Second Thoughts

 

 

My Parents’ Advice

I am guilty!  I watched the Eagles defeat the Colts last night!  Lots of my friends probably watched Sunday’s football games and in rooting for their favorite team and when a block or tackle was missed were dismayed at a missed “hit.”  Football is a violent game and the gladiators are told to hit anything that is in sight!  Remember the high school football cheers:  “Push ‘me back, shove ‘em back, w..a..y back”……"Hit them again, harder, harder.”  Football fans in some small way are co-conspirators in the increasing abuse of woman and children and humanity in general.  So what should we expect from grown men who are told for most of their lives to hit and shove anything in their way? I know what you are thinking – “Bob, that’s taking it a little too far.”  Have I got your attention!

We are told that football is the new “America’s game!”  Good bye Babe Ruth and your drunken behavior, good bye Barry Bonds and your synthetic muscles, good bye Ty Cobb with your abusive language, good bye Mike Trout with your marvelous character and ability, good bye ……….  We now love hitting people rather than inanimate objects like baseballs.  Violence is in, gentleness is out!  People in the legislature striking others with their harsh words; gun lobbyists buying the hearts and votes of elected officials.  We moved from boxing and Greco Roman wrestling to full contact fighting – the crowds are growing.  We allow poverty to exist thus fostering violence in our cities and around the world as the left out try to fight their way out.

What is the anecdote to end the violence – or at least curbing it spread?  We could stop watching football?  For sports enthusiasts like myself, there’s not a fighting chance of that!  We could boycott the sponsors of such gladiator events.  Good bye Budweiser, almost all fast food restaurants, General Motors products, cellphone carriers, Marriott points, computer operating systems, and hundreds of other companies that are part of our everyday lives.  We could picket all violent sporting events.  We could get impassioned and put our hearts and money into pushing for stronger gun and abuse legislation.

However, it was my parents who taught me the simple answer to it all.  “Don’t you ever hit anybody!”    Before my studies in Biblical exegesis I took their words “Blessed are the peacemakers” and “Turn the other cheek” literally.  That stance in life did cause me some pain – like being thrown into gym lockers when I wouldn’t fight back or receiving an extra black and blue mark here or there.  Oh, I may have pushed someone away or grabbed a child to calm him down or keep her from hurting him or herself.  “Don’t hit anyone!”  Don’t hit or slap anyone –regardless of gender or age.  Practice non-violence!  Don’t hit people with your angry, hurtful words! 

There has been a lot of talk this past week of what the court can do or the NFL should do about violence against women and child abuse.  I will have to debate whether I stop watching my Eagles and whether I change from the Marriot to the Radisson – they just dropped their sponsorship of the NFL (hopefully for righteousness sake and not for the sake of the dollar).  I know I will continue to do what I can to fight poverty so that the left out won’t have to fight their way out.  But, I know that for the sake of my parents, my children, and those who meet me I will try to always turn the other cheek and be a peacemaker.

Prayer -  God of love and God of shalom, I pray for all those who are abused by acts of emotional and physical violence.  I pray for those who have violence so woven into their souls that their first response to life’s trials is to be physically and verbally aggressive.  God who embraced the little ones and touched with gentleness the rejected, instill in me a gentleness toward all and an aggressiveness in  fighting the causes of violence in the world.  I pray this in the Peacemaker’s name.  Amen.         



The Question is Not Whether He Was Cut but Will He Be Picked Up?

Michael Sam, the first openly gay NFL aspirant, was cut by the St. Louis Rams.  After almost being undrafted, Sam’s dream came true.  He was drafted in the late rounds (249^th to be exact) by the St. Louis Rams.  He had won many defensive player accolades as he starred at the University of Missouri.  It was almost a storybook tale! UM star gets to play for the St. Louis, MO. football team in the regular season…….hope springs eternal! 

But the reality of the Rams having a plethora of all-star quality defensive ends and the emergence of an undrafted defensive end whose pre-season rating numbers far exceeded those of Sam made the decision by the numbers clear…………regardless of race, sexual preference, nice guy criteria, Michael Sam needed to be put on waivers.  In professional sports, like it or not, it’s about putting the best players on the field. Then the team can win! That puts hometown fans in the stands and attracts advertising sponsors to pay the price so that those whose livelihood (from the multi-dollar contract player to the low wage earning vendor selling popcorn or beer in stands) depends on the team’s success will also be winners.

BUT NOW COMES THE REAL TEST OF WHERE OUR SOCIETY STANDS ON THE LGBT QUESTION.  Will Michael Sam be picked up off the waiver list by another team?  By the numbers Michael Sam is more proficient at his defensive end position than many veterans and rookies in the league.  There are at least several teams that have defensive linemen on their roster with less skill than Michael Sam.  Jeff Fisher, the Rams’ coach, acknowledged that Michael Sam has the ability to play in the NFL……just not on a talented defensive end laden team in St. Louis.  Now the question of our society’s – particularly in the world of sport – openness on LGBT justice issues is really being tested.  We now know Michael Sam has “got game” but will he be able to play in the NFL game?    

Michael Sam knew the truth and knew the numbers and made a statement that displayed his gracious and tenacious character when he tweeted: "I want to thank the entire Rams organization and the city of St. Louis for giving me this tremendous opportunity and allowing me to show I can play at this level.  I look forward to continuing to build on the progress I made here toward a long and successful career. The most worthwhile things in life rarely come easy, this is a lesson I've always known. The journey continues ..."

Several months ago it was about a gay being drafted by an NFL team.  It was first-and-ten.  Now it’s about a rising NFL prospect who proved he can play.  Now it’s second-and-three.  Those who have defended injustice are rapidly losing ground!  Hallelujah!

Downsizing Thoughts

Downsizing Thoughts

                I have been asked on numerous why many churches with a more evangelical emphasis were growing and what are the key factors in church growth.  These questions were asked of me as I served large steeple, large building churches……buildings that had high maintenance and upkeep costs.  My answer to the growth questions – particularly in relationship to new, fast growing churches - included the following elements.

·         Begin by identifying a community / geographic area which has the potential for growth.

·         Create a church culture that is attractive to the socio-economic demographics of that community.

·         Avoid creating building and property costs as long as possible – rent the local high school gym or an underutilized building.  If you build, start small.  Use the financial giving to hire staff that can be in the community and create programs that will attract the target audience.

·         Build a spiritual presence that proclaims accessibility and joy.

·         Consider building expansion only when the growth calls for it. 

Now that is a fine formula for a new church start, but the reality with many churches is that:

·         There are large high cost, high maintenance structures already there.

·         The cost of the maintenance precludes hiring more staff and creating new programs.

·         The church population has a history – traditions – that are already in place and members who are already there.

·         The community is over populated with other faith communities. 

Many historic denominations are struggling with just how to address the issue of declining membership because of challenging demographics and limited funding for dynamic programming because of a high percentage of church budgets being spent on bricks and mortar.  Some denominations and judicatories have decided to look to new church starts and limit their financial exposure to churches (particularly in urban settings) which are in decline.  Some of this shift in support is due to churches in which members are recalcitrant in looking at new ways for new days.

                The New York Times article on church downsizing – which is attached – stirred my thinking on what are some options for the building laden.  While it was my blessing to serve such church and still have significant growth, I always felt greater spiritual and numerical growth was impeded by the property budget.  (Just ponder the reality that in one church I served the property budget was close to one third - $350,000 - of the whole budget.  Think of what half of that money - $175,000 - could do in the proclamation of the Gospel).  The following thoughts are offered to give insight and create dialogue on this every increasing challenge to mainline churches and their buildings.

·         Begin with prayer for insight and letting go of past images and traditions about church. Include Bible study about what Christian community looks like and the core reality that church is more than a building.  Begin future thinking outside the box, as if it were a new church start.

·         Make significant, low cost changes to the outside appearance and interior that speaks to a next generation of seekers / worshippers.  Landscaping, signage, etc.  An occasional “curb appeal” check needs to be done.  Add video monitors and consider other technology, consider changing from fixed pews to chairs, redecorate high visibility areas of the church – even a good paint job and some new furniture can change the feel to visitors.

·         Get outside the building so that others might choose to come in.  Hold study groups, personal visitations, office hours in the local diner, bar or coffee shop.  Become involved in groups where potential seekers are – the church’s presence in unexpected places helps others to let go of the church’s historic image. It also helps to overcome any building fixation that some may hold.

·         Broker the building.  Fill empty spaces with good causes for low rent.  A basic rent for filled space is better than no income from empty space.  Consider forgetting about a portion of the tax exempt status by renting space to appropriate for profit organizations or businesses.  Survey the landscape for good community programs needing space for expansion.

·         Seek grants for creative, community betterment efforts – a place for artist studios, program space for veteran re-entry, the yet to be dreamed program.

·         While some might consider this blasphemy, build an endowment that covers the property budget.  Therefore, members are only responsible the costs for in-reach and outreach programs….programs are the heart of a ministry.

·         Consider a shared ministry with another nearby church – no need at the beginning to select one of the buildings but design a creative program for the shared ministry that will give the ministry an identity of creativity and faithful witness – e.g. one building for worship as well as for outreach to the “in need” in your community and to the global community; the other a center for faith formation for all ages and space for youth and young adult ministry.

·      If there is a campus setting, consider selling some of the property.

·      Be like Abraham and Sarah.  Leave the property - sell the building!  They were well settled in Heron but God called them for the good of future generations to seek a new place -Canaan.  Always consider the option of selling the property!  For the sake of ministry and mission sell the current property and move to Canaan.  Remember that few of us will live in the same home for our whole lives.  We upsize, we downsize, we move to a new places seeking to fulfill our dreams.  Who wants to be remember for their building rather than their mission?  When it come to either mission or mortar....we know what the faithful choice should be!  (And, don't forget the financial manna received for the mortar can strengthen the mission!  
 

·         …………………  

We are blessed with buildings that are gifts from the past.  Often they are works of art, majestic and awe inspiring.  But they also inhibit our flexibility – Our Israelite ancestors in seeking the Promised Land moved their sanctuary (tent) with them. – and creativity in following the One who had no home and found any space to be holy space.  Downsizing?  Maybe!  But before taking that step, up-size the vision of what a community of faith should be and then decide if the bricks and mortar can be an asset to reaching for that vision!

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/16/us/denominations-downsizing-and-selling-assets-in-more-secular-era.html?_r=0

Affordable Care and Drones and Other Theological Ramblings

Fact – With the exception of a few years, my health insurance policy has changed.  Usually it increased in cost or costs remained the same but the deductible increased or some benefits decreased.  And insurance company profits usually remained constant or increased.  And, for some of my friends who had a tough couple of years health-wise, they found their insurance being dropped or having steep premium increases.  So what’s new with the few who are receiving notices of insurance changes supposedly due to the Affordable Care Act.  It is a good assumption to believe that the same percentage of people would have received increases or cancellation notices regardless of the legislation.  It sounds like greed to me!

 Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a person's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."    Luke 12:15

Fact – Drones are horrible things as is anything that kills people – innocent or guilty.  Now if we follow the logic that we use drones and other weapons that kill so that others who do not like us don’t get a chance to kill us or our friends.  Then logically, we need to do bad things so that bad people don’t do bad things!  Yet will we ever get to dealing with the logical question that may lead to fewer people wanting to hurt us or our friends?  Why are they angry and mad at us and our friends?  Yes, there will always be nuts who just like doing violent things to inflate their egos or for some other psychotic reason.  Maybe here is the real problem that needs to be addressed.  86% of the world’s wealth is held by 10% of the world’s people (Credit Suisse Research).  On a national basis North America and Europe and Japan and Korea own 88% of the world’s wealth.  It is very interesting that most of the hatred comes from the 12%.  Maybe a little more generosity would cut the drone purchase defense budget line item.  I know, that’s foolishness!  I think that it says that God chose the foolish to shame the wisdom of the wise.

"And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."
Hebrews 13:16

^““34Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; ³⁵for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink…”  Matthew 25:14

Now there’s a real affordable health and life insurance policy!

Bring Back a Day of Rest

The lazy, hazy, slow down days of summer are over and a full 24-7 world seems to be speeding up again.  So I thought I would post a newspaper article which I wrote for a local paper a few years ago. 
I'm on a crusade of a sort! It's a crusade for the sanity of humanity. My crusade is to have some form of Sabbath-time law enacted by some law-making body.
Some people will remember the ancient -- about 40 years ago -- Blue Laws. These laws closed down merchandise stores and largely prohibited organized sporting activities on Sundays. Sundays became nothing-to-do days. Most people would have a religious-based activity (worship) and then the rest of the day was time for just being with family and friends. It was really down time.
To many, my crusade for a set aside Sabbath time may seem to be the foolishness of an aging minister or a hater of organized sports and retail merchandising. Most people would say that I am nothing of the sort. I love my sports -- played lots of basketball; have hit lots of golf balls; have coached premier state championship soccer teams on Sunday afternoons. And since I live in Greenwich, I root for all the wrong teams -- family connections lead me to Philadelphia and Boston (forgive me and please read on). And I am the last person to try and ruin the capitalist system by not buying more things than I will ever need.
Yet I offer my Sabbath-time crusade because I see up close too many people who are getting the blues because their schedules are overbooked and they are running, running, running 24/7.
For many, being overbooked is a source of pride. "You wouldn't believe my schedule! I have to be here by ... for a business meeting and there by ... so my children can practice ... and here by ... so I can be seen at..."
I know some people say the answer is easy -- "Just say no!"
"No, I can't come to the party;" "no, my children won't be able to play at that time!" I have a feeling that the "Just say no!" approach isn't working.
In the Judeo-Christian Scriptures we find God resting on the seventh day of creation. We find laws about keeping the seventh day holy -- wholly unlike the other six. We find the sabbatical year law for planting crops -- plant nothing in the same field in the seventh year -- after six years the soil is exhausted. Jesus himself takes Sabbath and alone time. So it seems all that is made from the earth -- including us -- need Sabbath down time.
Since people can't seem to say "NO" and since the wisdom of the ages says that we need a seventh of our time for just "being," not "doing," I offer my Sabbath Time Law -- call it a modified Blue Law, to the Board of Selectmen, the State Legislature, or U.S. Congress for their action. It might become almost as controversial as the health care bill. In a way it is an emotional, spiritual and physical health care suggestion.
Since I am Protestant clergy, I would propose Sunday morning for the time. However, that is not essential. Any day or two half-day Sabbath times is fine with me. Just think of it -- time on the schedule that allows us to just be with family and friends; just to meditate or look are the beauty around us or hike in the woods or read a good book. This all made possible because the "world out there" has not been allowed to dictate our schedules.
I remember as a youth my frustration when the town basketball courts were locked on Sundays and there were no pickup games available. I ended up sitting on the beach listening to the waves crash on the shore or talked with my grandmother for hours or ... with being time, I realized that there was more to life than perfecting my three-pointer.
Feeling blue, depressed, emotionally tired? Feeling your schedule is overbooked? I offer two answers to those problems, "Just say no!" or join my "Anti-Blue Coalition" and come to a Being Party where we might serve tea and just be. Until the legislation passes, just say no. Take the time to worship -- what do you expect a pastor to say? -- or just be!

Teaching Friendship

I received a called today to substitute teach at a private school.  I don’t do it for the money.  However it does pay for a nice dinner out with the woman who has put up with me for over forty years.  (I understand she is being considered for canonization!).  I teach because I love being with energetic and inquisitive young adults.  I have taught everything from pre-calc to creative writing to all sorts of government and history courses to statistics.  The latest venture was with an “English as a Second Language” class for students who are involved in full time athletic training programs for golf and tennis.  They are aiming to be professionals in their sports.  One Thai, one Korean, one Mexican and five Japanese students sat before an English and slightly Spanish fluent teacher – me.  The first question left for my use was:  “In English and in three sentences write why this class is important for you?”  Following a time of writing I asked each student to read in English their answers.  Two mentioned going to an American college as their reason for learning English.  Two were quite honest in saying it will help in pursuing a career that could be financially lucrative (I think they used the good old English word “money.”).  The remaining threes answers lightened my heart.  Without consulting each other on their answers they said “It will help us make friends.”  Following a teacher assigned test, I did some of my own lesson planning.  My new lesson plan was -In English, let’s tell each other about why you like the sport you play and what friendship means.  There were smiles and good laughter as each person in the room answered the question.  (I tried my Spanish and asked other students how I would say certain things in their language)  In spite of our ethnic and cultural differences we learned that we shared many of the same hopes and dreams.

¹⁵ I do not call you servants^[a] any longer, because the servant^[b] does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. ¹⁶ You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. ¹⁷ I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.  (John 15:15-17)

Somehow in that classroom ethnicity and faith differences disappeared and we became friends.  Who would have ever pre-calculated that?  In God’s classroom, the world, let us become astute and energetic in our efforts to show others what the Teacher from Nazareth has taught us about being friends. 

In Christ and now preparing for (Just received the call!) teaching a history class on the Civil War!  (Not a good historical example of friendship!),

Bob

Let’s Give Bambi A Chance!

In mass a dozen clergy rose to their feet and in unison shouted out “bang”.  It was the official beginning of hunting season in central Pennsylvania.  It seems their area minister – ME – had scheduled a clergy development day on this high holy day.  Shame on me!  One decisive “bang.”  That was it – no “rata-tat-tat.” No multi-shot assault weapons allowed in the sport of hunting “game”!  One shot – if you miss the deer or whatever animal, it wins.  No 30 shot magazines.  No assault weapons!

Assault weapons are killing our “bambis”.  The little dear ones in Newtown (and now in Parkland) would have had a fighting chance if the gunman would have had a one shot and reload weapon. 

For our ancestors hunting put food on the table.  For my clergy friend hunters and others the sport of hunting is an outdoor get away from the pressures of daily life.  But let’s at least make that outdoor adventure a fair game for Bambi and other God created creatures.  One “bang” is enough!

When background checks occasionally fail and mental health issues are missed, at least a ban on military style assault weapons would lower the carnage.  Such a ban seems a reasonable legislative action to take.    

Prayers are fruitless unless we put feet on them!

P.S. I weep; I am incensed; I cannot believed that 5-10% of Americans are controlling a majority of the spineless cowards in Congress!

Bob Naylor