Stuff

First of all "stuff" isn't the catch all title I used because I couldn't think of anything worth writing about. This is literally about the stuff we own, or the stuff that owns us.

Randy Pausch wrote a book called "The Last Lecture" while he was dying of cancer. I think he was a guy who really knew what the important things in life were. He tells the story of the days when he was a professor at Carnegie Mellon and still a bachelor. On the day he bought a new convertible he went to pick up his niece and nephew for one of their scheduled fun nights out. before they pulled out of the driveway Uncle Randy dumped his Coke on the seats. Later on the way home tears were saved when one of the kids spilled a milkshake in the backseat. I know It's not in me to do that.

Brother Juniper was one of the brothers of St. Francis of Assisi. Once he was left in charge of the Cathedral by the caretaker. When some beggars came, Juniper had little to offer them. He mentioned there were some silver bells in the tower, they could have, since it was God's house. So he helped them get them down. Legend is that when the bishop returned he scolded Brother Juniper so badly he lost his voice. Oh brother Juniper! (excerpted from Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne)

one more story: "All of the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. .. There was no needy person among them." Acts 4:32,34

So what am I getting at. One answer is that belongings can be obstacles to being the hands and feet of Christ. Christ's message not only transformed individual peoples hearts, but he changed the way people thought about their "Stuff". If you read the Book of Acts there are accounts of people selling all they had and laying the money at the feet of the apostles. Jesus himself said it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man see the kingdom of Heaven.
The Jesus movement of the 1st century had economic implications. People found what was important, making sure that everyone was taken care of.
Sometimes our government wants us to do our "civic duty" and give more, through millage or other means. Some cry foul on the tax hike. Some say they are trying to spread the wealth around. But Jesus taught a different way. The disciples took care of the needs of others because they were one in heart and mind. They also refused to claim any possessions as their own. So step one I guess is recognizing nothing is ours, it all comes from God. So how should we spend God's money?? Recently in Michigan the State Troopers were asked to take a mandatory 6 hours off for six weeks, amounting to less than one less paycheck for the year. This in turn would save the jobs of 100 State Troopers whose positions the State of Michigan could no longer afford. The Troopers Association voted down the furlough option nearly 2-1. Now forgive me for simplifying this issue. I don't have the energy to expound on the politics that brought about this ultimatum. I found the vote expected and inexplicable at the same time. I assumed in a culture where we think we are entitled to everything and how dare anyone infringe on our right to save up for that new boat. How can they go to work with someone who was on the chopping block and say "I couldn't spare a paycheck to save your career". REALLY? Are the troopers lacking the means necessary to care for those who need? or are they lacking the one in heart and mind concern that the original disciples of Christ were so good at cultivating?

So what do we do, do we sell all our stuff? Do we give our money to the government to hand out in the form of social programs? Do we go directly to the needy and give to them as they need? We can do anything we can do everything, we just have to remember that it's all God's anyway. The answer is up to you. I just hope we are doing it out of a genuine love for each other.

Pentecost and Propaganda

This post is a long time coming. It's been in the works for more than a week, but I've been prevented from getting more than one sentence in at a time by a busy schedule, but here is is.

Last year I read a book called Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne. In the book he talks about how we are citizens of the Kingdom of God first and foremost. Yes, we may be citizens of the United States, but Jesus finds what we call borders no more than annoying lines in the sand. Meaning they hold no sway over where he will go, what he will do or who he will bless. Keeping our primary allegiance in mind, what are our most important "holidays" as followers of Christ? Obviously, the birth and Resurrection of Christ are first on the mind of many readers, I know they were first in my mind. Then we have Pentecost, the oft overlooked celebration of the birth of the church. 50 days after Easter we received the Holy Spirit from God as our advocate. Acts 2 and John 16 are both worthwhile if you want to know more.

All of this I was thinking 2 weeks ago on Memorial Day. I was on the street early in the morning with my American Flag in hand, thinking to myself, I wish this was a Pentecost Parade. I thought the memorial day service and parade were nice, honestly. The boy scouts and colonels and reservists who stood on stage and said this is one of the most important days for our country every year. Well, that was more than a stretch.

There is a great podcast called "stuff you should know" that recently covered the topic of propaganda. They went over the different ways it is spread and how effective each one is. For example, one way is called "Glittering Generalities". This involves taking a commonly accepted or liked theme and pairing it with one side of the argument. George Bush did this extremely well. The Patriot Act really has nothing to do with patriots, it's main focus is information security and domestic spying. Whoever is against it though can be easily characterized as anti-American. "What do you hate Patriots?" Or the "Pro-Family" movement, really nothing to do with helping American families in their struggles but seeks to broadly restrict the rights of homosexuals and marginalize them. Anyone bold enough to point this out must hate families. In an interesting side note I learned Pope Gregory (V?) established the congregation of propaganda to return people to the Catholic Church after Martin Luther nailed his list to the church's door. I digress back to Memorial Day. I felt like the Memorial day service was this propaganda piece to perpetuate the myth that America is a christian nation. It's this belief that we are "The city on the Hill" that justifies so much war. It's the Us/Them mentality. I won't even start on asking them to mention the thousands that died in Nagasaki and Hiroshima or hundreds of other wars. In the end that day wasn't remembering those that died. It was Glorifying those that died, as if the lives of Americans are worth anything more to God than those of others around the world. Myths, propaganda. I'm not deluded I know Christians have fought in many wars. I just believe the way of Jesus was non-violent.

I'm all about glorifying the one who died not just for me but for ALL of HUMANITY, Jesus Christ. I hope you had a blessed Pentecost, thanks for reading.