Archive for March, 2010

Sponged…

// March 25th, 2010 // No Comments » // featured_video, OUT LOUD THOUGHTS

sponge

I was a little bummed today when I was looking up a new church plant in my community and found a community news item that they have a fundraiser this weekend.

Now I’ll admit that I have a personal opinion regarding a church fundraising from the community. And I’ll reserve that opinion.

But I’m greatly concerned about the message it sends when a new church springs up with zero credibility and relationship with a heavily unchurched community and organizes a fundraiser for missions to another part of the globe. Included in the article was that they’re hoping to sponge $2500 off the community.

A COUPLE OF FACTS ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY:

  • 90% of the kids of our elementary school get free or reduce lunches.
  • There are a ton of obvious community needs.  Walk down our street one time as a visitor and you can name about 10.
  • It’s about 90% unchurched with many people frankly hostile to the Church.

Do I think this church is trying to be a sponge?  Of course not.  I’m sure they haven’t even considered the fact that the perception of the Church in our community is that the Church really doesn’t care about anything and only comes out of the 4 walls during the Christmas parade so that it can leap on an opportunity to convert someone.

What bugs me the most is that – by now – we should start considering these things.

A church plant is mostly likely not going to make $2500 off of themselves at a fundraiser.  Obviously, if they were that wealthy they wouldn’t be doing a fundraiser in the first place.

So the intention, like it or not, is sponging off of a bunch of already broke unchurched people who already think we don’t care.

Last time I checked, we’re supposed to be the people serving our community.  It just kills me when we get it wrong.

Whenever I think of the trips that we’ve taken as missionaries to other countries, there were a few things that were no-brainers:

  • We went to that place financially solid enough so that we wouldn’t be a burden on the people there.
  • We tried our best to bless the businesses by buying locally and gave to the needs of the community.
  • We usually gave a financial gift to our hosts & the local churches as well.

So why don’t we treat out own communities with the same courtesy?

Hey, Fundraise.  But ask people who are following Jesus to make a sacrifice toward what you believe He’s calling you to do.

Go to every place on the planet with the Gospel.   But don’t have your introduction to your primary mission field be with your palm out – not in hospitality – but in asking them to serve your cause.

Here’s a clip from one of our giveaways in this same community.  The most we say is, “It’s just a small way to say Jesus loves you – no strings attached.”

At the end of the video (difficult to hear) a person had a keen insight: “Wow, That’s they way it should be!”

WWE invades Gold’s Gym

// March 24th, 2010 // No Comments » // featured_video

Hey, the fact that I like pro wrestling is the only redneck thing about me. I promise!

Wisdom from the poor man…

// March 3rd, 2010 // No Comments » // OUT LOUD THOUGHTS

I wonder if anything is more despised or looked down upon than the wisdom of a poor man.

If you sat on a sidewalk for hours a day with a poor man, do you think you’d be wiser?

If you knew someone who sat on a sidewalk for hours a day listening to a poor man, do you think they’d be wiser? Or do you think they’d wasted their time?

Is a poor man’s words less wise than a rich man?

Does a person with worldly success possess wisdom? Maybe not you’d assume, because you think of yourself as less shallow than that. But, then again, when was the last time you listened or sought the wisdom of a poor man.

Our minimum standards are probably upper middle class mean at least I think – credible enough because they have some standard of success yet authentic enough that they have struggles and a measure of brokenness.

We should be more appalled at ourselves than this. After all, Jesus did some pretty great talks explaining the distinction between the foolish and the wise and the rich and the poor.

But we still think the poor man speaks of only madness and failure. We think the poor man earned his place because of his own choices and sin.

Sounds kinda familiar to me, because they thought the same thing about Jesus:

Isaiah 53:2-4

He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. ..yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.