So today's link is an interesting article/opinion piece about why so many people seem to hate Tim Tebow.  I think that the author (who has quite a fun writing style) is on the right track with some of it.  There are so many sports stars and celebrities who are the picture of indulgence.  They party, they sleep around, they live lives of excess.  The world bemoans poor role models.  Then a good one comes along but so many don't like it because he proclaims Jesus and seeks to live it.  It is very reminiscent of the church history book I'm reading.  The early followers of Christ were treated the same way by a culture who thought they didn't fit in very well.  I'm thankful for Tim Tebow, not because I think he is perfect or has no faults.  There is no such thing as a "model" christian and when you put someone on a pedestal, you're just asking for trouble.  I'm thankful that he seems to try to just be real with his love for Jesus and not worry about all those who hate him for being a good guy.  Better to be hated for doing good than for being a jerk.

What counts is that you put up with it for God's sake when you're treated badly for no good reason. There's no particular virtue in accepting punishment that you well deserve. But if you're treated badly for good behavior and continue in spite of it to be a good servant, that is what counts with God. This is the kind of life you've been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step. He never did one thing wrong, Not once said anything amiss. They called him every name in the book and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right. (1 Peter 2:19-23 MSG)

I know I just talked about money a few days ago in the post "$tupid."  Now I'm back at it because I found This Article which talks about materialism and marriage.  You should read the article.  I love when studies confirm what the Bible has been teaching for years.    Here's one little snippet.  "Years of previous research have turned up compelling evidence that materialism isn't great for anybody, Carroll said. Multiple studies have found that people who are materialistic are also more anxious, depressed, and insecure than non-materialistic types." The article then goes on to talk about the fact that the more materialism in the marriage, the worse the marriage.  They thought that if there was a difference, say one materialistic spouse and one not, that that would be the worst, but it turns out that is better than spouses that are both materialistic.  The more the less merrier.

Of course, Jesus said this.  "Then He said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.""  (Luke 12:15)    This can be subtle and I think that we need to be careful to make sure that we are not getting caught up in this as Christians in America.  Our culture is heavily materialistic.  In the other blog post I quoted where the Bible says the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil and those who pursue it hurt themselves.  It is good to remember that we are here to seek after God and His kingdom, not earthly wealth.  It doesn't mean its wrong to have it, but its not the goal.  Below are the words of Jesus on the subject.

And He said to His disciples, "For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. "For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. "Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! "And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life's span? "If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? "Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. "But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! "And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. "For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. "But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom. "Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Luke 12:22-34)

A couple of events in my life in the last 24 hours has me thinking.

Last night I got home from a meeting.  Sarah and the kids were not home yet, having gone over to a friends to dig potatoes.  While waiting for them to get home I; made dinner, set the table, got the laundry off the line and folded it, and picked up the kitchen and living room.  After supper while Sarah went to a meeting at church I bathed the kids and put them to bed.  Today I took part of the day to drive up to Sebec to help my uncle and cousin close up their camp which is right next to ours.  We pulled the water, put on the shutters and took out the boat among other things.

I had a good time in both activities.  There was also a second result.  Doing the serving for my family last night made me feel closer and more connected to them.  Same with my uncle and cousin today.  Choosing freely to give my time to work for others made me feel emotionally closer and more connected to them.  Now perhaps you will meet this observation with a "well obviously" but I think there is a profound point that we often miss here.  Our culture thinks that emotional closeness depends on getting our needs met more than meeting needs.  Many friendships and marriages have grown cold because each person is holding back because they are not getting what they want.  People leave churches feeling they have not "been fed" or been ministered to and they feel disconnected.  That is a very consumer driven thought.

The Bible says, "For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." (Galatians 5:13)  Serving each other through love.  And we could add, through serving, you will love.  When you willingly sacrifice for others, you make a value statement about them to yourself.  You will be more invested in them and therefore more connected.  I didn't get my work done today, I helped someone else get their work done.  It felt great and I feel more connected.  I need to remember to make sure that my focus is less on asking how relationships meet my needs and focus more on how I can meet other's needs.

"Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Philippians 2:3-4)

OCCUPY WALLSTREET!  Part of me wonders why you would want to.  Not always the happiest of people down there.

Just been musing about all we are seeing.  Economic crisis brought on in most ways because everyone, governments and people, borrow and spend more than earn and save.  The entire economic model is based on cheap borrowing so that we are fueled by debt.  Problem is that debt is what is now hurting the economy.  So the Fed drops interested rates ....so borrowing is cheaper....so more people/buisnesses will borrow....so that things will get better.  Meanwhile those of us who live by saving have no interest.

This is not a protest blog, though.  Just making a point.  Netflix retreated from their latest plan.  They really made their customers (which I am not one) angry with price increases and changes in service.  They didn't really care about the customers, they just want to make more money.  At some point they got so focused on the money that they forgot that the customers are how they do that.

Now it is Bank of America's turn.  Same deal.  Not there for service, but for profit.

Ok, so I'm not a socialist, but I am a Biblicist.  Common theme in all these things is greed.  Which made me think of this verse.

"But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." (1 Timothy 6:9-10)

In all these cases, businesses and people are in ruin and destruction (or lesser versions of same) because they long for money.    Loving money can really make us $tupid.  May my focus be on God, His provision, and His leading, rather than my desires for earthly wealth.

As the second week of October begins, I find myself finally getting some traction.   Dad's illness and death overtook me and really swamped me as far as "normal" life and ministry go.  Emotionally I am still recovering, but schedule-wise things are getting back to normal.  That includes the blog.

To be honest, the biggest challenge with all these things is not time, but time management.  To say that I haven't had time to get things done really misses the point.  We make time for what we want.  A blog post can take as little as ten to fifteen minutes and a day is rarely so busy as to preclude fifteen minutes to write.  I just don't use it.  Sometimes this is legitimate.  When I have been so consumed with these other events in my life, I haven't felt up to trying to put together thoughts for the blog.  Other times though, I am busy using my time for escapism pursuits.  Yesterday Nate preached about how we often seek peace through world escapism.  That is me often times.  My preferred escapism  includes junk food and watching tv/computer.  While not the worst thing I've ever done, there are more effective ways to deal with both my emotional exhaustion as well as my time.

So I'm gaining traction.  I'm back to the blog, I'm planning ahead and working on the fall series at church, I'm updating websites and getting other projects moving again.  One major, overarching goal I have for this fall is to make my work time more profitable by further disciplining myself and what I get done.  There is so much more I could do without getting stressed and overwhelmed, if I just was more focused and disciplined.  I have been making progress and am going to work to make even more this year.  Feel free to ask me how I'm doing and hold me accountable.

The projects I'm working on right now include: annual camp report (usually 20 pages), small group study for church, next sermon series, evening service series, 4 primary mentoring relationships, church organization meeting planing and preparation, overhaul and reorganize home office.

You can ask how I'm doing on this stuff too.  :)  If you see a week go by and no blog post, feel free to give me a nudge.  I'm excited about what God is teaching me and the work He has been doing in my life through the events related to Dad.  Now to live the lessons learned.