Service | Faith Venture

Archive for the ‘Service’ Category

Compassion

January 14, 2025

Hello, we’ve only just returned from a 17-day holiday to Australia and New Zealand. Not only are our bodies adjusting to the time zone but it is also 11 deg F outside after having been in summertime. It was a wonderful trip. Met many interesting people.

Even though I’m continuing a mental health break from incessant news cycles, I am aware of global events—including the California wildfires.

It’s not surprising, but still sad, to hear about how some people shout out on social media about how the people are wealthy or Democrat or liberal or something and, therefore, not deserving of our sympathy.

Some people emphasize the adjective (liberal, wealthy, black, white, etc.); I prefer to place emphasis on the noun (people).

The Germans have a way of building words to reflect complex ideas. Schadenfreude describes taking pleasure from others’ misfortunes.

Let us consider the Christian virtue of Compassion.

Rather, let us consider people as people. Particular weather conditions over the course of a year set up an ideal environment for sudden and intense fires. With barely enough notice to save themselves, people evacuated with what they could carry. They watched their houses destroyed. More than the belongings were the memories that went up in smoke. Their entire lives reset.

Other parts of our country, and indeed the entire planet, fall victim to natural disasters be it floods or tornadoes or earthquakes. These kill people. They destroy homes and villages. They erase physical memories and keepsakes.

They all deserve our compassion and our help.

Often overlooked are the thousands of people on the ground at these disasters helping others at personal peril and sacrifice. They also deserve compassion and help.

We belong to a United Methodist congregation. The United Methodist Church has a mission arm (UMCOR) that is often among the first on the scene providing assistance. If you belong to a Christian denomination, ask if they have this sort of mission. If yes, donate. If no, ask why not.

In response, pray and do.

Posted in Compassion, Service | Leave a Comment »

What If We Just Started?

December 3, 2024

What if we stopped endless debates on theology?

What if we just started, one small group at a time, to live differently?

The first three hundred years of the Jesus movement changed the world.

These little groups, in Greek called ekklesia, gathered to share meals, pray, and sing. But even more, they changed the relationships of men and women a bit at a time. Men were morally allowed promiscuity. And if babies were accidentally born, well, they were often left to die. Those early followers of Jesus caused a change in that culture.

And when illness and even epidemics swept through the ancient world, those early followers of Jesus were on the front lines of healing and bringing peace to the grieving.

Jesus followers were the leaders in spreading education.

What if we return to the roots of the faith? What if we saw needs and served them?

What if we just started now?

Posted in Service | Leave a Comment »

The Pursuit of Happiness

November 19, 2024

I love it when modern social science discovers ancient wisdom. Reading in Adam Grant’s excellent book, Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know, “Psychologists found that the more people value happiness, the less happy they often become with their lives.”

We can read in almost any ancient wisdom literature, such as the Proverbs in the Hebrew scriptures, this same wisdom.

Unfortunately, we seem to be living out the philosophy developed by Jeremy Bentham in the late 18^th century and later publicized by John Stuart Mill, “it is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong.”

Bentham pushed for many good social advancements that once adopted has made life better for many. He got this wrong.

But look around. Perhaps you, yourself, are captured by this idea and certainly many people around you, who think that life is all about the pursuit of happiness.

Happiness will not be found that way.

Happiness is a byproduct of pursuing a life of service to others. Service that is performed through a spiritual alignment with God regardless of your particular brand of faith.

Posted in Service, Wisdom | Leave a Comment »

Creative or Possessive?

October 23, 2024

“The best life is the one in which the creative impulses play the largest part and the possessive impulses the smallest.”— Bertrand Russell

I’d like to take this thought from the famous atheist philosopher Bertrand Russell and think on it.

Let us consider the impulses that drive our lives. We often think that we humans have free choice on all our decisions and life directions.

That last car you purchased. What made you wish to go buy a car? Why that make and model? And color?

What clothes are you wearing? Why that brand? Style? Color? Are they appropriated for where you are and what you’re doing?

Do I constantly crave some new possession? A new boat? A new house in a different neighborhood? Another piece of furniture? More books (that would be me)?

Or…

Am I driven to help at the food pantry? Perhaps start a new ministry to assist homeless or teach young people something? Perhaps write a book?

In the end, these latter impulses provide a better, happier life.

Posted in emotions, Service, simplicity | Leave a Comment »

Planning and Doing

October 15, 2024

Personal productivity writer Oliver Burkeman asks if this describes you—merely the kind of person who spends your life drawing up plans for how you’re going to become a different kind of person later on. This will sometimes garner you the admiration of others, since it can look from the outside like you’re busily making improvements. But it isn’t the same at all.

Perhaps we read daily, maybe even including The Bible. We attend a worship service of some type sometimes. We study, make notes, make lists of what we’d like to do.

But we never do anything.

Where is the service? The kind word to a harried sales clerk? Picking up a package for someone? Listen to someone who needs to unload?

My theology tells me that life doesn’t end once I have encountered God. Rather, because I have encountered God I have a natural impulse to serve and help others. It has become an integral part of my life.

Of what use is drawing the plans for a new house if you never live in it?

Posted in Doing, Service | Leave a Comment »

Wesley on Faith and Good Works

October 10, 2024

John Wesley pondered in one of his sermons, “The first usual objection to this is, that to preach salvation or justification, by faith only, is to preach against holiness and good works. To which a short answer might be given: ‘It would be so, if we spake, as some do, of a faith which was separate from these; but we speak of a faith which is not so, but productive of all good works, and all holiness.’ “

Paul the Apostle tried to express thoughts like this in various letters—that after faith a follower just naturally acts with service and mutual submission.

James the Apostle and half-brother of Jesus (or step-brother, or whatever your theology), not one to beat around the bush, flatly stated that faith without works is dead.

Jesus talked of his followers producing good fruit.

Faith produces good works and holiness. What fruit are you producing?

Posted in Faith, Service | Leave a Comment »

My Yoke Is Easy

October 8, 2024

Some Christians make being a Christian into hard work.

They try to be a “good” Christian.

That is a formula for constant frustration.

Jesus said, “My yoke is easy and my burden light.”

Why don’t we try taking him at his word.

It’s simple. Love God. Love your neighbor.

Yes, love can lead to hard work—sitting with someone in pain or helping someone move from one house to another.

But the idea is simple. Don’t get on the gerbil wheel of endless striving. Notice when someone needs some help and pitch in.

Posted in Attitude, Compassion, Love, Service | Leave a Comment »

True Purpose of Freedom

October 4, 2024

Paul writes to the followers in Galatia about 2,000 years ago, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom for self-indulgence; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”

We humans pursue our adolescent desires of freedom from constraint to go too far into pursuing that which we think makes us happy.

Rather find happiness through being a person of service to others.

When we leave the old life and even grudgingly serve somewhere, our own lives are improved. And as we serve, even our physical and mental health are improved.

I love paradox—while discarding indulging what we think we would like we discover a better life.

Posted in Freedom, Service | Leave a Comment »

So What?

October 1, 2024

Back in the days when I was a teacher, we would read some Biblical passage. Some would like to discuss various theologies or ideas.

I would like to ask, “So what?”

How does this apply to us when we leave the room?

I just finished a book of 141 sermons of John Wesley. I didn’t look up the exact quote, but he at times said the same thing. He was concerned that we stop with faith and forget the why. Why do we have faith? Well, to be able to perform service to our fellow humans.

Like James said in his letter, faith without works is dead.

The next time you feel like arguing weird bits of theology, pause and think, “So what?”

Posted in Service | Leave a Comment »

Speaking Simply

September 26, 2024

If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.

This quote is attributed to Albert Einstein, although he, like Yogi Berra, are often attributed quotes they probably never uttered.

The point remains valid no matter who said it first.

I wish the Apostle Paul had heard this thought.

I love Mark’s gospel and James’ letter. They are so direct. They make a point and move on.

Luke’s gospel is similar.

But Paul felt a need to keep explaining. And therefore Luther, Calvin, and Wesley all read Paul’s letter to the Romans and came up with different versions of systematic theology.

My point…Jesus didn’t tell us to argue arcane points of theology. He told us to love God and to love our neighbor. Luke told three stories that explain who the neighbor is. Hint—not only those from your tribe who agree with you.

I have an eighteen-hundred page book (actually two volumes) that’s an in-depth scholarly look at Paul that I’ve studied. It’s a fantastic intellectual exercise.

But that doesn’t make me a better follower of Jesus. Helping the next person I meet is a start.

Posted in Disciplines, Service | Leave a Comment »

Faith Venture