Tuesday, May 29, 2018

WEEKLY COMMENTARY: Your Challenges In Living In Two Different Worlds


Outside of one's life in the established church, your daily conditions of life may be very different.  Let's explore the differences.  For simplicity, let's say that life in the established church is like living in an "Arboretum", while daily life outside the church is somewhat like life in the "Jungle".  Both metaphors may be needed to describe our everyday existence.  Let's use this metaphoric comparison as a way of looking closely at the lives we live, in and out of church.  (We thank Texas pastor Rev. Bill Easum for suggesting this way of looking closely at the ways we live our lives.)

In the Arboretum, everything is neatly laid out in a controlled environment.  There is never any doubt about whether you are on the path that will take us where you want to go.  Established church people usually like things to be neatly explained, with little or no ambiguity.

Many Arboretums are full of "do this" and "don't do that" rules, which we are supposed to follow.  Many established church people love to follow rules.  For many of them, procedure may be more important than effectiveness..  Perhaps some established church people don't think much about "heresy" in their church, so they seldom guard against it.  They just follow the rules they were given.

The operations of an Arboretum are predictable and slow to change.  One can go to an established church year after year and never see much change, and what change one does see is slow and incremental.  One has lot's of time to adjust in the Arboretum, so things like annual meetings and annual budgets, and check-and-balance types of organization make sense.

In the Arboretum, adequate shelter from the rain and sun are provided, so one can have a good experience.  Many established church people really like the buildings, almost to the point of worshiping them.

Some folks feel entitled to the experience of the Arboretum.  After all, they have bought an admission ticket.  Often, because of having made an annual financial pledge, established church people feel entitled to not only the privilege of religion, but even more so to being cared for by their pastor.

Finally, in the Arboretum, one has no problem seeing the horizon.  You can always see where you are going or you can follow the signs.  You don't need a compass or GPS in the Arboretum.  Often, established church people fail to see the need for Mission or Vision Statements reflecting their duty to those outside who may be hurting.

Now, consider your daily life outside the established church.  Conditions may be very different.  For some of us this alternative could be called life in the "Jungle".  It is to some degree an integral part of everyone's daily existence.  What does life in the "Jungle" look like?

Nothing is neatly laid out and controlled.  Unlike the Arboretum, the Jungle is a really messy place.  Little is where you would expect it to be and you have very little control over the environment.  Intuition is now one of the most needed talents of a leader, even surpassing passion.  Messy and uncontrollable environments at first confuse most established church people, and at worst, shut them down when it comes to making strategic decisions.

In the Jungle, predators are everywhere and there simply aren't any rules to follow.  It is almost as if the Jungle dares us to test it's will.  However, established church people often seem too naive to believe the reality of the Jungle and the heresies that pop out from every corner.  The Jungle does away with all the rules, except one ---- survival of the fittest.  Most established church people are not used to being strategic with their resources.  They have been taught that the other fellow comes first.

Nothing is predictable and changes come fast.  The Jungle world changes from day to day.  Overnight it's trails can cover up, and markers can disappear, leaving the traveler lost without an experienced guide.  Some established church people find it impossible to move fast enough to stay up with the changes, much less get ahead of them.

We are not "entitled" to be in the Jungle.  The Jungle doesn't belong to us and we have to earn our right to exist in the Jungle.  All entitlements are out the window.  Too many established church people are miserable when confronted with the fact that the world no longer owes them a living, and their pastor isn't their spiritual baby sitter.

In the Jungle, when you look up there is no horizon.  The sun seldom shines through the Jungle canopy.  In such an environment, one needs a very clear sense of direction.  The Mission Statement and the wisdom of Scripture are the compass.  But, how many established church people will look upon these guides as an exercise in futility, rather than as a key to their future.

As far as the Jungle is concerned, Christianity is a nobody.  Gone are the days when society often gave credence and special favor to Christianity.  Now it is just the opposite ---- the Jungle dislikes Christianity because the Jungle doesn't recognize it as legitimate.  In our culture today, we are too easily drawn to our own personal enrichment, in not just material things, but also in just pleasing ourselves.

The Jungle has a way of tearing families apart, and helping people become addicted to one unhealthy habit or another.  Some people say that most people and organizations are basically broken.  Organizations that once worked, no longer yield the same results.  When people do come to church, they have little understanding of Christianity, it is said.  What they are looking for is a safe place to find themselves, or to heal.  Too many established church people still think all one has to do is write a policy, or recite some pre-determined formula, and all is well.

Some might argue that CPC is an Arboretum in the midst of the Jungle.

If it is, do you see any ways we can gain the best of each of these worlds?
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These thoughts are brought to you by the CPC Adult Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage some spiritual growth in you during this summer season.
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Monday, May 14, 2018

WEEKLY COMMENTARY: Do You Ever Think About Your "Personal" Gifts?


Last year, my cousin Paul from the Mid-West, came to New York City for some job interviews.  He was in his early twenties and had recently graduated from college.  He stayed with us for several days, so we had a chance to get much better acquainted.

By the third day of interviews, it was clear Paul was discouraged and at "loose ends" about his career plans.  As caring family members, my wife and I wondered if there was anything we could do to help him.  And yet, we did not want to intrude too much on his privacy, nor imply that we thought he was not able to solve his own problems.

Paul said the job interviews had not gone well ---- either the interviews fell flat, or Paul found the prospective employer and/or the offered job to be disappointing.  He said that his career planning now seemed to be a failure.  Therefore, I thought a little coaching might helpful.

There are a number of ways to engage a hurting person in personal conversation, but one way I have found fruitful is to gently ask, "What personal gifts do you think you have?"  The very nature of the question ---- "What gifts do you think you have?" seems to affirm the person's dignity and hopefully encourages them to take a more positive attitude about their life.  This is not asking how they spend their free time, but rather to think about the choices they might make in the use of their personal gifts.

I think of a "personal" gift as a particular God-given talent or skill which one uses better, easier or more successfully than most other people.

After an awkward moment, Paul cited a gift or two, with some sense of pride.  I asked Paul to think more broadly ---- were there any God-given gifts that he could use more consciously to improve his life?  "Too many folks do not focus on whether they possess any gifts," I told Paul.  "So, you and they need to take an inventory.  How can one be a good steward of their gifts and personal resources, if they do not even know what all of them are?  We need the whole picture so we can develop the potential which God gives us from the very start?"

Surprisingly, one's opinion of their gifts may be quite different from what they tell you about themselves.  Sometimes a bit of false modesty creeps in ---- they do not want to appear to be bragging!  At other times we'll hear a gift described that had totally eluded us in our relationship with this person.  I remember that as a teenager I had some dreams based on gifts I "wished" myself into believing I possessed, but it turned out that I did not actually have them.  Luckily, I outgrew those false personal gift illusions.

So, what do you say to a friend who tells you, "Yes, I have several gifts I would like to develop, but my daily life is already crazy with commitments?"  Well, Paul's reaction was along those lines.  "I have college debt, a girl friend who wants to get married and move to California, and I need to do odd jobs to pay my other current bills."  Many of us can sympathize with fully-committed Paul.  

It may sound a little bit grand, but how about trying to enjoy a feast by taking just a few bites at a time, chewing thoroughly and then savoring the flavor?

I once had a friend who had a passion for soccer, but knew he was no longer young enough to continue playing.  He turned to coaching a YMCA youth team and was happy to discover that he had a gift for teaching youngsters the finer points of soccer.  He simply adjusted how to use his gift to fit his new circumstances.

This reminds me of another important point.  When you inventory your personal gifts, some of those gifts show up over and over again through the years.  However, be alert to new arrivals.  New experiences, new challenges and new relationships with other people, may bring some new items to our personal gift inventory.  Some people call this "growth".  You should treat the new items as a blessing, and put them to work.

Where does this take us?  First, we need to be really clear about our own personal gifts, and find ways and time to employ them.  Secondly, when we encounter someone who will focus mainly on his or her problems and not on their personal gifts, draw them into conversation about this unfamiliar aspect of their lives ---- their personal gifts.  If you are lucky you will have some impact on their viewpoint ---- a negative viewpoint that has been blinding them to the capabilities, talents and resources they possess.  Ideally, they will come to see a person (themselves) who is full of possibilities given to them by God.  The beauty of this approach is that their "cure" comes from within themselves ---- you are simply the catalyst and encouragement, but that is indispensable help. 

Remember, your job as encourager is not a one-shot assignment.  Keep giving positive reinforcement, praise and appreciation to your friend, for continuing the hard work that has been started.
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These thoughts have been brought to you by CPC's Adult Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage you to pursue some personal spiritual growth this summer at CPC.
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Wednesday, May 9, 2018

WEEKLY COMMENTARY: Animals and the Bible


Animals do not fit easily within the theology of Scripture.  When a Bible story mentions an animal, it often makes the animal seem unimportant.  Saint Augustine, a great interpreter of the Bible, for instance, told us that human beings have no moral responsibilities toward animals.  For two thousand years the church has lived with a tension between those who emphasize God's care for every living thing, and those who suggest humans are given priority in God's creation.

Perhaps animals are "free-standing" beings, just as we are "free-standing" creatures.  Perhaps animals are not some toy God created for us to play with.  Instead, are humans and animals on an equal par in creation?  That would make it our job to provide care and compassion for all of creation.

In today's world, many humans have been acting on the assumption that they were given priority in God's creation.  Humans have leveled nearly half of the world's forests to make way for agriculture, industry and housing, accounting for crucial habitat loss for 85% of all threatened and endangered species, according to the World Wildlife Fund.  Between 1970 and 2000, populations of endangered species declined by an average of 40%.  In a typical year, 1.5 million birds are captured and sold as food, pets, medicine, clothing, decorations and tourist curios.  Here in the United States, approximately 2.7 million stray and relinquished dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters every year.

Christianity shouldn't take all the blame for this treatment of animals.  Many writers of the Old Testament mention the use of animal sacrifices to God, believing that God would welcome the practice.  Animal sacrifice was being practiced long before Jesus Christ appeared.  Today, some people say that humans have no responsibility for animals, because animals not only lack souls but are really beyond God's concern.  They believe this justifies present-day destruction of the environments of these animals, and the of animals themselves.

As theological thinking has evolved, do we now bear a spiritual as well as biological relationship with other animals on this earth?  Today, many Presbyterians have devoted themselves to caring for abandoned animals, advocating for humane treatment of livestock, and trying to turn the tide of wide-scale species extinction.  Many, of course, also have pet animals at home.

The trouble begins in Genesis 1 and the central role it imagines for humanity.  Human beings, unlike other creatures, are said to be made in the "image and likeness" of God.  What is the "image of God"?  The Bible does not exactly explain this, but it does state that God blesses humanity and commands human beings to "rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground."  (Genesis 1:28)  Does this justify our authority over other creatures?  Does "ruling" over other creatures refer merely to our life-or-death control over them, or does it suggest some benevolent responsibility for their welfare, like that of a kindly monarch?

Jesus himself teaches that "not a sparrow will fall to the ground" without the care and attention of God.  (Matt. 10:29)  If we have failed to notice this fact, it may be because we have been too taken with the idea that we are made in the divine image, and not careful enough to reflect theologically on the nature and responsibility of that particular honor.

Author Philip Sherman, in a recent issue of Presbyterian Life, argues that a greater sense of responsibility for animals has developed in the last 100 years.  "As some animals have transitioned from utilitarian purposes (labor, production, food) to companionship (pets, therapy dogs and cats, and service animals like seeing-eye dogs), a new element has emerged ---- LOVE.  Many Christians today love certain animals, and and give them a special status by calling them "pets".  We remember St. Francis of Assisi and his passion for the care of God's creatures.  Today, we sometimes even link to animals some passages of Scripture about love, with how we are supposed to treat those we love.

Of all the traits thought to be the exclusive possession of human beings, perhaps love and compassion have been the greatest.  The possibility that many animals are capable of deep emotional lives, including grief and gratitude, seems increasingly a given among many in the scientific community.

There are many ethical issues that arise from our contemporary encounters with animals: experimentation on animals, habitat destruction, and the keeping of animals in zoos, are but a few of the issues modern Christians must face.  The deepest debates, of course, are those about killing animals for human food.

Many of us enjoy home-cooked meals of beef, chicken, turkey, pork and fish, just to name a few of the animals whom we happily sacrifice for our own pleasure and survival.  Was it God's intent that these creatures were placed among us simply for our benefit, or are we wrong to appropriate them?

There are some within the Christian tradition who argue that killing animals is simply wrong.  They remind us that Genesis 1 seems to imagine the Earth in an original vegetarian state and that other passages of Scripture look forward to a time when "the wolf will live with the lamb."  (Isa. 11:6) suggesting that the predatory life among animals, at least, will cease.

Whether many Christians accept the vegetarian argument or not, one thing is clear ---- animals are part of the promise God made to us.  They will be our helpmates, and even more, they seem to be part of our survival and salvation on earth.
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These thoughts are brought to you by the CPC Adult Spiritual Development Team, hoping that 
you will discover some personal spiritual growth this summer.
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