

This problem is found in shows like Kings or Life, two of NBC’s latest fatalities. An article at the comic book news portal, Newsarama, compares Kings with Eli Stone (another tragic loss), in that not only having to overcome the challenge of a serialized drama they also had to overcome the stigma of being “about God”. (The creators of both series are in the comic book business, but the hope that would translate into a built-in audience never saw fruit.)

While the religious undertones were a part of the problem with both of these shows, other factors such as time slot and marketing were factored more largely. I really liked Eli Stone myself, but there was no way I was going to stay up to watch it after Lost living on the West Coast. That’s one reason my television viewing is primarily online with the occasional supplement of Netflix. And that’s part of the problem- networks still haven’t figured out a way to take into account online viewership or DVD rentals to gauge popularity. I have yet to meet anyone who has seen Eli Stone that didn’t like it, so it was more a question of finding the time to take on a new show. And serialized dramas have the built-in challenge of viewers not being able to jump in mid-season or even second season without catching up on all the backstory. For example, if you’ve never watched Lost I dare you to watch last week’s season finale. There’s no way to watch that show and not feel, well, lost.

Kings was a different case however. It only got a few shows in before being cancelled and the plot wasn’t so complex that you couldn’t figure out what was going on jumping in mid-stream. In fact, some have said that was the problem- they drew out their storylines too far (in comic book terms, the story was too decompressed). But the biggest problem was the accessibility of the show. NBC gave Kings a big push to kick it off, but they never really said what the show was about. I had to read up on it online after seeing the butterfly banners all over LA to realize it was a “modern retelling of the story of King David”. That had me hooked, but I knew it would be hard to hook others. The article mentions how marketing could’ve been handled differently- targeting different demographics by emphasizing different aspects of the story. Really, Kings had it all: it was somewhat sci-fi in that it was an alternate-reality allegory, it had equal parts teen drama (think David and Michele’s relationship in an episode of Gossip Girls) and adult soap (King Silas and his brother, his infidelity and his wife could’ve come straight out of Dynasty), and despite some criticisms the religious undertones were never overstated. In fact there was one episode where the Reverend Samuels didn’t even show up until near the end. And I don’t consider butterflies swarming (do butterflies swarm?) around David to be “preachy.”

But once the cat was out of the bag that this show was in any way spiritual it was automatically given the label of religious. I never got the impression that this show was preachy, but then again I was the target demographic. And while there was spirituality involved it could hardly be called religious. There is no mention of the God of the show being the Judeo-Christian God, the Reverend Samuels could have just as easily been Leo McGarry in the West Wing, and in the last episode the protagonist expressed doubt God even existed or if he did then he doesn’t care. But there is a preconceived bias against anything spiritual. Read the comments on Newsarama and you’ll see this (“I can’t turn on the TV without being preached to!”). I was taught in elementary school that all stories have morals even if they’re as basic as “crime doesn’t pay”. Those morals have to be rooted in something, right? Don’t do to others what you wouldn’t want them to do to you is universally accepted, but turn that into a quote from Jesus and suddenly you’re preachy. So while Kings and Eli Stone are cancelled, shows that celebrate hedonism and debauchery (The Bachelor, Gossip Girls, Grey’s Anatomy, et al) continue unrestrained. I’m glad I don’t waste my money on cable.

Abortion Shmabortion

Frank

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (and if so, I can relate!) you’ve probably heard about all the uproar over President Barack Obama receiving an honorary degree and giving the commencement address at very-catholic (yet neither Big 10 nor Big East) Notre Dame. He isn’t the first sitting president to do this, nor is he the first Liberal or Democrat to receive this honor. The abortion debate is nothing new, but the fuss over this time was unique. Maybe the newer debate over embryonic stem cell research was the straw that broke the Pro-Life camel’s back. I’m not sure, but 27 people were arrested, including Norma McCorvey. Who, you may ask? She is the ‘Roe’ in Roe v Wade and it is seldom reported that she is now in the Pro-Life camp.

But enough about that, the protest shows that we have a long way to go to reach the point where as the President said we would stop “reducing those with differing views to caricature.” And that’s what the abortion debate has become- a war of words, belittling the opinions and convictions of the other side.

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times, the Church should not be spending all her resources rallying behind political candidates with the hope of tipping the balance of the Supreme Court. But instead should be pouring her heart into those at-risk of abortions. No, purity balls for teens don’t count. These are young girls, heavily involved in their churches that would be likely to abstain from sex until marriage anyways. No, I’m talking about those impacted by the socio-economic drivers that lead to abortions. You’re not likely to find these women in all-white suburban mega-churches.

I heard an interview with the guys from Audio Adrenaline and they were talking about “orphan prevention” instead of the usual orphan adoption/foster home outreach many churches participate in. In Haiti, with their Hands and Feet Project, they reach out the impoverished to take away the economic incentive to give up a child.

Look out into your community and reach out to the struggling mother. Befriend the single-mom at church that no one else talks to. Embrace the teens in your church to value the blessing of sex in the context of marriage and the sanctity of life developing in a womb. Participate in “abortion prevention”.

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27

Abortion Shmabortion

Frank

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (and if so, I can relate!) you’ve probably heard about all the uproar over President Barack Obama receiving an honorary degree and giving the commencement address at very-catholic (yet neither Big 10 nor Big East) Notre Dame. He isn’t the first sitting president to do this, nor is he the first Liberal or Democrat to receive this honor. The abortion debate is nothing new, but the fuss over this time was unique. Maybe the newer debate over embryonic stem cell research was the straw that broke the Pro-Life camel’s back. I’m not sure, but 27 people were arrested, including Norma McCorvey. Who, you may ask? She is the ‘Roe’ in Roe v Wade and it is seldom reported that she is now in the Pro-Life camp.

But enough about that, the protest shows that we have a long way to go to reach the point where as the President said we would stop “reducing those with differing views to caricature.” And that’s what the abortion debate has become- a war of words, belittling the opinions and convictions of the other side.

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times, the Church should not be spending all her resources rallying behind political candidates with the hope of tipping the balance of the Supreme Court. But instead should be pouring her heart into those at-risk of abortions. No, purity balls for teens don’t count. These are young girls, heavily involved in their churches that would be likely to abstain from sex until marriage anyways. No, I’m talking about those impacted by the socio-economic drivers that lead to abortions. You’re not likely to find these women in all-white suburban mega-churches.

I heard an interview with the guys from Audio Adrenaline and they were talking about “orphan prevention” instead of the usual orphan adoption/foster home outreach many churches participate in. In Haiti, with their Hands and Feet Project, they reach out the impoverished to take away the economic incentive to give up a child.

Look out into your community and reach out to the struggling mother. Befriend the single-mom at church that no one else talks to. Embrace the teens in your church to value the blessing of sex in the context of marriage and the sanctity of life developing in a womb. Participate in “abortion prevention”.

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27

Add a Little Salt to Your Character

Frank

Solid spiritual wisdom, no? Actually, a table-topper peddling margaritas at Chilis tonight. Instead I offer this wisdom that’s more refreshing and less likely to give you a hangover.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Mt 5:13-16)

Add a Little Salt to Your Character

Frank

Solid spiritual wisdom, no? Actually, a table-topper peddling margaritas at Chilis tonight. Instead I offer this wisdom that’s more refreshing and less likely to give you a hangover.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Mt 5:13-16)

Drugs Don’t Work

Frank

(pick your favorite artist for the song above: Morphine, Radiohead, Ben Harper. They’ve all come to the same conclusion)

A couple of weeks ago a gentleman came to our Chemical Recovery (CR) meeting with a serious alcohol problem. His doctor told him he needed to quit drinking or his liver would fail. He’s in his 30s.

We introduced the program to him, explained that we are faith-based, and reminded him of the first three steps of AA:

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable.

2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

He surrendered to the first, but couldn’t accept the second or especially the third. He believed there was a God, but wouldn’t turn to Him to overcome his addiction. He strongly believed there had to be an easier way and was going to try medical treatment.

Treating addiction has an interesting history. Traditionally, before 12-step programs, the addict was either jailed (the drunk tank), shunned by his community (the local drunk), or institutionalized (the thorazine shuffle). Addiction was either a legal or medical problem. It wasn’t until the Oxford Group started to take hold that addiction was considered a spiritual issue. Alcoholics Anonymous recognized the need to surrender to a higher power, but also the need for community support (the group). Interestingly, when alcohol was introduced to Native Americans, their treatment consisted of taking the alcoholic out to the wilderness to “return him to his roots” with the support of a couple of close friends. So community and spirituality are key to recovery.

Medical treatment sidesteps these two critical ingredients. A recent article on MSN Health discussed a drug that inhibits the pleasure part of the brain that is stimulated by alcohol. The theory goes that if you keep drinking, eventually you’ll miss the effect and quit. I’m reminded by the Big Book that “the great obsession of every abnormal drinker is to control and enjoy his drinking.” This medicine claims to take away the joy and allow the abnormal drinker to control, or even quit his drinking. The article is filled with mixed reviews of this method, but only twice in two pages does the possibility that it’s not just about “enjoying the drink” even get mentioned, raising the possibility of turning to other drugs, or more importantly never dealing with the root causes like depression. That’s why those two ingredients of spirituality and community are so important.

A brother once asked me if CR really worked because if you quit drinking, what keeps you from picking something else up? Spirituality and community. Spirituality gives you a hope and a purpose- the will to overcome, while community gives you accountability and help. Medications don’t offer either of these.

“When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.” (Mt 12:43-45)

You can drive out all the evil spirits, so to speak, you want with miscellaneous treatments. But until you fill your house with the Spirit of God, your “final condition… [will be] worse than the first.”

More to come on this subject

Drugs Don’t Work

Frank

(pick your favorite artist for the song above: Morphine, Radiohead, Ben Harper. They’ve all come to the same conclusion)

A couple of weeks ago a gentleman came to our Chemical Recovery (CR) meeting with a serious alcohol problem. His doctor told him he needed to quit drinking or his liver would fail. He’s in his 30s.

We introduced the program to him, explained that we are faith-based, and reminded him of the first three steps of AA:

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable.

2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

He surrendered to the first, but couldn’t accept the second or especially the third. He believed there was a God, but wouldn’t turn to Him to overcome his addiction. He strongly believed there had to be an easier way and was going to try medical treatment.

Treating addiction has an interesting history. Traditionally, before 12-step programs, the addict was either jailed (the drunk tank), shunned by his community (the local drunk), or institutionalized (the thorazine shuffle). Addiction was either a legal or medical problem. It wasn’t until the Oxford Group started to take hold that addiction was considered a spiritual issue. Alcoholics Anonymous recognized the need to surrender to a higher power, but also the need for community support (the group). Interestingly, when alcohol was introduced to Native Americans, their treatment consisted of taking the alcoholic out to the wilderness to “return him to his roots” with the support of a couple of close friends. So community and spirituality are key to recovery.

Medical treatment sidesteps these two critical ingredients. A recent article on MSN Health discussed a drug that inhibits the pleasure part of the brain that is stimulated by alcohol. The theory goes that if you keep drinking, eventually you’ll miss the effect and quit. I’m reminded by the Big Book that “the great obsession of every abnormal drinker is to control and enjoy his drinking.” This medicine claims to take away the joy and allow the abnormal drinker to control, or even quit his drinking. The article is filled with mixed reviews of this method, but only twice in two pages does the possibility that it’s not just about “enjoying the drink” even get mentioned, raising the possibility of turning to other drugs, or more importantly never dealing with the root causes like depression. That’s why those two ingredients of spirituality and community are so important.

A brother once asked me if CR really worked because if you quit drinking, what keeps you from picking something else up? Spirituality and community. Spirituality gives you a hope and a purpose- the will to overcome, while community gives you accountability and help. Medications don’t offer either of these.

“When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.” (Mt 12:43-45)

You can drive out all the evil spirits, so to speak, you want with miscellaneous treatments. But until you fill your house with the Spirit of God, your “final condition… [will be] worse than the first.”

More to come on this subject