The Elimination of Poverty

One of the four focus areas of the United Methodist church is working towards the elimination of poverty in our world. We are encouraged to be doing this both locally and globally. It can be a challenge, sometimes , for us to find ways of eliminating poverty globally. One of the ways that Jeanette and I are trying to do this is through volunteer work at Ten Thousand Villages. We are fortunate to have their warehouse located just 10 mins from our house. Until she gets a job, Jeanette is volunteering twice a week, I am just doing it on Fridays, my day off from my church job. We do simple tasks like check that the tags are right, change out tags, or like just the other day, we were adding a "for decoration only. not a toy. keep out of reach of children" to a product from Africa. The beauty of Ten Thousand Villages is that the crafters are paid a fair wage for their product and with out this outlet, they would have very little income at all. What we do seems kind of trivial and insignificant - but its a part of the whole process. If they had to pay someone to do what we were doing, their profits would be less.

It's also important to be in ministry with the poor locally. In the past we have worked at food banks, and in a ministry that sought to help people out of poverty by establishing positive relationships. Here at Hopeland UMC there is a clothing bank ministry that we want to help out with. Right now, my little task, is to bring in the clothing that is dropped off at our door, and take it to the back room where it is sorted. Its just a little thing - but already I have found myself tempted to grumble about doing it. At those times I need to remind myself that each little part of the process adds to the whole.

I want to encourage you , beloved reader, to find a way to serve where you are. Even if it is in just a little way, it can make a difference when added to the things that others are doing. Blessings!

Tervis Tumbler and the Spirit!

My Beloved Tervis Tumbler! My tervis tumbler was a "house warming" gift from my sister Amy. She told me when she gave it to me that I would love it - and she was right. She said her beloved tervis was the only glass she ever used these days. She used it for coffee, then when the morning was over, for cold drinks, you name it, if she drank it, it came from her Tervis cup!

I could not help but notice in these last days the similarities between my tervis glass and the Holy Spirit and some ways its different.

Here's how my thinking goes.

1. My Tervis was a gift - so is the Holy Spirit. I didn't know what I was missing before my sister gave me my tervis. I did not know what I was missing before God gave to me the gift of the Holy Spirit! I didn't even know I needed the Spirit. I wouldn't want to go through my day with out my tervis, but I could if I had to. I can't imagine going through the day without the Holy Spirit - infact, I know I couldn't!

2. One of the great features of my Tervis is that there is never any condensation on the glass. No furniture gets a mark on it from it being wet. The reason it works, is that the liquid in the glass is surrounded by a protective pocket of air. The Holy Spirit is all emcompassing! It totally surrounds me and protects me where ever I am. Thanks be to God!

3. Changing the illustration a little bit...I hope to be a bit like my Tervis. My tervis is clear. It is easy to see what is inside of it. The Tervis is not the drink - its just the container. I want my life to be so clear that people can clearly see the gifts of the Holy Spirit in me. I want to get to the point where I am "just the container" for the gifts that God wants to give to others.

4. I'm trying to take my Tervis where ever I go. But sometimes I forget and leave it behind. Thanks be to God that such is not the case with the Spirit. I can't leave the Holy Spirit behind. The Spirit is with me where ever I go! Its not up to me to remember.

5. My tervis just feels good in my hand. It fits. The Holy Spirit is an even better fit! It feels good to be held by the Spirit of God!

There are, I am sure, plenty of ways that this illustration breaks down - and i apologize for that ahead of time....but I just wanted to let you know about my Tervis...and even more, I wanted to let you know about the Holy Spirit!

An Illustration that didn't work for me

The other day I got into the car and a radio preacher was on. I am usually tuned to a country station, but Jeanette had the car before me and had it tuned to the local christian station. It was one of those short spots where a preacher tries to share a thoughtful, inspirational story meant to encourage the lives of the listeners. He shared this illustration: A story is told of a certain ruler and one of his subjects. The subject, a youth known for bad behavior was brought before the ruler. The youth it seems was becoming known for his participation in illicit activities. The ruler wanted to change the youth's outlook, and handed down this judgement. He told the youth that unless his behavior changed, he would be executed. To help him change, he was sentenced with the task of carrying a shelf throughout the city upon which were placed two pots of oil. If any of the oil spilled he would be executed by the two guards who would walk beside him. The young man agreed to the sentence, and walked through the crowded city, consentrating hard on his task - after all, his life was at stake. His eyes never strayed from the pots of oil perched on the shelf he carried. He accomplished the task set before him. Brought again before the ruler, he was asked if he spilled any . "Not a drop" the young man reported. "How did you acheive this?" the ruler inquired. "I paid attention only to the task set before me" he said. " I never took my eyes off those pots, and so no oil was spilled". "Well done" responded the ruler. "Learn that lesson for the rest of your life", he said, and sent the youth on his way. The radio preacher went on to say that that is how we should live our lives - with our eyes only on Christ - and thus we will be able to avoid any of life's temptations.

I get what the preacher was trying to get across. And I agree, we need to learn ways to avoid giving into temptations. But my first thought was "How sad". How sad that this young man went through the whole of a city, and saw nothing but the pots he carried. He saw nothing of poverty. He saw nothing of oppression. He saw nothing of suffering. Likewise he saw nothing of beauty, of kindness, of joy. Christ calls us, I believe, to be fully alert to life around us. He does not want us so to concentrate on just one thing, that we miss all other things. Keeping our eyes on Christ does not mean that we don't see the world around us. What it does mean, is that we are called to see the world through the eyes of Christ. May we learn to see with they eyes of Christ - see the beautiful things as well as the ugly, and by that have our lives changed.

BUiLDiNG CHARACTER

The other day we found a great place in Lancaster City called BUiLDiNG Character. Its a store that reclaims architectural items and resells them for either use in homes or to be "transformed" by artisans into something new. OK - basically - its a junk store - old stuff that was going to be throw out, things that were cast aside, deemed no longer useful.

I was struck with all the possibilities! One of the things I appreciate about the eye of an artist - ( and sometimes I have one, sometimes I don't) is the ability to see the possibilities. Our God is our role model in this. God takes my junk - my old stuff - stuff that others would just abandon and say - "what's the use" - and transforms me into something that is pleasing in His sight - something that He can use! Praise be to God that He sees potential in me. I got plenty of junk in my life that needs to be transformed. I'm glad God is patient and as the most skilled artist, he slowly changes me. Re- purposes me. He makes me into something new. Thanks be to God!

The Blessing of Kindness

The Blessing of Kindness

This week's sermon is taken from Micah 6:8. "God has shown you what is good. Act justly, love kindness ( mercy) and walk humbly with your God."

On one of our first days in Ephrata, we sent grocery shopping at our nearest market - Martin's. We were greeted at the cash register by Cory. He had a warm and engaging smile. As he surveyed our shopping cart, he said - "wow - looks like you guys are stocking up!". That lead into a conversation about how we were new in the area - just moved in and so on. Cory, in just a few minutes time, showed a genuine interest in us. Welcomed us warmly to the area - said he hoped he would see us around often. We left with big smiles on our faces and our hearts a little lighter because of this small kindness shown to us.

Since that day, I've seen Cory often. In fact, I make it a point to look for him. Those of you who know me well know that I stop at the grocery store often! If he is at the cash register, I'll go in his line just to get a blessing from him. I've seen Cory helping an elderly woman in a wheel chair do her shopping. He did more than take things off the shelf. He chatted with her warmly - making her feel special I think. I've seen him help another customer unload their cart and put bags in their vans for them. I've seen him smile at little ones and just engage in a positive way with every person he sees. It's easy to see Christ in Cory. He displays God's grace in such a natural, simple way. He's not pushy. He's not obnoxious about it. He's just kind. Cory lives out Micah 6:8 . I want to be more like that - what about you?