Blessings?

People with financial means often have the opportunity to travel, and see some amazing locations in this big world. For people that walk the street every day, traveling is more often restricted to a limited geographical area. The concept of vacation is an unreachable dream. When you are in deep financial need, walking the streets is not about leisurely exercise. Walking the streets and “traveling” is about daily survival.

I grew up in the church, and over the years I heard countless prayers from the pulpit and around various dinner tables in our community. Many of those prayers included words of thanksgiving, and oftentimes there was mention of health, shelter, and the bounty of the table.

As I have met more people in this world and studied different cultures, I have become increasingly restless with the concept of blessings. In the Bible, God does talk about taking care of his people, and about meeting their needs. However, as far as I can tell, God does not love us with a checklist. While this country provides us with a lot of opportunities, it is hard to make an argument that we are the most righteous, and therefore worthy of the greatest material blessings.

There are too many people of great faith in this world that live in material poverty for me to believe that God has rewarded me with material gain because I am more loved than my neighbor. I could be wrong, but I feel like I have worked reasonably hard in my life. That said, plenty of people work harder than I do and have not achieved the same financial rewards.

Maybe we have lulled ourselves into a false sense of what blessings are all about. Does God want us to enjoy the beauty and grandeur of his creation? I believe so. Should material growth and comfort be our long-term goal in this life? That is a hard Biblical argument to make.

I have talked before about the Parable of the Talents, and that always comes to mind when I think about the concept of blessings. Perhaps material wealth is not a blessing, but is instead a challenge from God. The oft-used phrase suggests that money cannot buy happiness, but it sure comes in handy sometimes. When you are hungry and homeless, you’ll take a little bit of that temporary happiness.

My challenge to you today is to examine your motives, and your long-term priorities. If you have financial means, congratulations on your earthly success. At the same time, I will remind you of a popular play called, “You Can’t Take It With You.”

Do you see financial gain and material comfort as a blessing? Do you believe that God has given you what you have because you are more worthy than others? I’m not going to tell you to liquidate your assets and give them all away (unless God calls you to). I will suggest that you take a long look at your goals, and ask God whether he has something for you to do with your opportunities.

Lord, thank you for your blessings, in whatever form they come.

God Doesn’t Make Junk

It can be blessing to get away from the fast-paced busyness of the city. When I think about our neighbors, I can’t help but be grateful for opportunities that not everyone has the chance to sample on a regular basis.

Recently I had the privilege of attending a men’s retreat, hosted by my home church. The event was labeled as a “Mens Adventure Weekend, “ and the setting was the picturesque town of Bishop, California, about five hours north of Los Angeles. The snow-capped mountains provided a stunning backdrop for a fun and inspiring weekend of outdoor activities, great food, interesting conversation, powerful stories, and amazing worship.

Each night we had a different speaker bring us a message to close out our day. One speaker shared a compelling story of his upbringing, and it was an incredible narrative of how God can take his children from a dark path to an breathtaking story of redemption and hope. He reminded us that God doesn’t make junk, which fit perfectly with the natural wonder that surrounded our campground.

When you step back and think about that kind of gathering, it is not hard to smile and realize that it is a little slice of heaven. The weekend brought together men from all walks of life, but when we sat down together for a meal or gathered for worship, it didn’t matter where we came from or what life we had led up to this point. We were just a bunch of God’s children, enjoying a bit of his creation and seeking harmony through the bonds of true family.

Coming home from these types of events can require an adjustment. Life is filled with work, responsibilities, and plenty of hassles. We can’t always wake up to a beautiful sunrise and spend the day playing in the mountains. What we can do is remember that message, and keep in mind that everything God created has a purpose. The streets and neighborhoods that surround you may not be as picturesque as a mountain landscape, but they have their own version of spiritual beauty.

As you go about your day, remember that God doesn’t make junk. The stories of redemption continue, both here in the city and faraway in the mountains. Wherever you are, embrace the opportunity to pursue the wonder of God’s creation and your role in it.

Together

Recently, Kingdom Causes Bellflower held an annual dinner. Admittedly, the event is a fundraiser, but it is also a time to celebrate the stories of transformation from the previous year, along with highlighting the challenges that remain in our path.

Some of the work that we do can be captured with numbers. We can highlight the number of people who have made a successful transition from homelessness, to Margaret’s House, to a more stable living situation. We can talk about the number of men who have overcome employment barriers through our Good Soil Industries program, and are now on a better path of personal and vocational growth. There are plenty of numbers that we can share, and those numbers play a key role.

Numbers are important, as they can provide practical and measurable indicators of success. However, numbers only paint part of the picture. In many cases, the more powerful aspects of what we do are conveyed through stories. From the early days of KCB, we have maintained a practice of sharing stories. While a story may only highlight one individual or family, they are a constant reminder of why we do what we do.

Life is about people. Real people, with real stories.

The annual dinner is an opportunity to share a few stories from the past year. If you have been to one of our dinners, you know that the stories can be incredibly compelling. It would be wonderful if every story was filled with joy, success and happy outcomes. Those stories do happen, and when they do, they are amazing to share.

What we all know is that not every story has a simple, satisfying conclusion. The stories that we share at our dinner can be raw, tragic and heartbreaking. We don’t share those stories to shock our community or just tug on people’s heartstrings. We tell those stories because they are an accurate reflection of what goes on in our neighborhoods. Here is a link to a couple of those stories.

At this last dinner, we had a couple get up a speak about their experience with helping one of their neighbors. As they spoke, one of them reflected on the fact that through this experience she realized that she needed to know more about the type of hardship that people go through every day.

Her testimony was a reminder that people are not in the habit of seeking out sorrow. We don’t get up in the morning and ask every person we meet to tell us something sad that is going on in their lives.

I am not going to advocate that you seek out tragedy in your life and live your daily existence under a dark cloud of sad thoughts. There is nothing wrong with waking up and looking for reasons to be happy about the new day. That said, the testimony that we heard at the dinner was an opportunity for accountability as we walk the path of faithful service. The brothers and sisters in our community have needs, and today is as good a day as any to reach out. We just need to take notice.

Our dinner did include some time of sorrow and more than a few tears, but there were also some amazing moments of joy, hope and optimism about the future. We call this event our Together Dinner because that is how we are going to live in the moment and then continue to move forward. Through the moments of sadness and the celebrations of success, we are going to live this life together.

A Sense of Urgency

Are you doing everything that you can to help others?  Do you look for opportunities? Do you pray that God will put people in front of you who need some sort of aid, love or attention? In other words, is there a sense of deep urgency in your life for addressing the needs of others? When I talk about urgency, I mean a profound sense of longing, almost to the point of frantic desperation.

One evening not too long ago I was sitting at home minding my own business when the phone rang. It was one of my closest friends, and I knew immediately something was wrong.  One of our mutual friends was missing. His wife had no idea where he was and had assumed the worst. The lost friend was an avid biker, and rode his bicycle anyplace that was a reasonable distance to travel. He had been on his bike that day but had not been heard from in hours.

By the time I received the phone call, action was already being taken. The lost friend’s son was out scouring the usual travel routes, another friend was calling area hospitals, and still others were calling possible stopping points. Being that we were macho guys, we were ready to metaphorically saddle up our horses and ride like the wind (even though we had no idea where to go). After several tense hours of prayer and ongoing phone calls, our friend thankfully appeared. He been at a meeting that went long and had forgotten to notify his wife. It turned out to be a simple miscommunication and all turned out well. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, enjoyed a nervous chuckle and went on with life.

Upon hearing of our temporary lost sheep, our church pastor observed, “wouldn’t it be great if we approached evangelism in the same way that we approached our lost friend?” What true words he spoke, and we can apply the same thought process to loving our neighbors as we go about our day.

Obviously, our lives are busy, but are they really? What if we spent every waking moment thinking of ways to love our neighbors? Do I pace the floor fretting about the possibility of hurting souls in the same way that I paced the floor that night when my friend was lost?  I admit that seems a daunting task, and it cramps my personal desire for comfort, leisure and physical rest. But think about all the time we can spend entertaining ourselves, doing mindless activities and generally wasting time.

I’m not suggesting that we seek misery, or refuse to enjoy the joys of living life on this beautiful world that God has created. The point is that we can often have a sense that someone else is going to address the problems of this world. Transforming a community is accomplished one relationship at a time, and those connections include our daily interactions.

There is no time like the present. Do you have a sense of urgency?

Imperfect Solutions

I talk to people about Kingdom Causes Bellflower all the time. The reasons for these conversations are rather simple. One, it is part of my job. Two, I believe in this organization.

There are times when these conversations result in excitement, and new opportunities for people to get involved in the work of loving our brothers and sisters. Other times, I get a less-than-enthusiastic response. Sometimes I get pushback because people know that I am a fundraiser, and folks tend to get a little guarded with their wallets. I get that, because I can be guarded with mine.

Other times I have people question the effectiveness of what we do. This skepticism stems from a variety of sources. For one, plenty of individuals have prejudices toward certain social groups, particularly those that struggle economically. Combine that will political baggage, and you have a recipe for leery thinking. There can be a fear even among churches that organizations like KCB are engaging in handouts rather than implementing constructive solutions that promote personal responsibility.

Skepticism is not necessarily a bad thing. There are programs and organizations in this world that are not as effective as they could be, either because they are not designed well or because they are built for purposes other than helping the community grow. Humans like to feel good about what they do. Unfortunately, ministries or outreach opportunities have been accused of actually hurting their intended community, simply because they are (sometimes unintentionally) primarily focused on a goal of helping participants to experience a sense of generosity. Books by Christian authors have been written on this subject, which is part of the reason we are sometimes careful about how we support various projects.

There is value in this type of scrutiny. In Luke 14:28, the Bible says, “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?”

Here is the challenge with this type of thinking. Like many Biblical interpretations, the problem is not the scripture. The problem is how we (sinful people) apply it. A calculating and planning mentality is good, but will only get you so far. If we expect all plans to have a measurable and guaranteed outcome, we have no need for faith. The reality of working directly with people is that the results are never guaranteed. In other words, we cannot use a single verse as our guide. We must put it into context with everything else that Jesus taught us. Otherwise, we would never step out and take any risks at all.

The bottom line is that analysis can sometimes lead to paralysis. Sometimes in our quest for the perfect solution, we end up doing nothing.

I would rather try and fail than never try at all. Understand that we don’t pursue reckless strategies. At KCB we work very hard to think things through, understand the consequences of our strategies, and maintain principles of stewardship. We solicit feedback from pastors, community leaders, business owners, and everyday citizens. We think through time constraints, financial implications and measurement tools.

At the end of these discussions we are faced with hard decisions because all those conversations do not remove the possibility of risk or failure. This is when we pray, ask for God’s wisdom, and go forward with boldness.

Think through your decisions today, but remember that God does not call for you to be cautious. The Parable of the Talents illustrates that God wants us to act and trust that He will be walking with us each step of the way. It isn’t about what the first two men earned in the parable, it is about their willingness to take chances.

There is work to be done. Do not be afraid of failure. The real failure is not doing anything at all.

Catalyst

Over the decades, I have had the privilege of being involved with many different ministries and non-profit initiatives. My home church is in Bellflower, and as a church we have partnered with various local organizations and other entities around the world. Every so often I will encourage participation in events that are located in neighboring cities. One of my fellow congregants will say, “How come we don’t have a Bellflower version of this event?” My response is typically the same every time. I will say, “Great idea! When are you going to get started?”

We want a lot of things to happen in this world. If you ask the average person on the street to give you a list of societal improvements, it is likely that he or she will easily come up with tasks for companies, government officials, or just society in general. We want these fixes to occur, but oftentimes we don’t want to do them ourselves or are unaware of how to get started. We are tempted to voice the idea and hope that someone else will implement our vision.

Since the early days of Kingdom Causes Bellflower, we have sought to be a catalyst for transformation in the city. The word catalyst has a couple of meanings. If you look it up in the dictionary, the primary definition is in the field of chemistry, and it relates to a substance that either enables or accelerates a reaction. A secondary definition, and perhaps more fitting for KCB, refers to “an agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action” (Courtesy of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary).

Some of the work of transformation is done by our hard-working staff week in and week out, but KCB runs on collaboration with partners in the community. Without dedicated volunteers, supporting churches, city leaders, and other non-profit organizations, KCB would not be what it is today.

Do you have ideas on how to love this community? We want to hear them. The reason that we want to hear them is that we have always sought to bring people together. We gather our neighbors and share ideas because we believe that the most effective change happens when friends, churches, and civic leaders have a common vision for change.

I can’t promise you that change will happen overnight, or that it will unfold the exact way that you hope. In addition, I do have a challenge for you. KCB seeks to be the catalyst but there is a balance to that relationship. If you have a vision for this community, you may need to have the drive and perseverance to see it through. KCB can help, but change happens when people are willing to fight through adversity until meaningful change occurs.

The ministries that I have been involved with over the years have not been perfect. Programs and organizations has flaws, and so does KCB. And yet, these initiatives are often wonderful pieces of the puzzle that we like to call loving our neighbors.

What is your piece?