A Dam or a Sprinkler

We have a home near to us with very deep backyard. In fact, it's deep enough that they have a pretty good-sized pond in it. Until recently, it has been full. But now, in the heat of the summer the water level has dropped and the top is covered with scum. It makes me think about how we handle to resources we have, including our finances. I read recently an interesting way to look at our giving.

When it comes to handling our Christian prosperity, we can either be a dam or a sprinkler. The dam stores up the water and hordes it. Eventually, it gets so full that some of the surplus overflows. The sprinkler on the other hand functions to redistribute. It is a conduit through which water flows.

Do you handle your finances like a dam or a sprinkler? The dam stores and eventually gives a surplus that trickles off the top. The sprinkler is a conduit that God uses to bless others. It's not wrong to keep what we earn, but the Bible encourages us to become a vessel that redistributes part of the blessing God has given us.

Become a person that people will bless others.... become a sprinkler!

Vision Statements... for the Heart

Several years ago I was looking to buy a second car for Linda and myself. We really didn’t have much money, but I went with great enthusiasm. As I was talking to the car salesman, I told him I was looking to spend about $50 for a car. (Imagine doing that today!) Anyway, he told me he did have one. It was a 1962 Corvair. According to the salesman, there was nothing wrong with it except that it needed a new exhaust system... and they could install one for another $50. And so I bought it. I don’t have to tell you how thrilled Linda was.

I was so excited when I got the car home. I had to take Linda for a ride. She wasn’t quite as enthused as I was. But then, she was nearly 9 months pregnant. And so we got into the car and I took it out on the highway to impress her with my bargain car. We drove about a mile outside of town... and it stopped running. I managed to pull it onto the shoulder. But it would not start again. Although it was a nice March Nebraska evening, it was very, very cold in that car.

Later on I found out that someone had installed a 6 volt fuel pump in the car. It had a 12 volt electrical system. As the fuel pump motor would heat up, it would shut itself down. Without the fuel pumping... Car could not move.

In some ways, a car’s fuel pump can be compared to the human heart. While the heart is one of the most important organs in the entire human body, it is really nothing more than a pump. The heart pumps the blood, which carries all the vital materials which help our bodies function. The blood removes the waste products that we do not need. If the heart ever stops pumping blood, the body begins to shut down. Within minutes our bodies will die.

Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” [KJKV] If it is correct to say that the pumping of the human heart will keep the body alive... then it might be equally correct to say that it is our vision that will keep the people – the church – alive.
• A vision of what it is that God is calling us to do and be.
• A vision of what it means to live as the people of God, claimed through the waters of Holy Baptism, called, enlightened and sanctified for the work of Jesus Churst.
• A vision of we, as a congregation, are supposed to be about.
Perhaps the heart of our mission is our vision.
Without a vision, we have no future.

How many of us are wearing a watch that uses a battery?

I read a story recently that claimed that several decades back an inventor had a daring vision for a better kind of watch. After working on his idea for some time and building a prototype, he decided to go to Switzerland, the world capital of watch making, to seek backing for the manufacture of his new design. When the renowned Swiss watchmakers examined his invention, they said, "This is not a watch. It doesn't have hands to tell time. It just has little numbers. You have to have a big hand and a little hand to make a watch." Then, when they opened the back, they were even more negative. "This thing doesn't even have gears or springs or jewels. It is just a lot of electronic parts. This thing is not a watch!" And they would have nothing to do with it. So the inventor took his revolutionary idea to Japan where he found industrialists who weren't so sure what made up a watch and who agreed to manufacture his idea – the electronic quartz watch.

It was a bold vision that Jesus proclaimed to his followers:
• Serve others ... wash their feet – feed them – cloth them – give them the shirt off your back.
• Serve God with all of your heart and soul, and mind, and strength.
• Love others as much as you love yourself
• Baptize and Teach

Many churches (and other organizations) have mission statements and vision statements... and they are important. But what’s more important is what is written on our hearts.... what is the vision that lives within us? What is the bold vision that God might be calling us to do.... to be?

Any thoughts?

Remember the Sabbath Day, and Keep it Holy.

"Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy." Recognize those words? They are the words that God spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai. We know them as the 3rd Commandment. And while, as Christians, we believe that our salvation is not based on keeping "The Law".

Jesus himself said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to so the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven…" (Matthew 5:17-19a)

So, what does that mean for us today? How do we keep the Sabbath holy for ourselves and others? I would offer the following suggestions:
* Plan to attend worship on Sunday. This is a time to be "fed" at God's table and on the Word.
* Plan a time of rest, even in the midst of a hectic schedule.
* Plan church meetings on days other than Sunday.
* Respect Sabbath time for staff members. Office staff come on Sunday to worship and be refreshed, just like everyone else.
* Spend time in prayer. Jesus often tried to find quiet time away from the crowds to pray. If it's important for Jesus, shouldn't it be important for us?

Spiritual Cataracts

Several years ago my mother was diagnosed with cataracts. She knew that she couldn't see as clearly as she once did, but it happened so gradually they she wasn't aware of how much of her vision she had lost. And then she had surgery to remove the cloudy lens and replace them with clear ones. And all of a sudden she realized what she had been missing. Colors were bold and brilliant. And she was thrilled!

I read recently about the concept of "spiritual cataracts." The idea is that where we once had joy, enthusiasm, and passion for our Christian faith, over time it begins to dull. We became staid and content with what we have DONE for Jesus instead of what we are DOING for him. We are satisfied with the status quo... or less.

David and Diane Noble suggest the following "vision test":

• Do you find it easier to see someone else’s shortcomings before you see your own? (Luke 6:41-42)


• Do you look to your own interests rather than the interests of others? (Philippians 2:4)


• Do you focus more on the conflict and what people are doing rather than focusing on Jesus? (Hebrews 12:1-3)


• Do you look more at obstacles during tough times than at God’s power and might to redeem a situation? (Numbers 13:32-33)

How is your spiritual vision? Can you see Christ clearly, or has he become blurry and undefined? If so, what are you willing to do about it?

"Alleluia" or "Hallelujah"?

In the past several weeks I've been asked by several folks what is the difference between "Alleluia" and "Hallelujah". They are both an expression of praise to God. Hallelujah comes from the Hebrew (used in Psalms) which means "Praise Yahweh". It's also found in the New Testament book of Revelation. Alleluia is simply the Greek or Latin form of the same word. They can be used interchangeably. But the important thing is, no matter what form you choose to use, DO praise God for all that we have been given.

Joy in Jesus

As I grew up in the Lutheran church I was taught to respect that place we gather for worship. Not to run, shout, play games, or anything else that might be construed as "fun". In the process, I was also taught that "church", "Jesus" and "fun" could not and should not be used in the same sentence. And yet, as an adult, as I read scripture, I can't help but "see" the twinkle in Jesus' eye when he tells a story. He probably had a little grin on his face when he told the servants to "fill the jars with water" knowing they were going to be blown away by the great wine he creating. I suspect that Jesus even got up and danced a bit!

So maybe it's okay smile at the Communion rail when we receive this great gift from Christ! Maybe it's appropriate to smile (and even laugh) in church. After all, Jesus probably is!

What do you think?