Andy's Blog: A Personal Word
May 2008 Archive
May 28, 2008
May. 28, 2008We are all aware of the rising costs of gasoline, food, and other items. It’s the law of supply and demand. When supply goes down and demands remain the same or go up, the costs go up. And the rise in costs is passed on to the consumer. If we want it, we pay more, or we do without.
The church is a bit different. God’s grace doesn’t operate on the same principle of supply and demand. His grace is free and never in short supply. As recipients of that grace, we live lives of gratitude as ‘stewards of the mysteries’ of God. We don’t have to pay God back for His grace. All God asks is that we pass that grace on.
We are fortunate at Trinity to have so many great ministries for every age and stage. Our church reaches out to the world in a remarkable way, and this costs money. Everything from utility bills to nursery works to Sunday school supplies, the music that blesses us in worship, the mission teams we send out, the children for whom we provide special care, the students we nurture in faith – all of these require resources. We have no way to pass on costs of ministry. If we want to do these things, we pay for them, or we do without.
Coming into 2008, we actually received fewer commitments than we had in 2007. As a result, to be wise stewards, our budget was reduced. Staff members did not receive raises, and other items were reduced. A third of the way through the year, we reviewed our giving and discovered that we still were facing a shortfall. Again, to be wise stewards, the Finance Committee recommended and the Board concurred that we reduce our program ministry budget by 25%.
I think it is within us to restore these reductions. If those who have made commitments for this year and are able would join me in increasing your giving by $100 (about two tanks of gas!), it would make up the difference. If you did not complete a commitment for this year, I invite you to call the Finance Office and join in sharing all the great things God does through our church. As members of the One Body of Christ, we all share the gifts and responsibilities of the Body.
We are so blessed at Trinity. Share the blessing!
May 14, 2008
May. 14, 2008 At the beginning of Mitch Albom’s novel, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Albom says “All endings are beginnings, there are endless chapters in our book.” This is a time of year for endings and beginnings. Students will graduate from high school and college – closing one chapter and beginning a new chapter of life. For parents, a chapter of their lives with their children has also ended and a new one begins. It is a bittersweet time filled with both excitement and fear, gratitude and regret, anticipation and longing.
Life is filled with endings and beginnings. Something must end, for something new to begin. Albom talks about three stages in these transitions:
First, there is a time of ending when things are closing down, or finishing a cycle. Endings can bring a sense of accomplishment and gratitude. But they can also bring a sense of loss that must be grieved.
Second, there is fallow time, when nothing seems to be happening. This can be frightening and confusing, when we know something has ended but we are unsure of what is beginning. In the Exodus story, the Jewish people escaped from slavery – only to enter a time of wandering in the wilderness.
Thirdly there is a time of new beginning, as we feel our way into an unknown future. Rachael Carson has written that, “Beginnings are apt to be shadowy.” Because they are new, we can’t always anticipate the shape of this beginning.
Some thoughts on how we handle endings and beginnings:
• Life is a journey not a destination. It’s one of those sayings that has almost become trite, but it is true. We never truly arrive. Each stage of life has its own potentials and challenges, it’s own richness. Enjoy the ride. Stay alive to the possibilities. Expect change.
• Be patient with yourself in the fallow times. There will be times when we feel a little lost and confused. We don’t have to have everything nailed down - done and for all. So relax! All beginnings are somewhat strange; but we must have patience, and little by little, we shall find things, which at first were obscure, becoming clearer, wrote Vincent De Paul.
• Grieve your losses. Celebrate your accomplishments. And then let go and move on. Don’t get stuck in what has been. Christian faith is future oriented. The “glory days” are not behind us but ahead of us. Do something, get started even if the first steps are tentative and unsure. You have to begin somewhere.
• Stay connected to people, to God. Life is not a journey we have to or should make alone. It is a journey best made with companions. Seek guidance, advice, and support.
• Trust that all of life is in God’s care and keeping. Jesus said, “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God.” We may sometimes feel lost, but we are never lost to God. The God of Jesus specializes in turning endings into beginnings.
All beginnings are somewhat strange; but we must have patience, and little by little, we shall find things, which at first were obscure, becoming clearer. ~ Vincent De Paul
Glory days are not behind. Life is more a journey than a destination. Stay alive to it.
May 7, 2008
May. 7, 2008The late Erma Bombeck was one of my favorite columnists. She was a very funny lady, a gifted writer and a devoted Christian. She had lots to say about being a mother. Some of my favorites:
• Spend at least one Mother’s Day with your respective mothers before you decide on marriage. If a man gives his mother a gift certificate for a flu shot, dump him.
• My kids always perceived the bathroom as a place where you wait it out until all the groceries are unloaded from the car.
• Making coffee has become the great compromise of the decade. It’s the only thing “real” men do that doesn’t seem to threaten their masculinity. To women, it’s on the same domestic entry level as putting the spring back into the toilet-tissue holder or taking a chicken out of the freezer to thaw.
• Graduation day is tough for adults. They go to the ceremony as parents. They come home as contemporaries. After twenty-two years of child-rearing, they are unemployed.
• Marriage has no guarantees. If that’s what you’re looking for, go live with a car battery.
• Mother’s words of wisdom: “Answer me! Don’t talk with food in your mouth!”
• Most children’s first words are “Mama” or “Daddy.” Mine were, “Do I have to use my own money?”
• Mothers have to remember what food each child likes or dislikes, which one is allergic to penicillin and hamster fur, who gets carsick and who isn’t kidding when he stands outside the bathroom door and tells you what’s going to happen if he doesn’t get in right away. It’s tough. If they all have the same hair color they tend to run together.
• When your mother asks, “Do you want a piece of advice?” it’s a mere formality. It doesn’t matter if you answer yes or no. You’re going to get it anyway.
Being a mother takes a good sense of humor, along with patience, wisdom, compassion, perseverance, raw energy – and most of all love. Don’t forget to call, see, hug or write your Mom on Mother’s Day!