The Problem of Greed

For the longest time I have been saying the basic problem in the world today is one of greed. Greed is one of the seven deadly sins and the premise of greed basically says I do not have enough and I always need more. If that means you have less then so be it, that is your fault but I will do whatever it takes to get more.

The problem with greed is in a world of limited resources like the one in which we live greed divides the world into two basic categories the haves and the have nots. What develops as a result of the division created by greed is a competition between the two groups. Those who have not want the things those of those who have. The "haves" on the other hand desire to hang onto their elite status at the top of the ladder.

As a person of faith I need to look at the problem of greed and see the solution to the greed issue is what I call the principle of enough. As look at life I need some basic things: food, shelter, job, health care and transportation to name a few. Take shelter for example: we live in a house, it is not a fancy house, it is a basic structure, several rooms and while it is nothing fancy it is enough for me and my wife and in some instances it is more than enough. We definitely do not need a bigger house and in some cases we could even downsize to a smaller one just because our kids are grown and no longer live with us. Because I have enough in this area of my life rather than going out and buying something bigger I make a conscious choice to help another get into a house by working with a group like Habitat for Humanity (an organization that builds housing for lower income people).

The principle of enough works on the premise that I have been blessed by God and because i have been blessed by God I can provide for my family and share what I have been entrusted with others who have not been so fortunate.

I still fall into the greed trap from time to time seeing the latest technology come out and feel how great it would be to have it. Then after I get I realize it was not so great and I could have used the money to help someone eat or have a warm place to stay.

I must say I have been blessed and I have enough to live the life God has given me to live. When I understand this I discover I don't need the things I think I do in order to have a meaningful life.

Tools to Use
During my early years in ministry I came across explanation as to why people respond, react and at time overreact to events in their lives. It had seemed a man was lamenting the damage that was done by the local fire department to his property. In his view they had called way more damage than what the situation called. In response to his lament a friend replied, " you need to remember a fireman has two main tools at his disposal: a hose and an axe. When you call them they are going to use one or the other."
As I ponder the way people treat one another in our culture today I have come to the conclusion that we as people often treat one another with the tools we have at our disposal. So if all we have at our disposal are words that are intended to damage or harm one another (words that we have learned because they have been used on us) then that is the tool we will use.
While traveling back home after visiting my parents in Arkansas the car I was driving just stopped dead in its tracks. Since it had happened on another occasion there was a small inexpensive part bolted on the fire wall that needed changing. It took a wrench or a pair of pliers to change the part. As I looked through the car the only tool I had besides the tire changing equipment was a hammer. No matter how I used the hammer it would not get the job done because it was not the right tool for the job. I made sure the next time we took a trip to have the right tools in the car in case something happened.
Likewise in our relationships we need to use the right tools our own lives if we are going to build relationships that last. A good place to start is with what the Apostle Paul calls the fruit of the Spirit: Love, Joy , Peace, Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, and Self-Control. When these tools are kept close and available their use will make a difference in our lives when building lasting relationships.

Forty Years and Counting

The first weekend of August I had the opportunity to attend my 40th High School Reunion. Up until this year the only reunion I had attended was my ten year and for a while until the development of Facebook I had lost touch with the class of 71 from Marengo Community High School.
I missed some reunions because people had no idea where I was living (being in ministry one moves every few years) and my family (parents and brothers) were no longer living in my hometown.
I feel fortunate to grow up in the community in which I did. I went to small grade school with only 17 in my 8th grade class. Five schools fed into my high school making my senior class 141 students. I look back on that class as being a great size because you could know everyone and I had opportunities to play sports and get involved in activities I would not have been involved in larger schools.
For the first two years of my high school education I focused on non-college prep courses and then I made the decision to switch to college prep classes. I have to admit I was not the best student and the only reason I kept my grades up was I wanted to play sports and my parents were more strict than the school policies for academic eligibility. It was only when I got to college when I realized I needed to really study in order to make the grades needed to graduate.
As I chatted with the other alumni from our class and their spouses at the reunion, I began to appreciate how much we meant to one another at our school even though we would never admit it at the time. There were people in attendance I had not seen since graduation. Most I had lost track of and some were doing some amazing things. Over the years and with the maturity those years have brought to our lives I sensed a tremendous amount of respect and caring for each other.
A majority of students in my class were not aware of my faith transformation since it happened a couple of years after high school and were surprised at my call to ministry and my chosen profession of the pastorate these past 30 years. I had an opportunity to listen to several faith journeys that have developed over the past 40 years in various fashions.
There are some in my class (9) who have died and I will miss them and the opportunity I have missed to let them know how much they meant to me. There were others who chose not to attend the reunion for various reasons. It was great to share some time together and I just wanted to say to the MCHS class of 1971 you made a difference my life.

I am the one not looking at the camera

Reflections on General Assembly

I returned from the GA of the Christian Church (DOC) last week and I have had a little time to think about things that took place there.
First I thought Nashville was a great place to hold the GA with a good venue and lots of things to do close to the convention center. The city showed great hospitality towards us and I was impressed overall with the city. It almost makes me want to return sometime to Nashville and spend a few days.
As far as the assembly is concerned it was a good experience for me I went primarily to get information at one of the workshops for some responsibilities I hold in our region but there were a couple of other tracks scheduled for the same time so I was disappointed I could not attend everything I wanted to attend.
Because of a late start we did not arrive in Nashville until the first night session was over and there was not an evening session Sunday night so I only attended two evening sessions and I found the speakers to be on top of their game. In addition there were several times when during the assembly when breaks were taken in the business session for speakers to talk about how we can be involved in making changes needed in our congregations. I thought all of those speakers were excellent. Each one taking a different approach speaking in their area of expertise. I was particularly interested in Soong Chan Rah and Amy Levine in the things they were saying.
One downfall was I have come to the conclusion Disciples do not know how to do Emergent Worship. The night Brian McClaren spoke they advertised worship as emergent but it was at best blended. Needless to say I skipped out after McClaren spoke.
While I enjoyed the assembly I came home with some renewed energy to implement some things in my church and I guess that is their purpose.

"Let's focus on the important things"

I am not surprised at the response of the response I have seen to the recent verdict in the latest trial of the century. When Casey Anthony was not found guilty of murder or even manslaughter and only was sentenced to four years for lying to investigators. The backlash directed at the jury has been overwhelming. I was reading an article where one of the jurors said, I did not say she did not commit the crime only that there was not enough evidence to convict her of the crime.
At the sentencing hearing there was person outside the court house holding a sign which said "hang the jury", obviously expressing his displeasure at the jury's result.
Let me share a couple of thoughts on these events. First, the death of a child by whatever means is a tragic event. I also was shocked by the verdict but then realized I was not in the courtroom hearing the testimony or seeing the evidence or in the deliberation room. I therefore unable to make a judgement as to the guilt or innocence of the person on trial.
Second, the media blew this case way out of proportion and created a media frenzy. Way too much time and focus was given to this case and everyone involved was tried in the press long before this case ever went to trial.
Third, the jury in a trial with such publicity is under a great deal of stress. To return with an unpopular verdict only subjects them to greater stress. It is easy to see why none of the jurors chose to participate in a post trial press conference. If I was on such a jury I would want to disappear in the crowd and never be heard from again. I also have to say I admire the jury to stand by their convictions and come back with an unpopular verdict in the midst of such a public trial. They did what they were called to do and they followed the law as they understood it. Is it any wonder people do not want to serve on juries when the decisions they are called to make are met with such criticism.
Finally, I believe there are a lot more important issues to deal with today than to rehash the trial in the media over and over. While a child is dead, and what a tragedy it is, we need to remember there are thousands abused each and every day that we never hear about. There are people suffering from floods and droughts and other natural disasters that are pushed to the back pages of the newspapers, when a celebrity gets a hangnail is on the front page.
I guess what I am saying is we spend a lot of energy focusing on the wrong things and not enough energy trying to alleviate the problems.

Packing to leave Haiti today. The last couple of days have been really busy with lots of travel over the streets of Port Au Prince. I was able to experience some different things this time around. We got out in the countryside a little up the coast to a beach. We traveled up to Kenscoff beyond the Baptist mission to an orphanage. I thought the road did not go very far beyond the mission but we traveled 30 minutes beyond the orphanage then traveled another 30 minutes on a side road. Beautiful country cooler weather green valleys with lots of terraced farming.
Saw parts of the city I have never seen before ad also was able to walk down the lane outside the compound and buy pop from a vendor.
I realize if i am going to do more I need to learn more of the language. It is my goal to learn French or creole so I can converse better with the people on the street and with Tullis our driver it would be easier.
Not looking forward to leaving but looking to being home

Yesterday was so busy and we were so tired at the end of the day I did not take time to post a blog. We went to Carrefour to see the clinic where Eastgate Christian Church is supporting the Doctor. We got there very quickly because traffic was very light by Haitian standards. Every other time we traveled in that direction traffic around the market was bumper to bumper and the dust was so thick you could cut it with a knife. The dust was bad but we traveled through without much trouble. Then on the west side of Port Au Prince there always seems to be a traffic jam. But on Monday traffic moved at a fair pace. We arrived at the clinic after about a half hour to 45 minute drive very fast. The doctor was there and so was Pastor Ramon. We dropped off the drugs we brought for the clinic and they wrote down what they were and gave then the doctors salary and more money for the clinic to help with the nurse's salary.
Then back to Conaspeh for some lunch and the rest of the crew headed out to visit and orphanage and I stayed and finished up my class on the introduction to the Gospels. I had a great time teaching the students asked some very good questions very practical concerning their ministries. Good experience all around.
The ladies did not have such a good experience down very rough roads long walks and extra stops. We came back exhausted and ate and jumped in the pool. Slept well and ended up getting rested up for another day of shopping and evaluation with the committee.
Starting home tomorrow. Tomorrow night Miami, the Dallas and home.

Sunday a day of worship and rest. We began with a quick breakfast at Walls and then we were off to church. We took off for church at 9 and hunted for the church. We went to one church and we were supposed to meet Patrick at the church. But Patrick was not there then we discovered we were at the wrong church. The church we were supposed to be at was down the road so we found the right church and Patrick and family arrived shortly after we did. We were ushered to the platform and sat behind the pulpit.
I am particularly impressed with the energy of worship in Haiti. The songs we sang in the first service were traditional hymns and even though they were not sung in a fast pace they were sung with energy and enthusiasm.
I was invited to preach this morning and since it was Pentecost Sunday I preached on the Acts 2 text.
I tried to stress to the people this morning how we need to be open to the Spirit of God and how God looks at all of us the same. We have a need to move as a people to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. Just like there was confusion at Pentecost when people spoke in tongues. There is often confusion when the spirit moves in our lives. We need to be willing to explain to people that it is the power of God moving in our life.
After the first service we went to another service at the edge of City Soliel. We were at this church a year ago and their building last year was surrounded by tents. The walls had fallen down and the roof was being held up by poles. Today the walls were back up and the building was great.
At both churches there was a special prayer for Karen for her upcoming surgery.
We then went to Deli Mart and bought some supplies and changed some money.
Then back to Walls for R&R.

We began today on a journey up the mountain to Kenscoff. I had been to Kenscoff before to the Baptist Mission Station there and while it is a journey up a long winding road it is worth the trip. On the way up the mountain we passed the home of the former President Preval and the former home of the notorious Papa Doc Duvalier.
We went to the lookout over the city and while it was overcast at first the sun came out and it got very hot. The pressure by the craft salesmen there is very high. I only bought two stone frogs but some other bought lots of things.
So far I have not spent much money and have not got a lot in my suitcase returning to KC.
When we reached Kenscoff we drove right by the Baptist Mission and went on for about another 45 minutesfurther up the mountain and we reached an orphanage down probrbly the roughest road I have been on in my life. There were thirty five children in the orphanage and they seemed to be one of best cared for group of children we have seen. They had ample beds, clean facilities and the children looked well fed and healthy. Then it was time to return back to the guest house. Long day riding on rough road.

Today in Haiti we took a break and went to the beach. We drove about two hours outside the city along the coast and went to a resort where we swam in the ocean and had lunch.
Francois the school principal and Tullis our driver went with us.
The beach was rocky but the water was warm.
Tullis told us the deposed president for life Baby Doc Duvallier who returned to Haiti just after the last election and was promptly arrested was living just around the bay from where we were swimming.
We had lunch at the beach, several had grilled lobster, I had conch with garlic and butter. The food was excellent.
As we traveled to the beach we stopped at St. Christophe. As we drove a few hundred yard down the road we came to a group of it looked like hundreds of black crosses in the gravel by the side of the road. It was explained to us this was one of the mass graves of those killed in the earthquake. It was a very somber moment as you might expect.
Saw lots of simple houses scattered in the hills along the highway. Lots of banana trees and a few small villages. It was relaxing day away from the city. The resort we swam at could have been in any tropical area.
I have no idea what the distance was out of the city but I saw a part of Haiti I had never seen before. I am beginning to see how beautiful this country really is and what a marvelous diverse world we live in.

Haiti Day three:
Today I must have sweated off 10 pounds it was hot and i spent all day at Conaspeh. It was a good day. I met with Frenaud and he interpreted for me today in my class. It was fun to teach again and to answer questions about the Bible.
I was able to get done and overview of the gospels and next time I will be expanding a little.
The only problem was it was very hot.
The rest of the group went to two orphanages today. Both were needing food desperately. One was going through a river that was the street. The other was through a really rough area.
I learned something today that I am able to do some things here and follow my passion for missions.
More tomorrow.

Thoughts from Haiti

Every time I arrive in Haiti I feel like I am going through sensory overload. The sights and sounds and rush at the airport just hit me that this is a different place. In fact it is like no other place on earth. After a short night in Miami and a flight in to Port Au Prince. There is the chaos at the airport, immigration, getting our luggage (three carts loaded with 10 bags plus our carry ons. Then through immigration and fighting the people all working for tips to support their families. This time we seemed to get through smoother than before. Checking into the guest house and now a time of rest for the afternoon. Not sure what else is happening today if anything but it is nice to be back in Haiti.
Wall's is not very crowded and I have a room to myself. Everything I am back I see a few more improvements.
A house down the steet from the guest house destroyed in the quake 17 months ago is finally being cleared. There are still thousands of people living in tent cities. It seems all they do is just add one more layer to their tent once it begins leaking.
This is my first time here in the rainy season and it is cloudy rather than the bright sunshine. But the heat and the humidity is the same.
I am always fascinated by the people I meet at Walls. Most of them are here on some sort of mission project. (There are very few vacationers in Haiti.) There are three here from New England as a part of a project with college students to give them an immersion experience to see what most people in the world live like. Another group of about 12 high school girls are working at catholic charity doing most of the time what amounts to VBS. Then they just spend time at the orphanage holding children. As I listen to their stories I see firsthand how their lives are being transformed.
At dinner tonight we spent a great deal of time talking about the differences we saw between the last time we were here and that day coming in from the airport. For me a lot of the rubble is gone from the streets. Sidewalks have been cleared off and like I mentioned earlier a house down the street from the guest house has started to be cleared.
One thing I have noticed this time is the electricity keeps going on and off: on a few seconds and off a few seconds. I never noticed that before when I was here the reason I mention it is because I may not be able to get e-mails out because the server is constantly rebooting.

Some thoughts on the past few days

I did not hear about the death of Osama Bin Laden until Monday morning. I was in bed when the news broke and when I saw it on the computer the next morning at first I thought it was a hoax because to be quite honest I never thought he would be tracked down. When I saw the news reports and all the celebrating going on as a result I was taken back a bit.
Let come right out and say a couple of things: Osama Bin Laden was one of the most evil people of our time. His hatred toward the West and his misrepresentation of the Islamic faith as a motivating factor for that hatred has caused many people a great deal of pain. It has caused hatred to grow toward many without just cause. By that I mean the many peace loving Muslims who live in this world who have been victimized by those who do not understand their faith.
As a follower of Jesus I have found several things to be very disturbing. First the celebration of death. As one of my colleagues put it this morning: I wonder how many people who are celebrating today go back to 9-11 and remember how angry they were when they saw followers of the attackers celebrating the fall of the twin towers and all those who perished as a result.
I feel this time should be one serious reflection for me as a person of faith. While I may have some degree of relief the man is out of the picture, I am sure there are many others waiting in the wings to continue terrorist activity. The result is terrorism is still a part of our world and nothing has changed that fact since Sunday.
The other thing I found very troubling was all the rhetoric concerning who is getting the credit for this. Several posts I saw were about how the Obama did not kill him, others gave him credit, others gave the previous administration credit while still others gave credit to the military and CIA. I can't help but think how petty we have gotten. It reminds me of an incident I was engaged in several years ago. Another pastor was sitting across from me at a table when I was asked a question what I thought about a certain organization which happened to be highly controversial at the time. I said there are some thing about that organization I disagree with but on the other hand they do happen to do some good work in other areas and I went on to name a few in which their work was some of the best being done in those areas. The other pastor then said nothing good comes from that organization. I took that to mean if I say one part of that group is good then there might be a possibility that other parts may also be good. So I must to say it is all bad in order for me to save face and maintain my reputation of being tough. So I see all the negative spin going on as being just another form of closed mindedness because if we say our enemy has a good quality we might just see them as human then they would be much harder to hate.
As a follower of the Christ I believe we need to look for other solutions rather than violent ones because violence only brings forth more violence. my question for me is how can I show forth the love of Christ in this world filled with violence and hate? That is the big question.

Back to Facebook

It took about two weeks and I decided to head back to Facebook. The main reason is to maintain connection with people. I have dropped some "friends" and made the choice to not use the site to talk about politics, religion or any other controversial subject.

Two days ago I deleted my facebook account. Before that time I had been a facebook addict. Several times a day I would go there to read posts, post my own thoughts and play games. (I will miss the games the most because imo they had the best games). Why did I leave the answer is simple for a couple of reasons. It was taking a great deal of time, time I could never get back. But more importantly it was creating the kind of life for me I did not want. I did not like the person I was becomming as a result of my time on the site. I saw rants and raves along with inappropriate personal material that left me wondering about my own character not to mention the character of others. I guess it was seeing very private things discussed in a very public forum.
But the thing that disturbed me the most was I found myself falling into the same trap. For example in reading another's blog he told the story about a man who pulled over by the police who suspected him of driving under the influence. All the time he was being tested (which he was too drunk to complete) he kept shouting I am an american I have freedom, you can't tell me what to do. For many that is what freedom means I can do what ever I want when I want and you can not tell me what to do.
As long as we take such an approach to life anything I do is permissible. I can say what I want when I want to whom I want. When we take that approach life turns into one big shouting match where the loudest voice is what is heard.
We are living in a society that is made up of many different opinions, cultures, races and religions. Somehow we have gotten to the point that my opinion is the only one that matters. I believe we have learned this lesson from our current political mindset.
What I have concluded from my facebook experience is the world is filled with a lot of hurting people who have no voice except for cyberspace. They lash out with the hope that someone will listen, but most of the time they receive shout outs back either pro or con which causes an escalation in the rhetoric.
I hope from my action to treat all people with more civility. To enter into more face to face dialogue where ideas can be discussed pro and con to my own opinion and can work together toward solution which will benefit society as a whole and not just me.

Every week I receive an e-mail from the Alban Institute and most of the time they are very good but the one yesterday hit me right between the eyes. Like most of the articles there is something of value in them but yesterday’s article was a real reality check.
The article began with the author making a confession back in the 90’s he stated he had been thinking a thought for several years and a board meeting he just blurted it out: (these are my words and not his) the church today can no longer function like the church yesterday and still remain effective. In other words the things which helped the church grow in the past in most cases will not help the church reach new people today.
He went on to say the reason why he believed it was true was for the primary reason the church for the last several centuries was closely connected with society and government and today that is no longer true. The church at one time was the central focus of society. I remember (now I am sounding like my parents) a time when nothing in town was ever scheduled on Sunday or Wednesday night because those nights were respected as church time. But today instead of being a part of the culture the church is more on the fringe of the culture and to some extent counter-culture.
For a long time I have thought his thinking to be correct but longed for it to be incorrect. I wish the church I grew up in still existed but unfortunately the only place it does is in the minds of church people. So I have the tendency to long for the good old days because that is how I was trained to do church. It is what my mentors told me would be effective. For the longest time I would try to work harder, to develop better programs, or complain people were not as dedicated but the reality is the church is just as dedicated and pastors are just as hard working and church people are just as caring and committed as they have been. The reality is the world has changed and the church is no longer seen as being a vital part of the culture.
What can we do? For starters we need to focus on faith and mission not on maintaining an organization. God has called the church into being to do mission. Mission is directed by faith believing the Spirit of God is leading in helping people live better lives by making a God connection. When people are making a connection with God it makes one’s life better. We as the church need to rekindle the passion and purpose God has for us.
I believe this is an exciting time for the church. Because God is going in some new directions and when we go deeper in our faith we will make a more meaningful connection as well as engage in a fruitful ministry.

Reflections on Tuscon

With the events of the past weekend in Tuscon AZ and several people killed and wounded, I wonder if we will learn anything from this incident or will things continue to go on like they have before the events that occurred.

I think back to 9-11 and how the country came together for a while but eventually went back to old habits of put downs, hate and division. I wonder what will it take for things to change. I heard a former congressman interviewed on morning television this morning making the comment instead of restricting firearms in a public setting he would welcome more firearms because he would feel safer. I imagine he thinks only his supporters would be the ones with the guns. I would find it difficult to feel safe if I was caught in a shoot out between people on opposite sides of the issue because when one would start shooting then it would give others permission to draw their weapons and return fire.

While I do not believe a ban of weapons is the answer, I do believe there is a proper place for them and a place not for them. We need to use common sense which seems to be in shot supply these days.

But more frightening than the weapons issue is the use of words in our society. People use words as weapons on a regular basis. Since the event this past weekend people on both sides of this issue have used words to blast the other side. In doing so the allegations have been made they (people on the opposite side of me) are to blame for the events that occurred last weekend.

Let's look at it from a different perspective, what if we saw it from the perspective that we are all to blame for this. Now I know several people may see this and say how silly is that since I was no where near the event. Several things help me to see this as a reality.

When I did not oppose cutting care for people with mental disabilities back in the 1980's and the doors were opened and put people that were institutionalized back on the streets of our communities, then I have to share in the blame.

When I use words which tear down people who look at an issue and come down on the opposite side where I do inciting division rather than dialogue then I am to blame. Or when I use language as weapon to injure or to divide rather than heal then I am to blame.

When I do not take time to listen then I am to blame.

The only way I can move beyond this problem is by taking responsibility for my part in our society by listening and speaking only when I have chosen my words carefully.