Humbled Twice

I've always considered myself a just and compassionate person.  I suppose that's still true, but in the past few days, I've been humbled twice.  Neither event was huge, but both "put me in my place," so to speak.

First of all, my family's usual Sunday ritual after church is to do our weekly grocery shopping at an internationally known chain grocery/clothing/outdoor supplies/electronics/etc. store.  Yeah, you probably know the place I'm talking about.  This company is not known for being union friendly, and I suppose there are good arguments on both sides of the issue.  This company is also known for not treating its workers the best. Since this company is so big, it can afford to sell things cheaper which sometimes puts local establishments out of business.  At will, this company will also suddenly pull out of a town and/or move to a new location.  Customer service in this company has declined severely over the past few years, but yet people flock there because of the prices.

In this company's defense, it does provide job opportunities for many people who have trouble finding employment elsewhere.  The employment conditions and the pay may not be great, but it is employment.  It is a chance to earn a living, however meager that living is.  It does provide goods and services at prices that other businesses simply cannot offer them.  But, they are at prices that most customers can afford.  It is a "one stop shop."

As we were checking out from this store, and we were unloading our cart, I was looking at the items we were buying.  There was nothing extravagant...normal groceries.  We also had a few things, however, that were for around the house such as birdseed, weed killer, and even some out of the ordinary fruits and vegetables (just to see what they tasted like).  All in all, this was not an expensive shopping trip, but we did not stick to "needs."  We also got our share of "wants."  Inherently, that is neither good nor bad.

While we were checking out, I noticed our cashier.  While looks can be deceiving, and I could be stereotyping, in this case I doubt I am.  She was a young woman, probably mid-twenty's to early-thirties.  She did not seem happy to be there.  OK, most of the time, people are not "happy" at work, but she seemed to be just putting in the hours.  She didn't speak to me except to tell me how much the total was.  There was a look of defeat or depression on her face as if the world weighed her down.  Granted, she could have just had a bad day, been tired, been sick, or some other temporary ailment, but if my snap judgment was correct, this young lady was most likely working the only job she know how to work, working the only hours she could get, and living on the pay she received from this job (which I'd assume was relatively low).  For some reason, I felt ashamed as she rung up my birdseed and weed killer and exotic fruit.  I wondered if she gets to enjoy watching the birds where she lives.  Does she get to chase the cats away so they don't kill her birds?  Does she get to kill the weeds in her yard?  Does she even get to plant flowers?

What I had wasn't bad, but I felt bad for her.  And if I was wrong in my judgment, I feel bad for the people who can't have these things.  The people who struggle just to keep a roof over their heads.  This is not to say that there should be class warfare...I'm not saying all rich people are greedy.  I'm also not saying that some poor people didn't make bad and sinful choices to put themselves in that position.  I am saying that I was personally humbled.  At that moment, I thanked God for what I have.  I'm not rich.  I'm not poor.  I have what I need, and some of what I want.  I thanked God that this lady had a job.  I prayed that this was but a stepping stone for her.  I prayed that one day she too could watch the birds in her own yard where she killed the weeds.

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The next day, I was out killing the weeds.  I live across the street from my church.  Most people from this tiny little town know that this is the parsonage for the church.  They know that the pastor lives here.  Many people in town know who I am.  I can hardly go anywhere without someone yelling, "Hey Preacher!"  I rarely know who they are (unless they go to my church), but they know me.  That's how it is being a pastor in a small town.

Just as I was finishing and getting ready to go inside, a car started slowly driving down my driveway.  At first, I thought it was a church member.  It was bright out, and my eyes aren't the best, and I couldn't see through the windows due to the reflection of the sun.  When they got closer to me, I realized I didn't know these people, and I assumed they were going to ask me for directions.  (NOTE:  Do not, under any circumstances, EVER, ask me for directions.  I have no sense of direction!  I will get you lost!  It will not be intentional, but you will be more lost than you already are).

Finally, the car stopped and a lady got out of the car.  Then I realized what this was.  She was holding the signature tract of a Christian denomination that some people consider a "cult," that is famous for going door to door as an evangelistic technique, and they hold non-mainline theological beliefs.  I wondered how I should handle this.  I almost introduced myself as the Pastor, but I didn't.  The woman came up and started with some small talk.  She was very friendly.  She gave a very brief pitch about being happy and about an upcoming presentation on how to become happy.  She then handed me her tract and told me to have a nice rest of the day.  Since she was so pleasant, rather than getting angry, my  feelings immediately changed towards her and her denomination (at least for the time being).  I told her as she was going to her car that she could pull down and turn around so she didn't have to back out into the road, and as she did, I realized there were 3 other women with her, and all 4 ladies were of a different race.

If you are from my church and you are reading this, please know I'm NOT complaining about us!  We have so much to be thankful for!  We are a VERY inclusive congregation.  While we are mostly racially the same, when we do get visitors of other races, I have never seen anyone treated any differently.  But, I wonder why mainline churches as a whole are segregated?  Do we worship different Gods?  No!  It's the same God!  I think each race would say we would be fine if someone from the other race came to the other church.  But, why are we mainly segregated?  OK, some is traditional worship style.  But some is because "that's the way we've always done it."

Also, why can this denomination go visit strangers, and they know that many will be hostile to their visit, but most mainline denominations can't even talk to friends about God?  Why can they let their beliefs rule their lives but most of us say our religion is private?  How can our religion be private?  Was God private?  Was Jesus private?  Did the Holy Spirit come in private?

I was humbled by this simple friendly lady who took the time to drive down my driveway to hand me a tract and invite me to a presentation (most likely knowing I have no intention of going).  While I'm not sure how to handle her beliefs in the same God we worship, I can take comfort in the fact that God can handle it.  And since it seems we're both on the same team, we both see Christ as Lord and Savior, God can take care of the details of the contract.

The Sermon I Did Not Want To Preach

For the Second Sunday of Lent, the Lectionary - that is the suggested Scripture Readings for that particular Sunday - included Mark 8:31-38.  This is the passage where Jesus is openly telling others that he will be killed and then rise on the 3rd day.  The Apostle Peter, trying to be a "good guy" comes up to Jesus and (in my own words) tells him that it doesn't have to be that way - they'd protect him (yes, I'm taking some liberties with the text, but the point is that he didn't want Jesus to suffer).  Jesus then oddly says to Peter "Get behind me, Satan!"  After saying that, Jesus then tells the people who are gathered there how to have eternal life.  He says they have to give up their lives to keep them.  He says that to be a follower people have to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow him.

"Woah," I thought "No more Mr. Nice Jesus."
No more 6 lb. 7 oz. Baby Jesus (OK, if you're a Ricky Bobby Fan from the movie Talledega Nights, I probably butchered that reference, but that's beside the point).

This Jesus is making us choose between life and death.  Not his life and death, but our own.  And if it's not life and death, it's at least going to seriously affect our comfort!  I HAD to choose a different passage to preach from.  The lectionary is, after all, a guide, not a rule.  The church police wouldn't arrest me for not using the lectionary.  Well, we don't have church police, but if we did, it would probably only be a misdemeanor anyway.

But, the more I thought about it, I realized I HAD to preach from this text.  Not just for my congregation, but also for me.  I needed this.  I needed to be reminded how to follow Jesus.  I needed to be taken out of my comfort zone.

So, I sat down to write my sermon.  Actually, that's not entirely accurate.  Rarely do I "write" a sermon.  I'm too random for that.  I only "write" sermons for very formal occasions such as funerals, weddings, or high holidays, and even then, I'll deviate from what I have written.  For the normal Sunday service, I write out notes or prepare "notes" in my head depending on how familiar I am with the Scripture and where I feel I am led to preach.  Well, as I tried to write my notes out, I just couldn't do it.  It was too intrusive, too "hardcore."  This sermon would step on too many toes.  Heck, it was crushing mine, and I hadn't even put a word on paper yet.

This went on for several days, and finally by Saturday Night, I realized that something had to be done.  I am expected to deliver a sermon on Sunday, and I only had a few hours until Sunday was to come.  So, I reread the Scripture for the millionth time and then put down a few notes.  I wasn't sure where this was going to go, but I figured I had God in a trap.  "I'll stand up there," I said, "but You have to give me the words."

Sunday came.  Time for the sermon.  I was nervous.  That's a lie....I was terrified.  I rarely get that nervous before anything anymore.

I started off by making my confession that I did not want to preach this sermon.  This was the hardest sermon I've ever preached.  I didn't even know where it would end up.  I apologized that I knew I'd be stepping on toes, but told them that if their toes got stepped on, they should know that in the process, I'd been run over by a steam roller!  Then I jumped in.

First I addressed Jesus saying "Get behind me, Satan." Jesus isn't saying Peter was indwelled by the devil, but rather that Peter was focussing on fleshly answers and not Godly answers.  That's explained in the Scripture.  Ok, so far, so good.

Then, I had to explain what it mean to follow Jesus.  And in this Scripture there was a 3-part formula:
1. Deny yourself
2. Take up your cross
3. Follow Jesus

Deny Yourself
This may be one of the hardest things for anyone to do.  It is for me.  I don't like to deny myself.   When I'm tired, I like to rest.  When I'm hungry, I like to eat.  That's why I preach facing the congregation and don't give them a profile view (insert chuckle).  But, this denial is not something we do to look more pious or holy.  We don't deny ourselves lunch so that we look pale so others can see we are suffering for Christ.  This denial is saying that we are not the most important creation ever.  We are not the center of the universe.  Our plan is not central, but God's is.  So, I told my congregation, it's ok to buy new clothes from time to time - heck, I don't want to see them in loin-cloths, and they CERTAINLY don't want to see me in a loin-cloth!

Take Up Your Cross
We use Crosses as jewelry and decorations.  In modern times, that's fine because it reminds us of Christ, but to a citizen of the first century Roman Empire, they would think we are sadistic!  It would be like wearing jewelry shaped like the electric chair...but worse.  We don't really have public executions, at least in this part of the world.  Most of us have never seen an execution on the electric chair, though we know what it's used for if we see one.  We may know some of the horror, but having not seen the actual execution, we don't know the entire horror of the electric chair.

The Cross was an instrument of death.  And Jesus is telling us to pick one up?  He's not talking about jewelry. He's talking about taking something that may kill us.  What he's saying is that if we're going to be disciples, our lives are secondary to the service of God.  We may die serving God.  To humans that sounds awful.  But to God, that's a smooth transition.  We see death as a finality.  God sees death as a mere transition because Christ defeated death.  Jesus is saying that if we're serving God, we don't have to be afraid, even if we have to face the possibility of our own death.

Follow Me
Only then can we follow Jesus.  Only after we put ourselves in our proper place can we follow Jesus.  Following Jesus is difficult and dangerous, but we are not alone.  We may suffer, but we are not without a comforter.  We may experience difficulties, but never without help.  We may be hated, but never without ultimate love.


What If We Took This Seriously - This is where toes will get stepped on
We can change the world with God if we just follow Jesus.  What would happen to poverty if just the Christians took their call seriously?  We'd eliminate it, that's what would happen.  We wouldn't worry about who "deserves" help and who "doesn't deserve" help because God never tells us which poor deserve our ministry, but it's clear that we are to minister to the poor.  Yes, some are poor because of sinful and bad and stupid choices...But, it's not our place to judge.  That's God's job.

The sick wouldn't have to worry about being insured or not if the Christians would do what we are called to do.  There simply wouldn't be a national debate about insurance.  Medical bills would simply be covered for all who need it if we took our call as Christians seriously to love God and neighbor.  There would be no "us" and "them."  There would be no "mine" and "yours."  And this is just if the Christians lived our faith...I haven't even taken into consideration if we evangelized and converted others.

Criminals would be rehabilitated.  Prisons would not be places to make criminals more hardened, they would be places to reconcile those who have done wrong back to society.  Of course all could not be saved, but many would.  Of course, crimes need to be punished, but it does no good to punish someone without teaching them how to do something right.  If just the Christians did this, our crime rate could exponentially decrease.

These are just a few of the issues that we could fix if Christians took Jesus seriously.  Are we willing to do it?  Most Christians would say "Yes, go get them!"  Few would say "Yes, let me at them."  But, we need to answer both ways.  One person cannot do it alone.  We must do it as Christ's Body led by the Holy Spirit.

If "Sesame Street" Gets It, Can Christians Get It?

Every year, I look forward to the Holiday Season.  Pure and simple, this time of year makes me happy.  Once November comes, I hound my wife until she lets me put up the Christmas trees (Yes, that’s plural…At last count, we have 3 decorated trees and a cactus about to be decorated).  Every year, I try to find the perfect spot in the house for our Nativity Scene.  We have a handmade Nativity Scene made from a cloth pattern that was cut out and stuffed by my wife’s Grandmother who went to be with God this past year.  Though we have several Nativity Scenes, this one is my favorite, and this year it has even more special meaning.  I also have my large collection of Nutcrackers.  I’ve lost track of how many I have…just know that there are A LOT!

But wait!  What about Thanksgiving, you ask?  Don’t worry; I celebrate Thanksgiving.  I love Thanksgiving - the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie.  I just like my Thanksgiving with a little bit…ok…a lot of Christmas mixed in with it. 

Basically, I turn into a child this time of year.  I find myself competing with my own young children as we decorate the Christmas Trees.  I want to put up the “cool ornaments.”  I have to remind myself that I’m the dad now, and that rather than competing with my children, I should enjoy watching them cram 5 or 6 ornaments on the same branch, or watching them put all the ornaments no higher than 2 feet off the ground.  But, secretly, I’m excited for them to go to bed so I can go back and reposition the ornaments for a “more balanced Christmas Tree.”

But, this year, I feel different.  I wonder if I’m chasing a dream that doesn’t exist.  Even now, I’m typing this beside one of my trees (lights on, of course), but it is with a heavy heart.  I guess I owe you some background information.

A few weeks ago, my family and I went to Wal-Mart for groceries, and to pick up some supplies we needed.  My 5-year-old son saw a toy he wanted, but I told him we didn’t have enough money to get it.  To be honest, our bank account could have afforded the toy, but I told him it was too expensive…a response many parents give their children.  A few minutes later, he saw a small stuffed bear with the Duke University Logo on it.  As a Duke Divinity School student, I couldn’t pass this up.  I let him put it in the cart.  Even when I told him he could have that little bear he asked a few times if we had enough money for it.  I said “yes,” and went on.

After the shopping trip, my wife and I decided to treat the kids to lunch at a fast food restaurant.  Once my son heard that we were eating out, the first question was, “Do we have enough money?”  Suddenly, it hit me.  It hit me like a ton of rocks.  My son, who doesn’t really understand money, was worried that we didn’t have enough.  I almost cried at the anxiety I caused him to have.  By dismissing his “gimme’s” with “we don’t have enough money,” I made this little boy anxious about a subject he shouldn’t’ have to worry about.  I felt horrible.  I stopped dead in my tracks and explained the best I could that we have enough money to take care of him, and that he doesn’t have to worry about money.  I tried to explain the difference between buying an expensive toy and buying groceries, but I think I only confused him. 

Ok, that’s the background information.

As I see the news this year, daily, I see stories of people in America (not to mention around the world) who don’t have enough money for basic necessities.  So many people are out of work, and no relief is in sight.  The problem has apparently gotten so bad that “Sesame Street” has introduced a Muppet to address childhood hunger.  While I wish shows like “Sesame Street” could focus on things like letters and numbers, I applaud them because SOMEONE gets it.

Americans are so quick to blame the state of the poor on the poor themselves.  “They wouldn’t be poor if…” (fill in the blank – “they would find a job,” “they weren’t lazy,” “they just buckled down,” or add your own).  Even many Christians say the same.  In fact, some of the most unsympathetic people on the issue of poverty that I’ve met are professing Christians.  “Why should I have to feed someone else’s kid?” they ask.  “Taxes are stealing my money and giving it to people who are too lazy to work.”  Remember…I’m speaking about Christians who say these things.

I wonder if these Christians read a book…an important book…the Bible.  I’m sure if they dug hard enough into the text, they’d find God’s words on the issue of poverty.  Spoiler Alert:  I’m going to tell you what God says – God tells humans that they are to help the poor.

Somehow, anyone who finds these passages isn’t a “True” Christian (according to some).  Those who advocate these passages are “just trying to steal the money from hard working people and give it to the undeserving.”  Undeserving?  Isn’t there something in the Bible about ALL people being created in the Image of God?

This year, a record number of people in America don’t have enough food (including many children).  They go to bed hungry.  They go to food pantries to get basic necessities.  They choose between needed medication and supper – which is more important?  “Sesame Street” recognized this reality…why can’t the entire Christian Community get it?

Thanksgiving will come this year, and a record number of families will not have a traditional dinner, unless it comes from a charity or organization.  Christmas will come, and a record number of children will not wake up to a tree with presents under it.  Some Christians say that this is just “too bad” for them…survival of the fittest…it’s not their problem.  Others will write a check and give it to some charity so that they don’t have to actively get their hands “dirty.” 

The time has come to stop this mindset in our churches.  Either we take God seriously or we don’t.  Or, paraphrasing Stephen Colbert: we tell God we just don’t want to obey the commands on caring for the poor. 

The poor ARE our responsibility.  I grant that some are poor because of bad money management or bad and sinful choices.  But, God doesn’t seem to differentiate one type of poverty from another.  Writing checks to charities is good…don’t get me wrong about what I said earlier…but, working WITH the poor is better.  This doesn’t even mean you have to leave your own comfort zone to find the poor.  They sit in our pews at church every week.  They live next door to us.  They work with us.  Their children are friends with our children. 

We can’t save everyone; I get that.  Actually, we can’t save ANYONE.  Only God, through Christ, in the Holy Spirit can do that.  But, we can point the way.  We can make a difference.  Let me rephrase…We WILL make a difference.  If we answer God’s call, we make a difference for the good.  If we ignore God, we make a difference for the bad.

If “Sesame Street” get’s it, can we Christians get it?  If “Sesame Street” is doing its part to minister to the poor, couldn’t professing Christians do a little more?  Please, Church, follow Elmo’s lead and make a difference!

Have and Have Not

"I have three things I'd like to say today. First, while you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition. Second, most of you don't give a shit. What's worse is that you're more upset with the fact that I said shit than the fact that 30,000 kids died last night." - Tony Campolo


As of September, 2011, 750,000 people in Somalia are on the brink of starvation and 4 million people desperately need aid. Click Here for an article explaining this situation.

What does the Church do in this situation?  What does this situation say about the Church ?


NOTE:  For the remainder of this post, "Church" (with a capital "C") will mean all Christian believers regardless of denomination or geographical location.


Sunday Morning:  I woke up this morning.  I slept soundly, and I was even fortunate enough to get to sleep a little later than usual.  I got out of bed (a very comfortable bed, by the way), went out into the living room, gave my wife and kids a hug and kiss, and then I poured myself a large mug of coffee.  I sat down, thought of the plans for the day, stressed out a little, watched some TV, and then decided I was hungry for breakfast.  I chose a bowl of cereal, though I could have also chosen oatmeal, a bagel, bacon and eggs, toast with peanut butter, jelly, or butter.  I could have eaten one of the several varieties of granola bars that are in our pantry.  But, I chose cereal.  I put milk in it too.  It was good!


I then got ready for the day...I dressed, shaved, brushed my teeth.  Then, I walked across the street to church.  I'm the pastor...I do that on Sundays.  When I got there, I poured myself another cup of coffee.  I decided against having one of the danishes that were there...but I had the option.  They looked great!  I just wasn't hungry.


As Sunday School began, I went to my church office to do final preparations on my sermon, and I prayed that God would keep me focused on the message I was to deliver.  At 11 AM, I went into the church sanctuary and led the worship service.  Everyone in my congregation drove to church.  Everyone had breakfast, just like I did...or if they didn't, it was by choice.  After some hymns, announcements, and a children's sermon on the 10 Commandments, I delivered the main sermon.  The point of the sermon was to challenge the congregation (and myself) to be a counterculture to the world.  As the Church, we should look different, act different, and be different from the world.  We should be the light for the world and not let the world determine our worth or actions.  We should be in genuine compassionate ministry to all the world.


After church, I shook hands of my congregation members, ran a meeting, and then came home to eat lunch.  I had a peanut butter and banana sandwich.  I love them!  I then went back to church with my family for our annual Youth Fun Day.  At 5 PM, we all at pizza from Pizza Hut.  


That Same Sunday: Someone from Somalia was on a 25 day walk to get to Kenya where they hope to find something to eat.  This person lost one of her children, her husband, one of her parents, or siblings.  This person had to leave home, friends, family, and all he knew to walk 25 days to find food.  At that same time, one of those walkers from Somalia to Kenya dropped to her hands and knees from exhaustion and starvation.  Her family wanted to help her, but she told them to go on.  They all knew it was over...at least for her. A father and a husband who promised his family a better life didn't have the strength to stand after taking a short rest.  He told his family to go on ahead of him...he'd catch up later.  They all knew he wouldn't catch up.  They all knew he wouldn't ever stand up again.  But they pretended that they believed he would catch up, and they walked on.  


Some of the people who have already made this three week walk were sitting in a refugee camp at the same time.  One person couldn't sleep last night.  She suffered so much loss that even though she lived, she feels she would be better off dead.  Another person searched the camp for a family member.  He knew he'd never find his loved one, but he looked none the less.  Some of the refugees went to a feeding center in the camp.  They got a tasteless gruel which they ate as if it were a gourmet meal.  Others took the food they received and hid some of it.  Would there be food tomorrow?


In another nation, a rich nation, a child was upset because he wanted chicken nuggets and not spaghetti.  He refused to eat.  The family put the left-overs in the refrigerator, but it all won't be eaten.  Mom will take some for lunch tomorrow, but the majority will be thrown away.  A grocery store threw out tons of food in the past week because it was past its prime.  It wasn't rotten, it just wasn't as good as customers demanded.


What does the Church do in this situation?  What does this situation say about the Church?

I Was in Prison and You Came to Me...

Surfing the web today, I looked at the Dayton Daily News.  That is the main newspaper of Dayton, Ohio.  A place where I lived and worked for 6 years.  It was where my son was born, and where my wife and I bought our first house.  We were both teachers in the city schools there.  Most of our kids came from broken homes and broken lives.

On that website, you can find mugshots of those in the Montgomery County Jail (Dayton is in Mont. County).  For some reason, and I truly regret this for reasons I'll explain later, I decided to click on this and see if I knew anyone in jail.

It turns out at least 3 of my former students are on that site.  1 for probation violations, 1 for robbery, and 1 for robbery and murder.  I know I alone couldn't have changed their lives, but what if we as a society came together and said "enough is enough?"  What if we as Christians went to these people (adults AND kids) and acted like Christians among them rather than putting them in housing projects where we can just "avoid that side of town?"  What if we took Jesus' words seriously to reach out to ALL PEOPLE?

Does that mean we may be in danger?  Of course it does!  Does that mean we'll fail?  Definitely!  Does that mean people will hate us?  Yes!  Does that mean our feelings will get hurt?  Yes they will, more than once!  But, as Christians, why should we expect anything less?  Why should we expect to live in our happy little world and ignore the suffering around us as long as it stays out of our lives?

So, why do I feel guilty for looking?  The faces of these people (not just my students but all of the 700+ just in that jail alone) show years of pain and suffering.  Yes, they did bad things.  They may even deserve punishment.  But, they also deserve mercy and love.  They deserve to be shown the right way to go.  My guilt comes from all of the above statements, but most of all because they are put out there for public view just the same way we would look at animals in the zoo.  And, the last time I checked, people  may be animals (in the biological sense), but we don't belong in a zoo.

Could I have done anything to prevent these 3 former students of mine from being where they are?  Probably not.  I'm not even blaming myself, but I'm wondering what we all could have done?  And more importantly, what can we do in the future?  It takes all of us.  It's time to wake up and live the faith, not just wear it on our shoulders.  It's time to take our faith and wear it like a glove as we dig into the real issues!!

Poverty and a Christian Response

Poverty and a Christian Response

Presented by Tom Hallberg, Pastor of Hickory Grove United Methodist Church

This is from a Presentation I gave on March 10, 2011.  Please feel free to use any of this information!

Goals:            Understand Causes and Effects of Poverty.

            *Begin a conversation on what Christians can do to actively fight poverty.

           * Look at Poverty through a sociological and Biblical lens.

What NOT to expect:

            *This is not a presentation on World Poverty (That issue needs addressed, but that is not where I have experience)

            *There is not 1 way to fight poverty.  This is just 1 of MANY ways!

            *We won’t save anyone…That’s God’s job.  We just point them in the right                                     direction.

Matthew 26:11- “The poor you will always have with you…” is NOT a command!

Luke 4:18: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring             good news to the poor” (Jesus in Nazareth)

Poverty is a great stain on the “fabric” of our country!

Poverty is a disease:  Affects people physically, mentally, and spiritually.  If                         untreated it leads to worse problems including addiction, crime, lack of             morality.

Assumptions for this presentation:

            *Poverty is relative (What is poor in 1 area is rich in another)

            *There will be many generalizations (there are ALWAYS exceptions).

            *America runs on the “middle class’ model.

            *There is no perfect economic model to eliminate poverty.

Economic Poverty-  Not having enough money to meet needs.

Mental Poverty- Don’t know how to get out of poverty, “Survival Mode”

Spiritual Poverty- Thinking God can’t/won’t help, hopelessness

Situational Poverty- Temporary (job loss, unexpected bill, etc.)

Generational Poverty- Passed through generations (This will be our focus)

Progression of  [Generational] Poverty:

            Survival-Apathy-Don’t’ know how to get help-God doesn’t care-Disease

Results of Poverty: (Go “hand in hand” with Causes of Poverty)

            *Addiction as “self medication”            *Risky Behaviors

            *Family Breakdown                        *No faith in “the system”            *lack of self care

How the system fails:            *Education becomes a political pawn.

            *Churches refuse to minister to the needy.                        *Broken Welfare system

Causes of Poverty:            *Generational Poverty (doing what you know)

*Family breakdown *Poor choices            *Addiction  *Location  *Age

*Workers not making livable wages  *Individualism vs. Brother’s Keeper

*Ignoring the poor            *Mental/Physical illness  *Economy  * “Bad Luck”

God puts us in Communities:  *We depend on each other

            *The Church is Christ’s Community                        *Communities solve problems

Misconceptions of the poor:            *They are fat            *They are Lazy  *They abuse the system

            *They act inappropriately            *They don’t want help  *Gangs  *Race

            (Think WHY the poor are conceived these ways.)

Statistics:            *35.9 Million in US below the Poverty Line

            *In 27298 (Liberty NC)  Zip Code in year 2000 6.8% below poverty line (13+% in 2011) (http://factfinder.census.gov)

National Graduation Rate:            71-75% (25-30% DO NOT Graduate)- That equals the amount of people in the city of Chicago every year (Pedro Noguera, Prof. NYU)

Christian Call:  Mark 8-  “…take up your cross and follow me [Jesus]…”

            Also:  Isaiah, Amos, James, and many others!

Please Know:  We won’t end poverty, we won’t save anyone, but we can guide!

To re-form our own attitudes:  Genesis 1:  All are created in God’s image.

Deut. 6 and Mark 12: “Love your Neighbor as yourself”

“There but by the grace of God, go I” – John Bradford (England 1510-1555)

Behind the Scenes Work Christians can do:

            *Support Charities, communicate w/ civic leaders, donate

ACTIVE ministry:  *Form Relationships (this is most important!) (Meet people where             they are, set boundaries, speak truth in love)

            *Be Vulnerable, and educate your children to be compassionate

            *Teach Life skills (budgeting, parenting, cooking, etc.)

            *Keep this a relationship of equals

            *Lead them to Christ!

            *Encourage self-care

            *Love!

            *Remind them they are made “in God’s image.”

Reading:  *A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby K. Payne

            *There Are No Children Here by Alex Kotlowitz

            *Star Teachers of Children in Poverty by Martin Haberman

            *Fear of Beggars by Kelly S. Johnson