Category: DOC Thoughts
“Generosity Breeds Success”
I don’t often buy a Sunday paper any more. I’ve got RSS news feeds from digital news outlets and services all over the world that provide more than enough reading each week. But, yesterday I bought our local paper, The Tulsa World, and enjoyed getting newsprint on my fingers. I suspect many continue to enjoy the touch of the paper each and make time to read the daily or weekly in their community. In the business section this headline caught my attention, “Generosity Breeds Success.” The columnists, Harvey Mackay, was writing about the author of a new book and how he has “made it” in the sports marketing and memorabilia. Two things caught my attention about the author other than the title of the book, You Gotta Have Balls. Click here to read the article.
First, the author’s favorite saying, “If you want more money, don’t pay attention to the money. Pay attention to the thing that makes the money.” I wonder how that applies to the Church and to ministry with children, youth, and young adults. And the second is like it, “focus on relationships, not transactions.” That’s pretty much what Jesus did. He focused on the people that wandered into his life or that he called because they were important rather than focusing on a salvation that may occur after death. Too much of Christendom is about the transaction of salvation, confession of faith, or baptism. Too much of ministry with children, youth, and young adults has been based on a relational model that is based on that transaction. What would a congregation look like that thought about that first saying? If you want more members, do more outreach, more children and youth, don’t pay attention to those things. Pay attention to the things, stuff, relationships, that invite members, more outreach, more children, youth, and young adults. And, for my denominations seminaries that are seeking students the same is true. Why does the Church require a well educated clergy? Because of a well educated laity. That is what reforms the Church and Christendom. I think that is what the Emergent movement may be trying to do.
One of Many People of Faith
Rev. Erin Wathen is the Sr. Minister at Foothills Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She writes a blog that demonstrates the “trust” relationship between a congregation and its minister. She writes on a variety of topics and is worth following. Her latest post is a few words about Rep Akin, abortion, and single issue voting. Here are a couple of paragraphs. Click the title to read more.
All this makes me one of many, many people of faith in this country: who feel we have nowhere to stand in the ‘pro-life/ pro-choice’ debate. It has become such a polarized, black/white, wrong/right sort of thing that there is no middle ground. There is no whole-person, big-picture approach. You are either sending women back to the dark ages, or you are killing babies. No other options.
Well, until now. Did Todd Akin–in his bone-chilling moment of ignorance–just do something productive? I think so. What he managed to do, in one short statement, was to shine light on what comes of extreme ideologies and rigid party lines (in either direction). If I were going to look for something nice to say about the man, that would probably be it: that he has shown us the grim national future awaiting us, if we don’t change our ways. He’s like the Ghost of Christmas future–a fearsome orb, cloaked in death and darkness; a skeletal hand pointing to a day when THIS man—the Todd Akins of the world– is the face and voice of our country. (I fear you more than any spectre I have seen!)