I am running behind schedule on a couple of projects. Rather than put something up that is incomplete I will hold off until next week to post part 3 of my series on tithing.
Thank you for stopping by.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
International Prayer: February 27, 2012
I cannot begin to imagine the dangers involved in being a war correspondent. With the deaths of Remi Ochik and Marie Colvin we have a reminder of those who put their lives on the line to keep us informed in some of the world’s hot spots. In today’s international prayer let us pray for those who are reporting from areas of armed conflict. Pray also for their families as they deal with the stress of knowing they have family in dangerous areas.
Pray also for:
Greece – A second aid package has been approved and Greece has started a plan for bond swap to reduce its debt burden. The people of Greece continue to deal with the austerity measures required as a part of the aid package. Even with these moves there are concerns about the Greek economy and its ability to pay its debts.
Nigeria – Pray for the people of Nigeria where it is estimated that close to 61% are living in poverty. If true this would mean about 112.47 million people living in poverty in Africa’s biggest oil producer, according to bbc news.
Maldives – The former president says he was forced to resign by the military. The current president says this is not true. Was there a political coup? Pray for Maldives as it faces political instability.
Somalia – Somalia is no stranger to political instability, as it continues a civil war which started in 1991. An interim government is trying to restore stability but the future is uncertain. Pray for Somalia as they try to establish a stable government.
Senegal – An election this past Sunday did not produce a clear cut winner. No candidate was able to win more than 50% of the vote which means the country will now face a runoff. Meanwhile there are calls for the current president to step down. Pray for the political situation in Senegal.
We can change our world with the power of prayer. Just remember, our most important request is for doors to open for the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and for servants ready to take the truth to all regions.
Pray also for:
Greece – A second aid package has been approved and Greece has started a plan for bond swap to reduce its debt burden. The people of Greece continue to deal with the austerity measures required as a part of the aid package. Even with these moves there are concerns about the Greek economy and its ability to pay its debts.
Nigeria – Pray for the people of Nigeria where it is estimated that close to 61% are living in poverty. If true this would mean about 112.47 million people living in poverty in Africa’s biggest oil producer, according to bbc news.
Maldives – The former president says he was forced to resign by the military. The current president says this is not true. Was there a political coup? Pray for Maldives as it faces political instability.
Somalia – Somalia is no stranger to political instability, as it continues a civil war which started in 1991. An interim government is trying to restore stability but the future is uncertain. Pray for Somalia as they try to establish a stable government.
Senegal – An election this past Sunday did not produce a clear cut winner. No candidate was able to win more than 50% of the vote which means the country will now face a runoff. Meanwhile there are calls for the current president to step down. Pray for the political situation in Senegal.
We can change our world with the power of prayer. Just remember, our most important request is for doors to open for the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and for servants ready to take the truth to all regions.
Friday, February 24, 2012
How I Grew After Being Benched By God
Have you ever been asked not to come back to church? I have. Not that I am proud of this fact but to be honest being banned from church was just the medicine I needed.
Church work had become a way of making me feel good. I carried the façade of being a strong believer with great knowledge of the scripture, burying myself under the day to day load of trying to please every member of the congregation. My work earned a great level of respect with suggestions that I consider becoming a deacon or even a pastor. But with all I was doing I was living on empty, struggling with an internal problem. Instead of becoming a source of spiritual growth church work had become my personal addiction.
Having lived my pre-teen and teenaged years as a codependent, addiction was quite natural for me. My mother carried her own pains from her childhood and her guilt over a failed marriage. She suffered from her wounds, searching for relief by turning to booze and to overspending. She also tried to hide by burying herself in her career, basing her identity on her success in the 9 to 5 world. These failed to sooth her pain, which she then dumped out on me. As a result I entered adulthood as a badly wounded child.
On the outside I appeared to be okay. On the inside I was dead. Yes I was working hard for the church and spending hours learning the Bible, but my knowledge served no purpose without a growing relationship with God. I continued to suffer even as I told others I was fine, not wanting to make any excuses for what I saw as a failure to live up to expectations. For me, church life and the Christian walk were nothing like what I read in the Bible. Instead they were little more than a new place to hide.
It was as I began to question my faith that a member of my church convinced the other members that I was trying to take over. What I saw as doing service for Christ’s people was painted as evidence of being motivated by power and not by the Gospel. In fact my actions were not motivated by the Gospel, but neither were they motivated by power. I was motivated by fear, thinking a failure to personally build a church was simply a sign that I in fact had not found favor with God.
Under the pressure of building a church mixed with the accusations of ulterior motives I exploded into an angry rage. In response the church sent an unsigned letter asking me not to come back. Can you imagine the pain of having a church tell you there is something so wrong with you that you are not allowed to join in worshipping God? For me this was one more rejection on top of many I had felt throughout my life. It was also the beginning of a journey, a new chapter for which I am eternally grateful.
I now find myself relearning the Christian faith. Not that I lost faith, quite to the contrary. My faith has grown as over the last few years as I have discovered God as He is and not as I thought he was. Without church work to hide behind I am free to see the truth, realizing that God needed to put me on the bench in order to get my attention. Had He left me in the game I would have crashed and burned. My time on the bench was a time of growth.
Has God ever benched you? If so did you allow Him to work in your heart or did you keep fighting to get back into the game?
Church work had become a way of making me feel good. I carried the façade of being a strong believer with great knowledge of the scripture, burying myself under the day to day load of trying to please every member of the congregation. My work earned a great level of respect with suggestions that I consider becoming a deacon or even a pastor. But with all I was doing I was living on empty, struggling with an internal problem. Instead of becoming a source of spiritual growth church work had become my personal addiction.
Having lived my pre-teen and teenaged years as a codependent, addiction was quite natural for me. My mother carried her own pains from her childhood and her guilt over a failed marriage. She suffered from her wounds, searching for relief by turning to booze and to overspending. She also tried to hide by burying herself in her career, basing her identity on her success in the 9 to 5 world. These failed to sooth her pain, which she then dumped out on me. As a result I entered adulthood as a badly wounded child.
On the outside I appeared to be okay. On the inside I was dead. Yes I was working hard for the church and spending hours learning the Bible, but my knowledge served no purpose without a growing relationship with God. I continued to suffer even as I told others I was fine, not wanting to make any excuses for what I saw as a failure to live up to expectations. For me, church life and the Christian walk were nothing like what I read in the Bible. Instead they were little more than a new place to hide.
It was as I began to question my faith that a member of my church convinced the other members that I was trying to take over. What I saw as doing service for Christ’s people was painted as evidence of being motivated by power and not by the Gospel. In fact my actions were not motivated by the Gospel, but neither were they motivated by power. I was motivated by fear, thinking a failure to personally build a church was simply a sign that I in fact had not found favor with God.
Under the pressure of building a church mixed with the accusations of ulterior motives I exploded into an angry rage. In response the church sent an unsigned letter asking me not to come back. Can you imagine the pain of having a church tell you there is something so wrong with you that you are not allowed to join in worshipping God? For me this was one more rejection on top of many I had felt throughout my life. It was also the beginning of a journey, a new chapter for which I am eternally grateful.
I now find myself relearning the Christian faith. Not that I lost faith, quite to the contrary. My faith has grown as over the last few years as I have discovered God as He is and not as I thought he was. Without church work to hide behind I am free to see the truth, realizing that God needed to put me on the bench in order to get my attention. Had He left me in the game I would have crashed and burned. My time on the bench was a time of growth.
Has God ever benched you? If so did you allow Him to work in your heart or did you keep fighting to get back into the game?
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
The Tithe: Its Early Structure
{The second part of a series on tithing: See the introduction posted here.}
Collection plates come in a number of different styles, made of aluminum or wood and in colors such as brown or silver or brass. I discovered this many years ago when asked to buy replacement plates for a church. A recent Google search showed a number of ways of describing these plates, including one which spoke of how envelopes would fit nice and flat on the bottom. Yet I suspect none of these plates could hold a person’s tithe if they were given as described in Deuteronomy.
Though not the first mention of tithing Deuteronomy gives instructions on how the people of Israel were to deal with their tithes once they entered into the Promised Land. The chapters give us a framework for how and where the people were to give, along with God’s goal in requiring the tithe. Leviticus and Numbers tell us how the tithe was intended to support the ministry of the Levites. Deuteronomy tells how the tithe was to work for each individual within the nation of Israel.
Deuteronomy 12:17-19
Being a mostly agricultural society, Israel’s tithing was described in terms of their crops. They were to bring a tithe of everything they grew as part of their offering, with a special tithe designated in the third year to mark their becoming established in the Promised Land. This was only one subset of their offering, as they were still required to give for burnt offerings and such that would increase the giving beyond the 10% mark. All was to be set aside and accounted for in wait for the day designated for the offering to be given.
Deuteronomy 14:22-23
The people of Israel were to bring their tithe to the place designated within their cities. There they were to eat their tithe, giving based on how they had been blessed by the Lord. Yes you read that correctly. The tithe was not simply left there at the altar. The people were to eat from the tithe they brought in to the temple, doing so before The Lord. They were to have what we would call a fellowship dinner, making sure to include the Levite. They were also to invite the widow and the poor living among them.
In doing so the people of Israel fulfilled the command given in Numbers that the tithes go as an inheritance to the Levite. It also fulfilled the ministerial mission of taking care of the poor, the widow, and the fatherless. But giving the tithe described in Deuteronomy served another purpose, one geared towards encouraging personal spiritual growth: “…that you may learn to revere your God always.”
More often than not the reason for tithing is wrapped up in the possibility of receiving a blessing in return for the tithe. Learning to revere and to fear God is not generally mentioned as a reason for paying our tithe. Yet it was given as a reason for paying the tithe as described in Deuteronomy. How is it that today when we speak of tithing and giving to God learning to revere is so often left out?
Next week we will look at Malachi, often the point of reference for those who justify giving a tithe as a way to receive blessings. Until then I leave you with something to ponder.
Perhaps you have been taught to give in reverence to the Lord. Have you ever been told how giving helps you learn to reverence God?
Collection plates come in a number of different styles, made of aluminum or wood and in colors such as brown or silver or brass. I discovered this many years ago when asked to buy replacement plates for a church. A recent Google search showed a number of ways of describing these plates, including one which spoke of how envelopes would fit nice and flat on the bottom. Yet I suspect none of these plates could hold a person’s tithe if they were given as described in Deuteronomy.
Though not the first mention of tithing Deuteronomy gives instructions on how the people of Israel were to deal with their tithes once they entered into the Promised Land. The chapters give us a framework for how and where the people were to give, along with God’s goal in requiring the tithe. Leviticus and Numbers tell us how the tithe was intended to support the ministry of the Levites. Deuteronomy tells how the tithe was to work for each individual within the nation of Israel.
Deuteronomy 12:17-19
Being a mostly agricultural society, Israel’s tithing was described in terms of their crops. They were to bring a tithe of everything they grew as part of their offering, with a special tithe designated in the third year to mark their becoming established in the Promised Land. This was only one subset of their offering, as they were still required to give for burnt offerings and such that would increase the giving beyond the 10% mark. All was to be set aside and accounted for in wait for the day designated for the offering to be given.
Deuteronomy 14:22-23
The people of Israel were to bring their tithe to the place designated within their cities. There they were to eat their tithe, giving based on how they had been blessed by the Lord. Yes you read that correctly. The tithe was not simply left there at the altar. The people were to eat from the tithe they brought in to the temple, doing so before The Lord. They were to have what we would call a fellowship dinner, making sure to include the Levite. They were also to invite the widow and the poor living among them.
In doing so the people of Israel fulfilled the command given in Numbers that the tithes go as an inheritance to the Levite. It also fulfilled the ministerial mission of taking care of the poor, the widow, and the fatherless. But giving the tithe described in Deuteronomy served another purpose, one geared towards encouraging personal spiritual growth: “…that you may learn to revere your God always.”
More often than not the reason for tithing is wrapped up in the possibility of receiving a blessing in return for the tithe. Learning to revere and to fear God is not generally mentioned as a reason for paying our tithe. Yet it was given as a reason for paying the tithe as described in Deuteronomy. How is it that today when we speak of tithing and giving to God learning to revere is so often left out?
Next week we will look at Malachi, often the point of reference for those who justify giving a tithe as a way to receive blessings. Until then I leave you with something to ponder.
Perhaps you have been taught to give in reverence to the Lord. Have you ever been told how giving helps you learn to reverence God?
Monday, February 20, 2012
International Prayer: France
{This was originally posted in October of last year before I hit reset on Fire & Hammer.}
At the age of twelve she claimed to have seen visions from God. At nineteen she was burned at the stake for religious heresy. In between she saved her country, helping reestablish its sovereignty. Today we pray for her nation.
The French Republic includes the area in Europe known as France along with the overseas territories of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Reunion. France is located to the north of the Mediterranean Sea and to the south of the English Channel which separates the nation from Great Britain. The country shares boarders with Belgium, Luxemburg, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy to the east. Spain sits on France’s southern boarder just to the south of the Bay of Biscay. Andorra to the south and Monaco, located along the Mediterranean Sea, are also neighbors to the French.
A view of France from space reveals an area of diverse land types. At the center is a large flat area of fertile soil known as the Paris Basin. France’s southern border is marked by the Pyrenees Mountains. In between is an area known as the Massif Central, an area of mountains and plateaus situated across the Rhone River Valley from the Alps. The land of Massif Central is said to be rugged and in some places barren, with a number of mountain domes which were formed by once active volcanoes.
The ancestry of the French people is even more varied than the nation’s topography. Over its history France has seen wave after wave of immigrants, welcoming each group with the intention of integrating each individual into the culture. The nation’s long standing policy is to allow those who become citizens to be called French no matter their country of origin. So while the country’s original people were descendants of Celts, the term ‘French’ is an umbrella covering a number of different groups. However this by no means has lead to a fully unified country.
During the 100 years war the nation was divided between two families both claiming the throne. On one side were the direct descendants of the royal family, staking their claim on their birth line. Their adversaries staked their claim on a relative to the royal family, a Duke who became a ruler in England even as he was considered by France as subservient to the throne. The Duke and his family questioned the legitimacy of having to answer to a king who ruled over less land than did the ruler in England. The dispute between the two grew into what is known as the 100 years war, during which a peasant girl we know as Joan of Arc was born.
Claiming at the age of twelve to have seen a vision, Joan was able to convince Charles VII that she was sent to help him claim his throne. Desperate to turn the tide in a war he was losing, Charles sent Joan of Arc to the battle front. Dressed as a male solder she served in the army, leading Charles’ forces to a number of victories and changing the course of the war. While there is debate as to how much Joan of Arc contributed from a strategic stand point, it is clear that she was an inspiration in a movement that lead to Charles VII being crowned king.
Joan of Arc was later captured and sent to England where she was tried for religious heresy. The politically motivated trial lead to her conviction and resulted in her being burned at the stake. Years after her death the church conducted a review of her trial. Eventually her conviction was overturned and Joan of Arc would become one of the most important names in French history. Today she is a hero both to the people of France and to the Catholic Church. But she is not the only well person from France.
Perhaps one of history’s more recognizable names is that of Napoleon Bonaparte. His agreement with Thomas Jefferson (now known as the Louisiana Purchase) helped shape the continental United States. Frederic Bartholdi may not be well known in the U. S. but his design of a large sculpture called Liberty Enlightening the World is an icon in the states. You probably know this icon by its more common name: The Statue of Liberty. How many mimes can you name? I can name but one: Marcel Marceau of France. For the fashion conscious there is Pierre Cardin along with a number of other designers. Then there is the very familiar name of Eiffel, as in Gustave Eiffel designer of a famous tower located in Paris. Eiffel also contributed to the design of the Statue of Liberty. This is but a short list of the many world renowned citizens of France.
While the nation encourages inhabitants of all ancestries to take up French citizenship, certain of France’s policies have left large groups on the social fringes. In the mid 1800’s France began the first of many attempts in building adequate housing for what we would now call the working poor. More recent attempts of providing housing have created pocket areas of high unemployment, inhabited by a large number of immigrants. As described by several sources, these ‘ghettoes’ have become somewhat isolated from the rest of French society.
Please pray for the condition of people living in these low income areas. Pray for the family unit in France, where over 50% of children are born to unmarried families according to the website UnderstandFrance.org. Pray for attitudes towards abortion in France where abortions are legal and performed over 200 thousand times per year. Pray for France’s economy as the nation’s banks deal with their exposure to the financial crisis in Greece, and to financial issues in Italy and Spain.
While France is said to be a Catholic nation, only 2.9% of the French are practicing Catholics according to Catholicnewsagency.com. The same article describes how Islam is well on its way to becoming the dominant religion in France based on the percentage of people actively practicing religion. Pray for the spiritual climate of France and for an open door for the spreading of the Gospel.
It is all too easy to focus our prayers on what we consider impoverished third world nations. We must also remember our neighbors in nations like France who are dealing with economic issues and family issues. We should pray for the spiritual climate in these nations, remembering the Gospel is to be preached all around the world.
Continue always in prayer with thanksgiving and check back next week as we continue to pray for our neighbors here on earth.
For a shuttle view of France see earthobservatory.nasa.gov
At the age of twelve she claimed to have seen visions from God. At nineteen she was burned at the stake for religious heresy. In between she saved her country, helping reestablish its sovereignty. Today we pray for her nation.
The French Republic includes the area in Europe known as France along with the overseas territories of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Reunion. France is located to the north of the Mediterranean Sea and to the south of the English Channel which separates the nation from Great Britain. The country shares boarders with Belgium, Luxemburg, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy to the east. Spain sits on France’s southern boarder just to the south of the Bay of Biscay. Andorra to the south and Monaco, located along the Mediterranean Sea, are also neighbors to the French.
A view of France from space reveals an area of diverse land types. At the center is a large flat area of fertile soil known as the Paris Basin. France’s southern border is marked by the Pyrenees Mountains. In between is an area known as the Massif Central, an area of mountains and plateaus situated across the Rhone River Valley from the Alps. The land of Massif Central is said to be rugged and in some places barren, with a number of mountain domes which were formed by once active volcanoes.
The ancestry of the French people is even more varied than the nation’s topography. Over its history France has seen wave after wave of immigrants, welcoming each group with the intention of integrating each individual into the culture. The nation’s long standing policy is to allow those who become citizens to be called French no matter their country of origin. So while the country’s original people were descendants of Celts, the term ‘French’ is an umbrella covering a number of different groups. However this by no means has lead to a fully unified country.
During the 100 years war the nation was divided between two families both claiming the throne. On one side were the direct descendants of the royal family, staking their claim on their birth line. Their adversaries staked their claim on a relative to the royal family, a Duke who became a ruler in England even as he was considered by France as subservient to the throne. The Duke and his family questioned the legitimacy of having to answer to a king who ruled over less land than did the ruler in England. The dispute between the two grew into what is known as the 100 years war, during which a peasant girl we know as Joan of Arc was born.
Claiming at the age of twelve to have seen a vision, Joan was able to convince Charles VII that she was sent to help him claim his throne. Desperate to turn the tide in a war he was losing, Charles sent Joan of Arc to the battle front. Dressed as a male solder she served in the army, leading Charles’ forces to a number of victories and changing the course of the war. While there is debate as to how much Joan of Arc contributed from a strategic stand point, it is clear that she was an inspiration in a movement that lead to Charles VII being crowned king.
Joan of Arc was later captured and sent to England where she was tried for religious heresy. The politically motivated trial lead to her conviction and resulted in her being burned at the stake. Years after her death the church conducted a review of her trial. Eventually her conviction was overturned and Joan of Arc would become one of the most important names in French history. Today she is a hero both to the people of France and to the Catholic Church. But she is not the only well person from France.
Perhaps one of history’s more recognizable names is that of Napoleon Bonaparte. His agreement with Thomas Jefferson (now known as the Louisiana Purchase) helped shape the continental United States. Frederic Bartholdi may not be well known in the U. S. but his design of a large sculpture called Liberty Enlightening the World is an icon in the states. You probably know this icon by its more common name: The Statue of Liberty. How many mimes can you name? I can name but one: Marcel Marceau of France. For the fashion conscious there is Pierre Cardin along with a number of other designers. Then there is the very familiar name of Eiffel, as in Gustave Eiffel designer of a famous tower located in Paris. Eiffel also contributed to the design of the Statue of Liberty. This is but a short list of the many world renowned citizens of France.
While the nation encourages inhabitants of all ancestries to take up French citizenship, certain of France’s policies have left large groups on the social fringes. In the mid 1800’s France began the first of many attempts in building adequate housing for what we would now call the working poor. More recent attempts of providing housing have created pocket areas of high unemployment, inhabited by a large number of immigrants. As described by several sources, these ‘ghettoes’ have become somewhat isolated from the rest of French society.
Please pray for the condition of people living in these low income areas. Pray for the family unit in France, where over 50% of children are born to unmarried families according to the website UnderstandFrance.org. Pray for attitudes towards abortion in France where abortions are legal and performed over 200 thousand times per year. Pray for France’s economy as the nation’s banks deal with their exposure to the financial crisis in Greece, and to financial issues in Italy and Spain.
While France is said to be a Catholic nation, only 2.9% of the French are practicing Catholics according to Catholicnewsagency.com. The same article describes how Islam is well on its way to becoming the dominant religion in France based on the percentage of people actively practicing religion. Pray for the spiritual climate of France and for an open door for the spreading of the Gospel.
It is all too easy to focus our prayers on what we consider impoverished third world nations. We must also remember our neighbors in nations like France who are dealing with economic issues and family issues. We should pray for the spiritual climate in these nations, remembering the Gospel is to be preached all around the world.
Continue always in prayer with thanksgiving and check back next week as we continue to pray for our neighbors here on earth.
For a shuttle view of France see earthobservatory.nasa.gov
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