name your 50 states

This is NOT what I do all day but I did take a break to check this link out and see how I would do. I was pretty excited about the time. Anyone else wanna try? All you have to do is type the 50 states. There's a map that shows them, without names, so you have a reference for what you've typed and what you have left. Spelling can be difficult. There were two states I had a little trouble with.

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that's my boy

So I have two children, a little girl named Rebekah who is 4 and a little boy named Ethan who is 2. They both are amazing creatures and so much fun to watch discover the world. There's something I've noticed about both of them lately and it's beginning to help me understand the nature of selfishness better.

First off, I'm not going to act as if my kids have got it all figured out, they are just as selfish as the next kid. When one picks up a toy that hasn't been played with in six months, the other immediately wants it. They tease each other, Ethan pulls Rebekah's hair, Rebekah bosses Ethan around. They have their difficulties. But they also have those moments where you just know God has worked a bit and you see glimpses of how we all should be.

Every morning Rebekah typically gets up before Ethan. She busts into our room and asks if it's okay if she goes out and watches some TV. Usually, if it's after 7:15 or so, we say yes and she gets to watch a little Disney Channel. Usually around 8:00 Ethan gets up. He typically is slower to awaken and likes to cuddle a bit. What's funny to see is that after hugging whomever gets him up, he likes to go and greet the other two people. Then he pops back into the kitchen looking for sippy cup of milk.

Here's where it's fun. Ethan gets his cup and then immediately says, "Buba" (his name for Rebekah) and waits for a cup for Rebekah as well and then runs out to deliver it to her with a big grin on his face. But it's not just for that one time a day. Anything you give him food/drink wise he immediately asks for some for Rebekah. And he's not doing the whole "sure dad, give it to me, and I'll give it to her; wink, wink" deal. He really takes it to her. And he loves it.

Rebekah, meanwhile, is really beginning to enjoy sharing her stuff with Ethan because she realizes how excited he is to get to play with her. She says, "Ethan wants to be just like me because I'm the big sister." Wow. I just love it.

Anyway, these moments remind me of how beautiful unselfishness really is and how rewarding it is to share something with someone else. It doesn't have to be anything they need, just that you know you can make them happy and are willing to do so. Sometimes Philip Gabriel pops in on Wednesdays and brings me a cheeseburger from McDonald's. I don't need it but I love it when he does that. Just a nice chat over a cheap burger in my office.

So why do we struggle with this so much as we get older. We know that selfishness, in most areas (there are always exceptions), is improper, is counter to God's mission on this earth. And all I can figure is that it is the nature of our rebellion against God. We want to keep things for ourselves because things aren't permanent, they pass, so we exert control over things we really can't control, deceiving ourselves into believing that we have control.

God seems to constantly call His people away from control toward faith. And that faith is to help them grow in holiness, not to just get them to heaven one day or forgive them, but to earnestly help them grow to be more like Jesus. It's actually possible. We're not just dirty sinners who can't do anything but sin, we actually can grow in holiness and purity, giving our hearts and minds to God to restore and make new. And when we let go of those things over which we have no control we see how real our faith can become and how much joy there is in giving ourselves away to others. Whether it is helping someone in need, loving a friend, or getting married; giving ourselves to others means the possibility of pain or rejection but it also means the possibility of experiencing a deeper love and connection with our Creator.

I'd like to think that God still teaches us through the actions of children and Rebekah and Ethan are constant reminders to me that my life is not my own, but belongs to my Creator and Lord. I hope that I can grow in holiness, unselfishness, and grace so that I can help them do the same.

it's just policy

"We're really sorry but our church doesn't host outside groups". That refrain is growing more and more common these days as each year I try to set up our two week Choir Tour/Mission Trip. Typically on our way to and from our mission site, we perform our worship concert at local ministries in various cities and then sleep on the floor of a local church. For some strange reason, churches in general have begun to decide more and more frequently that they cannot host groups of mission minded youth and adults for one night; no meals, no real set up, just floors and bathrooms, heck we don't even ask for showers but usually use YMCA's.

Have we just totally missed the point when it comes to church? I really have to wonder sometimes. We're not talking about letting us crash for two weeks, use 10,000 gallons of water, trash your place; we're talking one night. One night. One night for kids who have spent the past couple of hours serving homeless folks, leading them in worship. How is there a "policy" pertaining to that? Who decided at some point in the building of multi-million dollar facilities that those very facilities should be a monument to ourselves, to our amazing ability to give ourselves money? It's really been difficult for me to swallow this because it just so seems, for lack of a better word, anti-church. It's the opposite of what I read about in Acts where the believers had "everything in common". They sold their stuff and gave it to the church to help people. Paul resided for months with other local Christians or Jews in the towns to which he traveled.

I realize that some groups can cause some destruction. We've done that a time or two though when it's happened we've made every effort to correct the situation and deal with the trouble makers. Does that mean though that no other group should have a chance? And why is it that this mentality comes typically from the wealthier churches more than any others, the very ones who it seems should be opening their doors to share the blessings God has given them? Not that they don't share in other ways but having done this for almost 10 years, sleeping on some floors requires next to nothing for a church; someone to let you in, tell you where to go, and some light clean up the next day (and any good group will clean up after themselves to minimize that labor).

It just seems like we are teaching our people the wrong mentality when it comes to hosting. We should jump at the chance to host groups that are coming through our communities, ministering to the lost in those communities, and need one mere night of sleep. That's why I've argued against any policy here of charging groups to stay. My church's budget is over 1 million dollars and we're going to quibble over the $100 in water and electricity a group of 40 people might use during a one or two day stay? Are you kidding? I have a friend who is hoping to bring some youth who are not Christians up to Jacksonville to take them to Kona skate park, a mecca of sorts for skateboarders. These are kids that he has developed a relationship with through his skate park ministry at his church and he wants to take them on their first retreat, first to the skate park and then to church the next morning. Wow, wouldn't that be amazing if some of these kids were willing to do it? And do I want their exposure to church to be, "by the way, here's a bill for $5 per person for the water you used in the showers before you came to our church service?" What message does that send? What message does enacting a policy of "outside groups aren't welcome here send?" What does that say about our relationship with God?

I hope that God keeps us from our selfishness. I know I don't need any help in being focused on me so it seems as if my church could help me overcome this by not doing the same thing, focusing on itself.