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Posts Tagged ‘priorities’

Honest to God #2…financial priorities…

25 Oct

…financial priorities…

I just listened to Pat Robertson dole out some rather cold, apathetic advice to one of his listeners. The young wife and mother had written to ask Robertson for guidance with her family finances. She and her family had apparently tithed, but they were having trouble following through with their pledge to the church. She wrote that their tithe was preventing her from paying the family bills. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrfD4wLz3yo).

Robertson spoke with great compassion in his voice and concern on his face…but his advice was cold and severe. He explained that her family had obviously mismanaged their budget, and suggested that they move to a smaller house or buy a cheaper car. He went on to explain that her family could never expect to receive God’s blessings without first giving God10% of their income.

Although Robertson was quoting the biblical text correctly, I found his advice to be appalling! He was using the scripture to beat down a woman who was already struggling to make ends meet; and scripture should never be used as a weapon.

My reading of the Bible, finds Jesus breaking religious laws whenever they might have otherwise prevented him from providing aid and comfort to those who were suffering.

I find myself wondering…what if the young mother had approached Jesus, rather than the Rev. Robertson? I doubt that Jesus would have lectured her on the value of tithing.

HONEST TO GOD…I think Jesus would have helped the young family with their bills.

 
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…the dirt doesn’t care…

15 Jul

For the first time in years, we’ve got some good dirt at our place! We had it delivered…I forget how much, but I know it was several yards more than we really needed. I discovered we’d ordered too much when I set out trying to carry and spread the rich top soil to the top of the hill…where we’d ridiculously decided to plant our garden. Anyway, we’ve got good dirt.

It’s good dirt, but to be honest, it’s rather apathetic. You see, the dirt just doesn’t care.

If I plant zucchini or squash seeds, the dirt will grow zucchini or squash. The dirt really doesn’t care. If I plant poison sumac seeds, the dirt will grow poison sumac. The dirt is like that…it really doesn’t care what seeds I plant.

The land will return whatever is planted, watered and nurtured. If I sow zucchini, I reap zucchini. If I sow sumac, I reap sumac. (This is starting to sound almost Biblical!)

My mind is somewhat like the dirt, and please don’t carry this analogy too far. My mind is somewhat like the dirt, in that it too tends to produce whatever is planted and nurtured. In fact, my mind (and yours) is more incredibly fertile than any available topsoil.

But like the apathetic dirt, our minds don’t care what gets planted. If we plant sadness, fear and anger; then sadness, fear and anger will grow. If we plant joy and forgiveness, joy and forgiveness will grow.

I’m starting to learn how to control my emotions. When the darker, more poisonous moods start to surface…I realize my need to immediately plant some better seeds. I’m trying to remember that “the dirt doesn’t care.”

 
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…no time for that…

13 Dec

The mall was filled with last minute Christmas shoppers. A young mother was rushing furiously from one store to another. Since she hadn’t been able to find a sitter, she had been dragging her three year old son faster than his little legs could carry him. Suddenly she became aware that his pudgy little hand was no longer clutching hers.

Panic stricken, she began screaming his name and shouting to everyone within earshot that her son was missing. Within a few minutes, the little guy was found standing with his little nose pressed flatly against a gift shop window…where he was examining at a finely crafted manger scene.

Hearing his mother’s near hysterical call, he turned and innocently whispered, “Look mommy! It’s Jesus – baby Jesus in the hay!”

With obvious frustration and indignation, she jerked him away from the window saying, “We don’t have time for that!”

Well…now that Christmas is less than two weeks away, I beg us to all make time to celebrate the baby’s birth. Let us all set aside time to worship on Christmas Eve. The meal preparation can wait. The present wrapping can wait. Let’s all take time to worship the Christ child’s birth on Christmas Eve.

 
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…don’t switch the price tags…

18 Jul

Years ago, it was fairly simple for people to switch the price tags on store items. They’d simply peel the price sticker off a less expensive item, and stick it onto a more expensive item. Since the price tag’s glue was rather inferior, it was a fairly simple process…or so I’m told.

And those who practiced this type of deception didn’t consider themselves thieves; since they were still paying for the item…they just weren’t paying the full price.

Over the years, stores have gone to great lengths to prevent shoppers from switching the price tags. The glue has been improved. The tags have become perforated, preventing them from being removed in one piece. Price tags are now attached with nylon strips which cannot be reattached to higher priced items.

The message seems crystal clear: DON’T SWITCH THE PRICE TAGS.

Although most of us would never consider switching the price tags on store items, we still engage in the same deceptive process in other areas of our lives. If we choose to work late, rather than attending Junior’s ball game…we’ve switched the price tags. If we choose the Sunday morning paper over our Sunday morning worship…we’ve switched the price tags. If we tip the waiter 20%…and only offer God 10%…we’ve switched the price tags.

 
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