At our Thursday morning Free Store conversation our friend George Dunn led us in a discussion on 1 Corinthians 13. But before we jumped into the conversation we asked him about his recent vacation to Topsail Island and were informed that it was great but he didn't go in the water "because my wife was afraid of the Bull Shark" which made us laugh. He also told us that if "you meet a girl looking for a husband she's obviously never had one" which seemed to especially amuse the ladies.
George started our discussion with a quote from Mother Teresa, "It has nothing to do with the size of the deed but everything to do with the size of the love." He said that without love even the highest human achievements were insignificant. George referred to "low impact Christianity" that is "like General Motors but not run as well" which made us laugh. He said that the church needs more love and less corporate efficiency. George told us that Jesus is ultimately a threat to every religious system because he advocated love which is not a "pay for performance" formula. He said that God's love involves both grace and mercy. Mercy is when you don't get the punishment that you deserve and grace is when you get what you haven't earned.
As the conversation continued George said that there are different kinds of love. He mentioned Eros and asked if "anybody knew what that is?" After a short, awkward pause he said, "Lady Gaga does" which made us laugh. George said that agape was a type of love that never gives up on people no matter how they behave. Such love would never say, "I bought you flowers on Friday why are you acting like such a bitch today?" He said, "My brother used to visit me and would steal my checks to support his drug habit. I still love him but now lock up my checks when he visits" which made us laugh.
At this point one of our friends asked, "Why does God put you in difficult circumstances?" And our new friend Jeff said, "I've heard that God won't give us more than we can handle but I'd like to know who decides what is enough?" Someone said that the "why" questions are always the hardest and that we don't always have good answers but that sometimes as we look back on the hard times things make more sense. He also thanked our friends for asking the tough questions.
As the conversation moved to its conclusion our new friend Chris said that even though things don't work out the real question is, "Am I gonna serve God to the end?" George said, "I've seen God work good out of bad stuff." He went on to tell us about a time that he "got the .410 gauge shotgun out and put it in my mouth." With tears in his eyes he said, "although I haven't had one before or since I had a vision of myself laying in the casket and my son Jeremy crying and I just couldn't do it." Our friend David said that he had been struggling and living in a men's shelter the past couple of years but he believed that regardless of circumstances he was "gonna be a winner either way." Finally, our new friend Ron said, "I understand people are searching for answers. But it's important to understand that God has nothing to do with sin. Sometimes we get in a bad situation by our own bad decisions but not always. No matter how hard things can be God will see you through."
If You're Not Living on the Edge You're Taking Up Too Much Space
10.19.2011
10.18.2011
I'm the Only Hell My Mama Ever Raised
In our Free Store conversation on Wednesday morning Carlos continued to lead us through a study of the book of Romans in the New Testament. We focused on Romans 7:1-13 which Carlos told us was written for legalists or those that were dominated by the "don't system." The passage basically says that people can have geniune freedom from all forms of oppressive rules. Carlos said that freedom from the law didn't mean that we could just live as we please and do whatever the hell we wanted which we thought was a bit disappointing. He said there are basically three ways to live; 1.) by the law or the don't system, 2.) by doing whatever the fuck we want to do, 3.) or by being guided by the Spirit of God.
We talked a bit about how the law is designed largely to show us what not to do in order to prevent us from doing harm to ourselves or others. Carlos asked us what we would say to the child that asks why they can't run in the street. Sheila said, "I'll beat your ass" which made us laugh. But we all realized that when a parent says, "Don't run in the street" it is really for the child's own safety. Carlos went on to say that the law helps us to recognize things that are wrong in the world. He asked, "When greed takes over how much is really enough? This is why the banks have all the money and we're broke." Sheila said, "So that's where my money went" which made us laugh.
At this point Carlos brought up how being told what not to do can actually motivate us to do the very thing that is prohibited. He said that people often make the mistake of harping on others for doing something wrong which is usually counterproductive. He told us about a Johnny Paycheck song, "I'm the Only Hell (My Mama Ever Raised)" which made us laugh. The lyrics demonstrate the ineffectiveness of the don't sysetm.
Well, I can't sell my momma short on loving me
I guess that's why she let me go so far
Momma always stopped me short of stealing
I guess thats why I had to steal that car.
She told me not to smoke it
But I did and it took me far away
And I turned out to be
The only hell mama ever raised.
(Courtesy of cowboylyrics.com)
As the conversation moved to its conclusion the question was asked, "Why do we resist control?" Sheila said, "I just don't like people controlling me." Someone else pointed out that "No" is often one of the first words a child will learn and that it is important in developing a sense of individuality and personal control. Another friend suggested we resist control because we don't like a hierarchy in which someone else is above us telling us what to do. We don't like to be subordinate to other people. At this Carlos said, "Everyone has a voice and everyone's opinion matters." He also asked, "Why should I listen to you if you don't love me?" which we thought was a great question to ponder.
We talked a bit about how the law is designed largely to show us what not to do in order to prevent us from doing harm to ourselves or others. Carlos asked us what we would say to the child that asks why they can't run in the street. Sheila said, "I'll beat your ass" which made us laugh. But we all realized that when a parent says, "Don't run in the street" it is really for the child's own safety. Carlos went on to say that the law helps us to recognize things that are wrong in the world. He asked, "When greed takes over how much is really enough? This is why the banks have all the money and we're broke." Sheila said, "So that's where my money went" which made us laugh.
At this point Carlos brought up how being told what not to do can actually motivate us to do the very thing that is prohibited. He said that people often make the mistake of harping on others for doing something wrong which is usually counterproductive. He told us about a Johnny Paycheck song, "I'm the Only Hell (My Mama Ever Raised)" which made us laugh. The lyrics demonstrate the ineffectiveness of the don't sysetm.
Well, I can't sell my momma short on loving me
I guess that's why she let me go so far
Momma always stopped me short of stealing
I guess thats why I had to steal that car.
She told me not to smoke it
But I did and it took me far away
And I turned out to be
The only hell mama ever raised.
(Courtesy of cowboylyrics.com)
As the conversation moved to its conclusion the question was asked, "Why do we resist control?" Sheila said, "I just don't like people controlling me." Someone else pointed out that "No" is often one of the first words a child will learn and that it is important in developing a sense of individuality and personal control. Another friend suggested we resist control because we don't like a hierarchy in which someone else is above us telling us what to do. We don't like to be subordinate to other people. At this Carlos said, "Everyone has a voice and everyone's opinion matters." He also asked, "Why should I listen to you if you don't love me?" which we thought was a great question to ponder.
10.13.2011
Maybe the Dogs Ate Him
At a recent Free Store conversation we talked about Jesus' parable in Luke 16, "A Rich Man Dressed in Purple." The story is basically about a filthy rich dude that lives in the lap of luxury every day of his life. However, right outside his very ornate gate is an extremely poor man that longs to just eat the crumbs that fall from the rich man's lavish table. Eventually the poor man dies as does the rich guy. In the afterlife the rich man ends up roasting in the fire of Hades while the no longer poor dude is resting blissfully in the lap of Abraham. The rich guy asks Abraham to send the poor man to dip his finger in water and alleviate his agony but Abraham says in effect, "You had your heaven on earth and this guy his hell. And just like there was in life a gate there is now a great chasm that prevents those who are comfortable from alleviating the misery of those in hell."
We started the conversation by talking about the two main characters in the story; the rich man and Lazarus. Jack thought the rich guy must have been very wealthy and might have been royalty because he was described as wearing the color purple which Jack said is a "mark of royalty." Someone said that clothing is as much about showing our status and class position in society as it is about looking good. Someone made us laugh when they mentioned "Free Store Fashion" and said that "you can look good in free stuff." Although the rich man had a pretty cushy life Sheila wondered if he had any "good good friends." As we turned our attention to the poor man George said that he was "definitely down and out" which for some reason made us laugh. The story says that the poor guy was sick and that the dogs would come and lick the open sores which we found pretty disgusting. Although George mentioned that some people think that "a dog lickin a wound can heal it."
At this point we talked a little about the significance that in the story the poor man is laying at the gate of the rich man's house. George said that a gate "mark's where your property is." Someone else said that a gate is as much about access as it is about keeping people out. Jack said it is about access but "only if you have the proper key." We thought it was tragic that the rich guy never went through that gate to make a connection with his down and out neighbor. Instead he turned a blind eye to the misery that existed at his very own door step.
As we started to talk about the shift in the story when the two men died Jack wondered why it says the rich man was buried but it doesn't mention a burial for Lazarus. Sheila made us laugh when she said, "Maybe the dogs ate him" which we found funny in a twisted sort of way. Someone said that it was interesting that the man whose life on earth had been hell was in heaven while the man whose life on earth had been heaven was in hell. At this our new friend David said "Preach it" which made us laugh. The story really just reverses the situation of the two men and extends it into the afterlife in an imaginative way. Someone thought it was ironic that the rich guy would expect someone to have mercy on him in his misery even though in life he never lifted a finger to help his down and out neighbor. Someone thought that maybe there would be no hell (on either side of death) if people would just look out for each other.
As the conversation moved to a close George told us about a black man that used to come by his house when he was a kid and would ask for food and water. George said that his mom would always give the man something. When he asked her why she said, "Son, it could be Jesus Christ." At this the question came up about why rich people weren't more generous. We laughed when Jack told us about some very wealthy friends that he knows and how he likes the way they live and the way he lives when he is with them. He went on to say that people that have a lot "tend to be very self satisfied" and think that they have earned everything they have. Our friend Andrew said, "We have to look at what we have now. We have to accept the cards that we've been dealt and we need to be thankful for the little that we do have." At this I told the group about a man I knew when I was a pastor in Tunkhannock, PA. The guy sold his small business and bought a motorcycle and van and used to just travel around the country making friends wherever he went. He used to tell me, "Man, you own too much stuff to be free." As we laughed about this Jack told us about his friends that own an expensive home in Monroe that they can't sell even though they have dropped the price several times over the last few years. Apparently money creates as many problems that vex as it provides comforts that soothe.
We started the conversation by talking about the two main characters in the story; the rich man and Lazarus. Jack thought the rich guy must have been very wealthy and might have been royalty because he was described as wearing the color purple which Jack said is a "mark of royalty." Someone said that clothing is as much about showing our status and class position in society as it is about looking good. Someone made us laugh when they mentioned "Free Store Fashion" and said that "you can look good in free stuff." Although the rich man had a pretty cushy life Sheila wondered if he had any "good good friends." As we turned our attention to the poor man George said that he was "definitely down and out" which for some reason made us laugh. The story says that the poor guy was sick and that the dogs would come and lick the open sores which we found pretty disgusting. Although George mentioned that some people think that "a dog lickin a wound can heal it."
At this point we talked a little about the significance that in the story the poor man is laying at the gate of the rich man's house. George said that a gate "mark's where your property is." Someone else said that a gate is as much about access as it is about keeping people out. Jack said it is about access but "only if you have the proper key." We thought it was tragic that the rich guy never went through that gate to make a connection with his down and out neighbor. Instead he turned a blind eye to the misery that existed at his very own door step.
As we started to talk about the shift in the story when the two men died Jack wondered why it says the rich man was buried but it doesn't mention a burial for Lazarus. Sheila made us laugh when she said, "Maybe the dogs ate him" which we found funny in a twisted sort of way. Someone said that it was interesting that the man whose life on earth had been hell was in heaven while the man whose life on earth had been heaven was in hell. At this our new friend David said "Preach it" which made us laugh. The story really just reverses the situation of the two men and extends it into the afterlife in an imaginative way. Someone thought it was ironic that the rich guy would expect someone to have mercy on him in his misery even though in life he never lifted a finger to help his down and out neighbor. Someone thought that maybe there would be no hell (on either side of death) if people would just look out for each other.
As the conversation moved to a close George told us about a black man that used to come by his house when he was a kid and would ask for food and water. George said that his mom would always give the man something. When he asked her why she said, "Son, it could be Jesus Christ." At this the question came up about why rich people weren't more generous. We laughed when Jack told us about some very wealthy friends that he knows and how he likes the way they live and the way he lives when he is with them. He went on to say that people that have a lot "tend to be very self satisfied" and think that they have earned everything they have. Our friend Andrew said, "We have to look at what we have now. We have to accept the cards that we've been dealt and we need to be thankful for the little that we do have." At this I told the group about a man I knew when I was a pastor in Tunkhannock, PA. The guy sold his small business and bought a motorcycle and van and used to just travel around the country making friends wherever he went. He used to tell me, "Man, you own too much stuff to be free." As we laughed about this Jack told us about his friends that own an expensive home in Monroe that they can't sell even though they have dropped the price several times over the last few years. Apparently money creates as many problems that vex as it provides comforts that soothe.
10.12.2011
Just a Letter and a $10 Money Order
At our Tuesday morning Free Store conversation we talked about Jesus' parable in Luke 12, "The Land of a Rich Man." The story is about a man whose land produces a mega harvest. The harvest is so huge that it presents a real problem so the owner has to figure out what to do with the excess. Basically the guy decides to tear down his barns and build bigger ones to store the excess produce. He proceeds to imagine that he will live comfortably on the surplus for the remainder of his happy life. At this point God intervenes and calls the guy a "fool" since he will die that very night.
We started the conversation by talking a bit about why the man in the story didn't just add on to his existing barns rather than tearing down the old and building new ones. George said that he must have had to "pay a lot of people to help him work it." Someone said that maybe the old barns were ugly and he wanted some new barns to look at which made us laugh. We agreed that building new structures was quite extravagant which meant that the harvest must have been way beyond normal. This led us to talk about what we do when we have extra money or when we have more than we need. Rick said that at one time in his life he had bought a Benelli Shotgun which had cost him thousands of dollars. Sheila told us that she and her ex-husband had purchased Harley Davidson Indian motorcycles at which George said he would "love to see her setting on that thing" which made us laugh.
At this point we talked about how easy it is to get caught up in spending all of what we have only on ourselves. Someone asked the question, "Why does God bless us?" And our new friend Andrew said, "To see what you will do with it." Our friend Donald seemed to like this and said loudly, "You can't take it with you" which made us laugh.
We thought it was ironic that on the last day of his life the man in story was spending his dwindling time planning his non-existent future. This led us to talk a bit about how life is fragile and there is no guarantee that we will live to see tomorrow. Someone mentioned that Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple Computers, had died this week at age 57. At this another friend told us about a Nickelback song called "If Today Was Your Last Day" about living each day of your life as if it was your last day.
As the conversation moved to a conclusion someone brought up that the rich guy in the story didn't share the good news with a single other person and didn't even offer a little prayer of thanks to God for it. It was clear that the man was more than a little self-obsessed with his own comfort and security. We wondered if in spite of the abundance of stuff that he owned if he might not have been a lonely man. George said, "TV is all right but you need a warm body" which made us laugh. Rick mentioned the Tom Hanks movie Castaway where the guy paints a face on the volleyball and talks to it. At this George told us about doing time in prison and said that "just a letter" (and after a short pause with a twinkle in his eye) "and a $10 money order" could make his day and put a smile on his face (and on ours as well).
We started the conversation by talking a bit about why the man in the story didn't just add on to his existing barns rather than tearing down the old and building new ones. George said that he must have had to "pay a lot of people to help him work it." Someone said that maybe the old barns were ugly and he wanted some new barns to look at which made us laugh. We agreed that building new structures was quite extravagant which meant that the harvest must have been way beyond normal. This led us to talk about what we do when we have extra money or when we have more than we need. Rick said that at one time in his life he had bought a Benelli Shotgun which had cost him thousands of dollars. Sheila told us that she and her ex-husband had purchased Harley Davidson Indian motorcycles at which George said he would "love to see her setting on that thing" which made us laugh.
At this point we talked about how easy it is to get caught up in spending all of what we have only on ourselves. Someone asked the question, "Why does God bless us?" And our new friend Andrew said, "To see what you will do with it." Our friend Donald seemed to like this and said loudly, "You can't take it with you" which made us laugh.
We thought it was ironic that on the last day of his life the man in story was spending his dwindling time planning his non-existent future. This led us to talk a bit about how life is fragile and there is no guarantee that we will live to see tomorrow. Someone mentioned that Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple Computers, had died this week at age 57. At this another friend told us about a Nickelback song called "If Today Was Your Last Day" about living each day of your life as if it was your last day.
As the conversation moved to a conclusion someone brought up that the rich guy in the story didn't share the good news with a single other person and didn't even offer a little prayer of thanks to God for it. It was clear that the man was more than a little self-obsessed with his own comfort and security. We wondered if in spite of the abundance of stuff that he owned if he might not have been a lonely man. George said, "TV is all right but you need a warm body" which made us laugh. Rick mentioned the Tom Hanks movie Castaway where the guy paints a face on the volleyball and talks to it. At this George told us about doing time in prison and said that "just a letter" (and after a short pause with a twinkle in his eye) "and a $10 money order" could make his day and put a smile on his face (and on ours as well).
10.11.2011
When the Money's Gone They Treat You Like a Dog
Our friend Justin led the free store conversation on Thursday morning and started by asking the question, " Is life unfair?" Our new friend Andrew said that life was definitely not unfair. He said that since Satan is the ruler of the world and since God turned the world over to Satan that to say the world was unfair was to blame God for being unfair. A few others thought the world was unfair but didn't give any specifics. At this our new friend Vic said, "I gave up tryin to make other people happy. I can make it better or worse by the choices I make."
Justin then asked, "Who would like to win the lottery?" A lot of hands went up at this. Justin said that even though we might think money is the solution to our problems that it might not be. He told us that he had been thinking about Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 which was written by King Solomon, one of the richest and wisest men that ever lived. "Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him--for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work--this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart."
At this point our friend Andrew said that he had been thinking about something he read recently that said "In three words, what inspires you?" He said that for him the three words were "God is alive." He went on to say that "time is running out" because of the way that people were mistreating one another. Our new friend Wendy said that she didn't understand why people didn't treat each other better. She told us about a friend of hers that just doesn't get along with her mother. Wendy said, "I take my mother everywhere with me." She asked, "How can you love God and hate your mother?"
As the conversation progressed Vic said that he thought people were "so deep in the things of the world that they don't see that life is the most precious thing in the world." He told us about a friend of his whose brother had died recently. Vic said that his friend had punched his brother in the mouth before he died and hand't apologized or told his brother that he loved him and now he was living with guilt about it. Andrew said that since people are created by God, "you are the most important thing in the world. Be grateful to God."
As the conversation moved to a conclusion Justin encouraged us to "make the most of what you have" rather than "always wanting more." He said "don't hoard stuff" because it "won't make you happy" which made us laugh. Someone said that spending our lives getting more stuff is like a dog chasing its tail which is an amusing but ultimately pointless activity. At this someone said, "When you got money they treat you nice, but when the money's gone they treat you like a dog." Another friend said, "Tomorrow never comes. It's always today, today, today. And what you do today will count."
Justin then asked, "Who would like to win the lottery?" A lot of hands went up at this. Justin said that even though we might think money is the solution to our problems that it might not be. He told us that he had been thinking about Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 which was written by King Solomon, one of the richest and wisest men that ever lived. "Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him--for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work--this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart."
At this point our friend Andrew said that he had been thinking about something he read recently that said "In three words, what inspires you?" He said that for him the three words were "God is alive." He went on to say that "time is running out" because of the way that people were mistreating one another. Our new friend Wendy said that she didn't understand why people didn't treat each other better. She told us about a friend of hers that just doesn't get along with her mother. Wendy said, "I take my mother everywhere with me." She asked, "How can you love God and hate your mother?"
As the conversation progressed Vic said that he thought people were "so deep in the things of the world that they don't see that life is the most precious thing in the world." He told us about a friend of his whose brother had died recently. Vic said that his friend had punched his brother in the mouth before he died and hand't apologized or told his brother that he loved him and now he was living with guilt about it. Andrew said that since people are created by God, "you are the most important thing in the world. Be grateful to God."
As the conversation moved to a conclusion Justin encouraged us to "make the most of what you have" rather than "always wanting more." He said "don't hoard stuff" because it "won't make you happy" which made us laugh. Someone said that spending our lives getting more stuff is like a dog chasing its tail which is an amusing but ultimately pointless activity. At this someone said, "When you got money they treat you nice, but when the money's gone they treat you like a dog." Another friend said, "Tomorrow never comes. It's always today, today, today. And what you do today will count."
10.04.2011
The Preacher Said "They Do Drugs" But Didn't Visit Them
At our Saturday morning free store conversation we talked about Jesus' parable in Luke 15, "A Man Had Two Sons." The question was asked, "What is a parable?" Cliff said that it was "like a quotation." Someone else said that it was a short story about something known (ordinary life) told in order to teach us about something unknown (the kingdom of God). Regardless of the definition we agreed that the parables were interesting and at times entertaining.
We started the conversation with a recap of the first part of the story (see our prior blog titled, "It Put Him On His Butt and He Woke Up") in which the man's younger son asks for his share of the inheritance up front. Surprisingly the father gives it to him and the boy promptly leaves home and spends it all in wild living. When he is reduced to poverty and on the verge of starvation the boy comes to his senses and returns home. The father is delighted to have his son back and throws a party for the younger boy.
Enter son two. The older son returns from the field in the evening and hears the music and wants to know what the hell is going on. He is told what has happened and immediately gets angry and refuses to go in to the feast. At this the father comes outside and pleads with his older son to join the party. The story ends without resolution and we are left to wonder if the older brother joins in the festivity or not.
At this point we talked a bit about why the older brother might have been angry about the party. While the younger boy had been out living it up the older brother had stayed on the farm and worked to keep things going. We talked about how the older brother was responsible and hard working. George said that he had "picked corn" and done other work on a farm and that it was very hard work. Cliff said that the older brother had "disowned" his younger brother because he was "jealous." Our friend George talked about being a missing person for 17 years before going back to his hometown recently and making contact with his family.
As the conversation progressed we talked about how the two sons were very different. The young son was impetuous and irresponsible and had to learn things the hard way. George said that he learned a lot when he was "on the chain gang" for a few years. The older son was responsible and hardworking but was very judgmental of his younger brother. At this George told us about a preacher in his hometown of Raeford that used to badmouth people for doing drugs rather than visit them and get to know them and try to help them.
As the conversation moved to a conclusion our friend Terrence said, "you as a person may go off and destroy things, but through it all God still loves you." He also said that even though you might be raised in a church your body and mind may want to do other stuff. We liked the idea that God is like a father that wants his kids to join in the party and enjoy the family feast.
We started the conversation with a recap of the first part of the story (see our prior blog titled, "It Put Him On His Butt and He Woke Up") in which the man's younger son asks for his share of the inheritance up front. Surprisingly the father gives it to him and the boy promptly leaves home and spends it all in wild living. When he is reduced to poverty and on the verge of starvation the boy comes to his senses and returns home. The father is delighted to have his son back and throws a party for the younger boy.
Enter son two. The older son returns from the field in the evening and hears the music and wants to know what the hell is going on. He is told what has happened and immediately gets angry and refuses to go in to the feast. At this the father comes outside and pleads with his older son to join the party. The story ends without resolution and we are left to wonder if the older brother joins in the festivity or not.
At this point we talked a bit about why the older brother might have been angry about the party. While the younger boy had been out living it up the older brother had stayed on the farm and worked to keep things going. We talked about how the older brother was responsible and hard working. George said that he had "picked corn" and done other work on a farm and that it was very hard work. Cliff said that the older brother had "disowned" his younger brother because he was "jealous." Our friend George talked about being a missing person for 17 years before going back to his hometown recently and making contact with his family.
As the conversation progressed we talked about how the two sons were very different. The young son was impetuous and irresponsible and had to learn things the hard way. George said that he learned a lot when he was "on the chain gang" for a few years. The older son was responsible and hardworking but was very judgmental of his younger brother. At this George told us about a preacher in his hometown of Raeford that used to badmouth people for doing drugs rather than visit them and get to know them and try to help them.
As the conversation moved to a conclusion our friend Terrence said, "you as a person may go off and destroy things, but through it all God still loves you." He also said that even though you might be raised in a church your body and mind may want to do other stuff. We liked the idea that God is like a father that wants his kids to join in the party and enjoy the family feast.
9.30.2011
Sometimes I Think I've Lost All My Gifts
Our friend George Dunn joined us on Thursday morning for our free store conversation and talked about driving through Myers Park on the way over. He said that he was certain God wanted him to have a house in that neighborhood and he even knew which one which made us laugh. Someone said maybe they needed a free store in that neighborhood as well. George went on to say that even though things may seem one way on the surface that appearances don't tell us everything and sometimes actually hide the ugly truth. He told us about a couple he knows that live in a very expensive house but they are in serious financial trouble because during the housing market boom they got a loan with no income verification and now they can't afford the payments.
George told us that he thinks Americans are obsessed with credit because we love the visible signs of status and success and we are obsessed with appearances. He said that he lived that way for a long time until he lost his high paying job and with it his consumer identity. Through this painful experience he told us that he learned that a human being is much more than his net worth. He also wondered how long it would be before our materialistic obsessions would lead us to the brink of national financial ruin.
At this point in the discussion George told us religious people can be just as obsessed about appearances as materialistic people (and the two often overlap). He said that in 1 Corinthains 12 & 14 the apostle Paul was dealing with early christians that were obsessed with the appearance of being spiritual. We talked a bit about how spirituality is more than just having a powerful emotional experience in a church service or in group worship. Rick told us about visiting a church where people were "going berzerk" which was beyond his comprehension and left him feeling more confused than inspired.
George said that in 1 Corinthians 13 the apostle Paul talks about love as the most important thing in life. He said that without love, "I am a big zero" and "What I've done is a big goose egg." We talked a bit about how love is what really helps us build lasting quality relationships with others. It isn't always sexy to deal with the raw reality of people but it is rewarding to go deeper in our frienships rather than staying safe on the surface. Joelle told us about attending a Nazarene church in Pineville for a while where she really got to know people. She said that it was great to go deeper with people rather than putting up walls and being superficial and isolated.
As the conversation moved to a conclusion Rick said "sometimes I think I've lost all my gifts." He said that he used to do oil painting and photography but had stopped doing these things. We encouraged Rick that what is lost can be found. At this our friend Terrence said "God is with us" and was thankful for friends that "helped me spiritually and physically."
George told us that he thinks Americans are obsessed with credit because we love the visible signs of status and success and we are obsessed with appearances. He said that he lived that way for a long time until he lost his high paying job and with it his consumer identity. Through this painful experience he told us that he learned that a human being is much more than his net worth. He also wondered how long it would be before our materialistic obsessions would lead us to the brink of national financial ruin.
At this point in the discussion George told us religious people can be just as obsessed about appearances as materialistic people (and the two often overlap). He said that in 1 Corinthains 12 & 14 the apostle Paul was dealing with early christians that were obsessed with the appearance of being spiritual. We talked a bit about how spirituality is more than just having a powerful emotional experience in a church service or in group worship. Rick told us about visiting a church where people were "going berzerk" which was beyond his comprehension and left him feeling more confused than inspired.
George said that in 1 Corinthians 13 the apostle Paul talks about love as the most important thing in life. He said that without love, "I am a big zero" and "What I've done is a big goose egg." We talked a bit about how love is what really helps us build lasting quality relationships with others. It isn't always sexy to deal with the raw reality of people but it is rewarding to go deeper in our frienships rather than staying safe on the surface. Joelle told us about attending a Nazarene church in Pineville for a while where she really got to know people. She said that it was great to go deeper with people rather than putting up walls and being superficial and isolated.
As the conversation moved to a conclusion Rick said "sometimes I think I've lost all my gifts." He said that he used to do oil painting and photography but had stopped doing these things. We encouraged Rick that what is lost can be found. At this our friend Terrence said "God is with us" and was thankful for friends that "helped me spiritually and physically."
9.28.2011
It Put Him On His Butt and He Woke Up
At our Tuesday morning free store conversation we talked about Jesus' parable, "A Man Had Two Sons." The story begins in the grand dreams of the younger son to escape the confines of small town life and seek bigger urban adventures. To finance his dream the young boy asks his father for his share of the inheritance up front. We talked about how this was an unusual request on a number of levels not least because it was as if the boy was saying, "Dad, I wish you were dead because I want your stuff now." As we thought about this Sheila said, "I would slap him down" which made us laugh. Marney said, "OMG (well she didn't actually say the letters) that reminds me of Marco."
As we progressed in the story it turns out the father actually granted his young son the unusual request and gave him his share of the inheritance even though it might put the family in a tough spot. Although the story didn't say why the father did this we speculated about his reasons. Marney said, "My mother favored my youngest brother because she got older and a little tireder (of course it's a word)." Sheila said, "It's your last child" so you would spoil that child. We joked with wittle Sheila because she was da baby of da family. We also talked about how things can get nasty between siblings when it comes to dividing the inheritance.
At this point in the story the younger son gathers everything that he has been given and heads off for greener pastures in a far country. Marney thought he probably "had an entourage" as the party got started. However, things began to take a wrong turn because the boy proceeded to squander his wealth in wild living. As we talked about what squandered might mean Marney said "he partied hard." She then told us about "crawling up my grandma's steps" after nights on the town. Donald said loudly that he used to "drink, drink, drink" then he started "throwin up blood" so he realized he had a problem and turned to God.
After the money ran out (for the younger son not for Donald as far as we know) the story says that there was a famine and that since the boy had wasted all his wealth he began to starve. Things got so bad that this Jewish boy ended up working on a hog farm and actually longed to eat the pig slop. We thought a person would have to be pretty hungry for that to seem like a good meal. With the money gone, the party over, and the entourage nowhere in sight, the boy was left all alone without any help or support.
At this point the tragic tale takes a positive turn. The story says that the young man "came to his senses." Sheila said, "It put him on his butt and he woke up" which made us laugh. He thought to himself, "I'd be better off as a servant to my father since the servants always have plenty of food." So he said to himself, "I will rise and go to my father." An act of will based on sane thinking changed his life for the better and turned a tragedy into a triumph.
The story says that the boy returned home wanting to find a place as a servant but the father instead welcomed him as a son. At this Donald told us about a time when he left Charlotte and thought he would never see it again. He said, "I thought about all the stuff I did" and he was glad when things worked out and he got to come home.
As the conversation moved to a close we talked about what a great party that family must have had that night. The young son must have been thinking about what a long way he had travelled from the famine in the pig fields to the feast at the family table. We all agreed that the boy really got far better than he deserved. Sheila said, "It makes a lot of difference when you get love and respect."
As we progressed in the story it turns out the father actually granted his young son the unusual request and gave him his share of the inheritance even though it might put the family in a tough spot. Although the story didn't say why the father did this we speculated about his reasons. Marney said, "My mother favored my youngest brother because she got older and a little tireder (of course it's a word)." Sheila said, "It's your last child" so you would spoil that child. We joked with wittle Sheila because she was da baby of da family. We also talked about how things can get nasty between siblings when it comes to dividing the inheritance.
At this point in the story the younger son gathers everything that he has been given and heads off for greener pastures in a far country. Marney thought he probably "had an entourage" as the party got started. However, things began to take a wrong turn because the boy proceeded to squander his wealth in wild living. As we talked about what squandered might mean Marney said "he partied hard." She then told us about "crawling up my grandma's steps" after nights on the town. Donald said loudly that he used to "drink, drink, drink" then he started "throwin up blood" so he realized he had a problem and turned to God.
After the money ran out (for the younger son not for Donald as far as we know) the story says that there was a famine and that since the boy had wasted all his wealth he began to starve. Things got so bad that this Jewish boy ended up working on a hog farm and actually longed to eat the pig slop. We thought a person would have to be pretty hungry for that to seem like a good meal. With the money gone, the party over, and the entourage nowhere in sight, the boy was left all alone without any help or support.
At this point the tragic tale takes a positive turn. The story says that the young man "came to his senses." Sheila said, "It put him on his butt and he woke up" which made us laugh. He thought to himself, "I'd be better off as a servant to my father since the servants always have plenty of food." So he said to himself, "I will rise and go to my father." An act of will based on sane thinking changed his life for the better and turned a tragedy into a triumph.
The story says that the boy returned home wanting to find a place as a servant but the father instead welcomed him as a son. At this Donald told us about a time when he left Charlotte and thought he would never see it again. He said, "I thought about all the stuff I did" and he was glad when things worked out and he got to come home.
As the conversation moved to a close we talked about what a great party that family must have had that night. The young son must have been thinking about what a long way he had travelled from the famine in the pig fields to the feast at the family table. We all agreed that the boy really got far better than he deserved. Sheila said, "It makes a lot of difference when you get love and respect."
9.27.2011
The Morally Superior Man With Oratorical Skill Meets the Morally Questionable Guy With Low Self-Esteem
In our Free Store conversation on Saturday morning we discussed Jesus' parable in Luke 18, "Two Men Went Up to the Temple to Pray." The first man that went up was a Pharisee and he stood there by himself praying, "God I thank you that I'm not like the rest of this worthless riff raff around here." The other guy was a tax collector and he stood at a distance with his head down and prayed, "God I'm a screw up please forgive me." Yes those are literal translations directly from the original Koine Greek! Ironically, Jesus said that the morally questionable guy with low self-esteem went back to his house justified rather than the morally superior man with oratorical skill.
At this point I asked the group to follow me on a bit of a detour and asked them, "What is the purpose of a map?" Sheila said it was designed to give you directions from one place to another. George said that a map showed miles and distances and roads. Someone else brought up that maps mark out boundaries between territories and show us the lines that distinguish one geographical place from another. So basically maps mark off boundaries and give us information that can be helpful as we move from one place to another.
As the conversation progressed we talked a bit about how we all have social and moral maps that help us to distinguish the boundaries that mark out good people from bad people in the world. We talked about how religions give us maps that teach us to distinguish who is in the good group territory from who is in the bad group territory. We had a bit of fun when someone said that in growing up his religious map had warned against going to bowling alleys which everyone found amusing. Cliff couldn't remember much about the map that he got from his church which also made us laugh.
At this point in the discussion we talked about how in Jesus' world the religious map of his group favored the Pharisee over the tax collector. In the story that he told the Pharisee is clearly a good man that as someone said, "would make a good neighbor." Someone else suggested that maybe the problem was that he was "too good" which made us laugh. We also talked about how the morally superior man looked down on and was quick to exclude people that weren't just like himself. We also wondered what the morally questionable guy had done that he couldn't even lift his head and look anyone in the eye. Somone said that it is a terrible thing to be excluded and looked down on and to feel ashamed and unworthy.
In conclusion we talked about how maybe the story isn't so much about the two men that went to pray. Maybe the story is encouraging us to throw out the maps we have been given and draw new maps that include rather than exclude people from our lives. The kingdom of God will most likely include people that our moral and religious maps have placed outside the boundary lines so we might as well get used to them being in the neighborhood.
At this point I asked the group to follow me on a bit of a detour and asked them, "What is the purpose of a map?" Sheila said it was designed to give you directions from one place to another. George said that a map showed miles and distances and roads. Someone else brought up that maps mark out boundaries between territories and show us the lines that distinguish one geographical place from another. So basically maps mark off boundaries and give us information that can be helpful as we move from one place to another.
As the conversation progressed we talked a bit about how we all have social and moral maps that help us to distinguish the boundaries that mark out good people from bad people in the world. We talked about how religions give us maps that teach us to distinguish who is in the good group territory from who is in the bad group territory. We had a bit of fun when someone said that in growing up his religious map had warned against going to bowling alleys which everyone found amusing. Cliff couldn't remember much about the map that he got from his church which also made us laugh.
At this point in the discussion we talked about how in Jesus' world the religious map of his group favored the Pharisee over the tax collector. In the story that he told the Pharisee is clearly a good man that as someone said, "would make a good neighbor." Someone else suggested that maybe the problem was that he was "too good" which made us laugh. We also talked about how the morally superior man looked down on and was quick to exclude people that weren't just like himself. We also wondered what the morally questionable guy had done that he couldn't even lift his head and look anyone in the eye. Somone said that it is a terrible thing to be excluded and looked down on and to feel ashamed and unworthy.
In conclusion we talked about how maybe the story isn't so much about the two men that went to pray. Maybe the story is encouraging us to throw out the maps we have been given and draw new maps that include rather than exclude people from our lives. The kingdom of God will most likely include people that our moral and religious maps have placed outside the boundary lines so we might as well get used to them being in the neighborhood.
9.26.2011
I Never Rode With Jose Cuervo Again
Our friend Justin led the Friday morning conversation at the Free Store. To get the discussion rolling he asked the question, "Who has ever been lost?" After a bit of silence Rick told us about a time he got drunk on Tequila while hunting. Rather than drive home he decided to walk through the woods but after a while realized "the house was further than I thought" which made us laugh. He eventually came to a street with a church on the left and a bar named "Bill's Place" on the right. Rick did what anyone drunk on Tequila would do and chose the bar from where he called his ex-girlfriend to come get him. He decided that while waiting he needed another drink which apparently didn't go over very well when his friend arrived and found him drinking at the bar. He told us in a deadpan voice, "She was the only woman that ever slapped me." Someone added that she probably wasn't the only woman that ever wanted to slap him, which made us laugh. He finished the story by saying, "I never rode with Jose Cuervo again."
At this point our new friend Brad joined the conversation and talked about his experience of being spritually lost. He said, "No matter which way I turned I was still lost." But he said that when he humbled himself and asked for God's help that his life took a turn for the better. Justin told us about taking a trip to Tennessee with his wife recently and how they were relying on a GPS electronic map but ultimately found themselves with no service and no map. He said that sometimes we have to rely on other people to help us when we get stuck. Justin said he had been thinking about Acts 2:42 and Luke 8:1 recently which talked about how Jesus and the early church learned to rely on others for the help and support needed in their lives. He said that even Jesus relied on his friends to support his ministry out of their own resources.
We talked a bit about how difficult it can be to ask other people for help and to depend on others. Someone said that his mom would often tell the story about when he was learning to tie his shoes and she would try to help him but he would say, "I do it myself" which made us laugh. Our friend Brad said that he had learned that "you don't have to sell drugs" because "God will provide." He also told us about a time when everything he owned was in storage but was going to auction unless he could come up with the rent money. He said that he went to one church where the man held out his hand and offered to pray. Brad asked the question, "What good is that?" He said that he went to another church that after checking into his story helped him with his problem for which he was grateful.
As the conversation moved to a conclusion we talked about the importance of looking out for each other and learning to ask for help when we need it and give help when we can. Rick said, "Sheila told me I needed to give some of my stuff up." He went on to say, "I found 20 pairs of shoes I got from the free store" which made us laugh. He said that since he didn't think he needed that many shoes he brought most of them back for someone that might need them. Rick also said that "30 years ago things would set me off on instinct but now I let things go." At this our friend Terrence said, "when you been on the bottom so long the only alternative is up."
At this point our new friend Brad joined the conversation and talked about his experience of being spritually lost. He said, "No matter which way I turned I was still lost." But he said that when he humbled himself and asked for God's help that his life took a turn for the better. Justin told us about taking a trip to Tennessee with his wife recently and how they were relying on a GPS electronic map but ultimately found themselves with no service and no map. He said that sometimes we have to rely on other people to help us when we get stuck. Justin said he had been thinking about Acts 2:42 and Luke 8:1 recently which talked about how Jesus and the early church learned to rely on others for the help and support needed in their lives. He said that even Jesus relied on his friends to support his ministry out of their own resources.
We talked a bit about how difficult it can be to ask other people for help and to depend on others. Someone said that his mom would often tell the story about when he was learning to tie his shoes and she would try to help him but he would say, "I do it myself" which made us laugh. Our friend Brad said that he had learned that "you don't have to sell drugs" because "God will provide." He also told us about a time when everything he owned was in storage but was going to auction unless he could come up with the rent money. He said that he went to one church where the man held out his hand and offered to pray. Brad asked the question, "What good is that?" He said that he went to another church that after checking into his story helped him with his problem for which he was grateful.
As the conversation moved to a conclusion we talked about the importance of looking out for each other and learning to ask for help when we need it and give help when we can. Rick said, "Sheila told me I needed to give some of my stuff up." He went on to say, "I found 20 pairs of shoes I got from the free store" which made us laugh. He said that since he didn't think he needed that many shoes he brought most of them back for someone that might need them. Rick also said that "30 years ago things would set me off on instinct but now I let things go." At this our friend Terrence said, "when you been on the bottom so long the only alternative is up."
9.23.2011
I've Got Enough Skeletons in My Closet to Make a Zombie Army
Our friend George Dunn joined us on Thursday morning for our free store conversation and was warmly welcomed as we eagerly took the boxes of Krispy Kreme donuts from his hands. As we went to work on the donuts George said that we were going to continue our discussion of Matthew 7 that we had started last week. In this chapter Jesus says in effect, "Don't label, don't judge, and don't condemn." Someone said that he hadn't done very well with the "not judging" thing over the past week which made us laugh. Our friend went on to say that this was a very high standard of accepting other people.
We thought it was interesting when someone mentioned how in this same chapter where Jesus said that we shouldn't label people that he then went on to label some people as "hypocrites." George said that maybe we should use the word "posers" instead because "its got a softer edge" which made us laugh. So we talked a bit about how even though we might at times see the "ugly truth" about people that we shouldn't make ultimate judgments about their worth or value.
At this point George brought our attention to Jesus saying about not casting pearls before swine. None of us knew much about hogs (or pearls for that matter) except someone said that where he grew up in PA the hog farms stank the worst of all the farms which made us laugh. George said that hogs can be very nasty and he told us of a saying popular in his hometown in MI, "I ain't had this much fun since the hogs ate my sister" which made us laugh even harder. George told us that he thought the point of the saying is that "you have to be careful about what you share with people" because you can get hurt by talking to the wrong people about certain things.
As the conversation progressed we talked a bit about how people won't want to talk with you about important things in their lives if you are a judgmental and critical person. George said that Jesus told his friends not to label and judge others because he wanted them to have deep relationships with people and they couldn't do that if they were critical and judgmental. At this George told us about sitting in a Panera Bread shop bawling like a baby after a friend asked him to talk about his mom since she had passed away recently. He said he must have seemed pathetic as he weeped in the middle of the restaurant and that he cried so much that "I almost got my sandwich wet" which made us laugh. George also said, "I've got enough skeletons in my closet to make a zombie army" which made us laugh even harder.
At this point we talked about how Jesus encouraged his friends to ask for what they needed and to trust thatGod would listen to their prayers and help them. Jesus asked his friends to imagine the irony of a child that asked a parent for bread and was given a stone instead. George said it would be like "if Donald asked for a donut and we gave him a bug instead." At the mention of his name Donald said loudly, "Belt, belt, belt" and although we weren't sure exactly what he meant it did make us laugh.
As the conversation moved to a conclusion one of our friends said that when Jesus told his friends to "ask" "seek" and "knock" that he was encouraging them to take effective action to change their lives. He said that instead of taking responsible action that at times "we just sit on our asses and don't do what we know we should" which is neither active nor effective. At this Donald shared a memory he had of his grandmother telling him when he was very little that he should always go to church and believe in God. He said that he always goes to church on Sunday and its "all about God" as he pointed in the direction of the church that he regularly attends. Our friend Donna said that as she listened she was thinking that if you "sow bad seed" that you would "reap a bad harvest."
We thought it was interesting when someone mentioned how in this same chapter where Jesus said that we shouldn't label people that he then went on to label some people as "hypocrites." George said that maybe we should use the word "posers" instead because "its got a softer edge" which made us laugh. So we talked a bit about how even though we might at times see the "ugly truth" about people that we shouldn't make ultimate judgments about their worth or value.
At this point George brought our attention to Jesus saying about not casting pearls before swine. None of us knew much about hogs (or pearls for that matter) except someone said that where he grew up in PA the hog farms stank the worst of all the farms which made us laugh. George said that hogs can be very nasty and he told us of a saying popular in his hometown in MI, "I ain't had this much fun since the hogs ate my sister" which made us laugh even harder. George told us that he thought the point of the saying is that "you have to be careful about what you share with people" because you can get hurt by talking to the wrong people about certain things.
As the conversation progressed we talked a bit about how people won't want to talk with you about important things in their lives if you are a judgmental and critical person. George said that Jesus told his friends not to label and judge others because he wanted them to have deep relationships with people and they couldn't do that if they were critical and judgmental. At this George told us about sitting in a Panera Bread shop bawling like a baby after a friend asked him to talk about his mom since she had passed away recently. He said he must have seemed pathetic as he weeped in the middle of the restaurant and that he cried so much that "I almost got my sandwich wet" which made us laugh. George also said, "I've got enough skeletons in my closet to make a zombie army" which made us laugh even harder.
At this point we talked about how Jesus encouraged his friends to ask for what they needed and to trust thatGod would listen to their prayers and help them. Jesus asked his friends to imagine the irony of a child that asked a parent for bread and was given a stone instead. George said it would be like "if Donald asked for a donut and we gave him a bug instead." At the mention of his name Donald said loudly, "Belt, belt, belt" and although we weren't sure exactly what he meant it did make us laugh.
As the conversation moved to a conclusion one of our friends said that when Jesus told his friends to "ask" "seek" and "knock" that he was encouraging them to take effective action to change their lives. He said that instead of taking responsible action that at times "we just sit on our asses and don't do what we know we should" which is neither active nor effective. At this Donald shared a memory he had of his grandmother telling him when he was very little that he should always go to church and believe in God. He said that he always goes to church on Sunday and its "all about God" as he pointed in the direction of the church that he regularly attends. Our friend Donna said that as she listened she was thinking that if you "sow bad seed" that you would "reap a bad harvest."
9.22.2011
My Wife Thinks I'm Very Undependable
Carlos started the free store conversation on Wednesday morning by asking the group to pick sides in an imaginary arm wrestling contest between Paul (that's me the blog's author) and a new friend that joined us for the first time. Sheila picked me (who she affectionately calls her "boss" when she's not pissed at me) and Jack picked the other guy (for which he has been banished from the free store for an undetermined period of time or until we need him for something). Carlos then said that the person that had picked the winner would be right and that this was the primary meaning of the word righteous in the bible. It simply means to be right about something. Jack said he thought there was more to it but after a little back and forth we agreed to move forward with Carlos' definition.
With this background Carlos moved us into our continuing discussion of the book of Romans. He read a passage in Romans 4 that talked about how Abraham believed that God could fulfill his promises and that Abraham was right about it so the bible says that he is "righteous." At this Carlos asked us if there were things God had promised us? Someone said that God promised to give us eternal life. Joelle said that God promised never to leave us. And Sheila said that God had promised to always love us. Jack said he thought that was about all that we could possibly need. However, Joelle wasn't so sure if that was enough and suggested that things like health and security were important as well.
Carlos told us that God had promised to give Abraham children and yet when Abraham was 100 years old he still didn't have a child with his wife Sarah (and she was 90). So we thought it was pretty bold and maybe even a bit crazy and yet Abraham believed that God was right and could do what was promised. Carlos made us laugh when he said, "If you bet against God you're gonna lose."
At this point Carlos asked us how we were doing on our promises? He estimated that he kept his promises about 40% of the time. He told us that "my wife thinks I'm very undependable" which made us laugh. Joelle told us that we can really disappoint people when we don't follow through on our promises. She also said that she felt good about keeping her promise to help Sheila get ready to move to her new apartment next week. Jack said, "I don't promise unless I can fulfill it." We applauded our friends for following through on their promises.
As the discussion moved to a conclusion we talked about how we make and break promises all the time and might not even realize it. Rick said that people will often say, "I'll get back to you" when you know they have no intention of ever calling you again. Jack said that was because people are "superficially polite in the south" which made us laugh. Carlos encouraged us to recognize that ultimately God didn't bless Abraham because Abraham was good at keeping his promises but rather because God was good at keeping God's promises.
With this background Carlos moved us into our continuing discussion of the book of Romans. He read a passage in Romans 4 that talked about how Abraham believed that God could fulfill his promises and that Abraham was right about it so the bible says that he is "righteous." At this Carlos asked us if there were things God had promised us? Someone said that God promised to give us eternal life. Joelle said that God promised never to leave us. And Sheila said that God had promised to always love us. Jack said he thought that was about all that we could possibly need. However, Joelle wasn't so sure if that was enough and suggested that things like health and security were important as well.
Carlos told us that God had promised to give Abraham children and yet when Abraham was 100 years old he still didn't have a child with his wife Sarah (and she was 90). So we thought it was pretty bold and maybe even a bit crazy and yet Abraham believed that God was right and could do what was promised. Carlos made us laugh when he said, "If you bet against God you're gonna lose."
At this point Carlos asked us how we were doing on our promises? He estimated that he kept his promises about 40% of the time. He told us that "my wife thinks I'm very undependable" which made us laugh. Joelle told us that we can really disappoint people when we don't follow through on our promises. She also said that she felt good about keeping her promise to help Sheila get ready to move to her new apartment next week. Jack said, "I don't promise unless I can fulfill it." We applauded our friends for following through on their promises.
As the discussion moved to a conclusion we talked about how we make and break promises all the time and might not even realize it. Rick said that people will often say, "I'll get back to you" when you know they have no intention of ever calling you again. Jack said that was because people are "superficially polite in the south" which made us laugh. Carlos encouraged us to recognize that ultimately God didn't bless Abraham because Abraham was good at keeping his promises but rather because God was good at keeping God's promises.
9.21.2011
Hope in the Hearts of All People (written by Liz Eagle)
9 What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet[a] no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.---- Ecclesiastes 3:9-14
We began our conversation at the Free Store today as we always do when going through the book of Ecclesiates: trying to figure out where we left off. We've been going at it for a few months when I lead and we kind of just get to where we get. I truly love this book because it shows the helplessness of mankind and the hope God gives, hardly changing the tone in between. Life is what it is. It may be shitty sometimes but God has a plan for it and we grow into stronger people in the long run, if we just hold on! (Not to reference any early 90's pop music or anything)
One thing I like about this group of people that sit around the table with me on Tuesday is the diversity. No, I do not mean in a skin-tone sort-of-way. I mean real diversity. We have all been in so many places. From being very wealthy and becomming homeless, to experiencing extreme love and loss, being imprisoned to being homeless, having homes but seeking to find fellowship... We truly come from all walks of life, both good and bad. We are on all spectrums. The book of Ecclesiates touches on just that. "For everything there is a season and a purpose under heaven."
We see in our friends with whom we share increasingly personal information that we have all experienced hardship. Similarly we have all experienced God's grace in the midst of it. There are days when we show up to the Free Store, just needing to vent about how we feel and where we've been. There are days we just need to silently listen. But the glory of it all is that we are evolving to a place where we can empathize with one another and see what the verses we studied speak of that "God has placed eternity in the hearts of all men", letting us know that there is a hope beyond what we see and a glory to be shared eventually.
Our friend Megan shared of her brother and sister-in-law hoping to be parents but being told they were unable, Joelle stating her similar situation and a gifted pregnancy 5 years ago, Donald expressing his hurt at the loss of a friend, George explaining the happiness of having amazing friends like Jack and Judy who have helped him tap into his God-given gifts of academia and art. Good and bad situations arise but we are blessed to have eternity to look for and friends with whom to travel on the journey there.
We began our conversation at the Free Store today as we always do when going through the book of Ecclesiates: trying to figure out where we left off. We've been going at it for a few months when I lead and we kind of just get to where we get. I truly love this book because it shows the helplessness of mankind and the hope God gives, hardly changing the tone in between. Life is what it is. It may be shitty sometimes but God has a plan for it and we grow into stronger people in the long run, if we just hold on! (Not to reference any early 90's pop music or anything)
One thing I like about this group of people that sit around the table with me on Tuesday is the diversity. No, I do not mean in a skin-tone sort-of-way. I mean real diversity. We have all been in so many places. From being very wealthy and becomming homeless, to experiencing extreme love and loss, being imprisoned to being homeless, having homes but seeking to find fellowship... We truly come from all walks of life, both good and bad. We are on all spectrums. The book of Ecclesiates touches on just that. "For everything there is a season and a purpose under heaven."
We see in our friends with whom we share increasingly personal information that we have all experienced hardship. Similarly we have all experienced God's grace in the midst of it. There are days when we show up to the Free Store, just needing to vent about how we feel and where we've been. There are days we just need to silently listen. But the glory of it all is that we are evolving to a place where we can empathize with one another and see what the verses we studied speak of that "God has placed eternity in the hearts of all men", letting us know that there is a hope beyond what we see and a glory to be shared eventually.
Our friend Megan shared of her brother and sister-in-law hoping to be parents but being told they were unable, Joelle stating her similar situation and a gifted pregnancy 5 years ago, Donald expressing his hurt at the loss of a friend, George explaining the happiness of having amazing friends like Jack and Judy who have helped him tap into his God-given gifts of academia and art. Good and bad situations arise but we are blessed to have eternity to look for and friends with whom to travel on the journey there.
9.20.2011
I Have Friends on Facebook But Would I Get Out of My Comfort Zone To Help Them
In our free store conversation on Friday morning we talked about Jesus parable in Luke 11, "Suppose One of You Has a Friend." The gist of the story is that a man goes to a friend's house at midnight and bangs on the door asking for three loaves of bread. The guy knocking on the door has a friend that has arrived on a journey and he doesn't have anything to feed his friend. The friend that is being asked for the three loaves basically says "Don't bother me" and gives a number of very good reasons that he can't help. Ultimately the guy does get out of bed and give his friend what he wants but not because of friendship but because of his friend's "importunity," "persistence" or "shamelessness."
We started the conversation by noting how inconvenient friendship can be at times. Our friend Robert made us laugh when he shared how his wife is a very social person and likes to go out with friends a lot but he wonders, "Are they really friends or just acquaintances?" He also said, "I have friends on Facebook but would I get out of my comfort zone to help them?" At this our friend Jack said that there is "situational friendship" as well as "degrees of friendship." He also said that he has been married to his wife Julie for 45 years but they don't always do everything the other person wants. One thing we all seemed to identify with was the idea that real friendship often goes beyond what is comfortable for us.
Someone thought it was unusual that a guy would knock on a friend's door at midnight asking for bread. We laughed when someone said that the convenience store must have been closed. Someone made the point that it seemed like in Jesus' time people were more dependent on each other for what they needed and there was more of a sense of community than we have today.
We talked a bit about why the guy that was being asked for three loaves of bread ultimately gave it to his untimely friend. One translation said that he did it because of his "importunity" but no one knew what that meant which made us laugh. Another translation said it was because of his "persistence" and someone else had a translation that said it was because of his "shamelessness." However, every translation we had agreed that the guy didn't do it out of friendship. So we thought that maybe the guy just knocked on the door and made a nuisance out of himself until his comfy friend inside was forced to give him what he wanted to shut him up and get rid of him. We also talked about how the guy asking for bread at midnight was certainly willing to act "shamelessly" on behalf of a friend that had a need he couldn't personally meet out of his own resources.
In bringing the discussion to a close we talked about how many times the needs of our friends will exceed our own resources to help. But does this mean we should do nothing at all? Or is it possible that we might begin thinking about acting "shamelessly" on behalf of our friends that need what we can't personally provide and be willing to "beg" our friends that do have resources to help. Someone also brought up that Jesus told this story after his friends asked him to teach them how to pray. We laughed when Robert said that if the first guy had three loaves of bread he wouldn't have needed to ask his friend for anything and maybe we shouldn't even think about praying until we have nothing left to give.
We started the conversation by noting how inconvenient friendship can be at times. Our friend Robert made us laugh when he shared how his wife is a very social person and likes to go out with friends a lot but he wonders, "Are they really friends or just acquaintances?" He also said, "I have friends on Facebook but would I get out of my comfort zone to help them?" At this our friend Jack said that there is "situational friendship" as well as "degrees of friendship." He also said that he has been married to his wife Julie for 45 years but they don't always do everything the other person wants. One thing we all seemed to identify with was the idea that real friendship often goes beyond what is comfortable for us.
Someone thought it was unusual that a guy would knock on a friend's door at midnight asking for bread. We laughed when someone said that the convenience store must have been closed. Someone made the point that it seemed like in Jesus' time people were more dependent on each other for what they needed and there was more of a sense of community than we have today.
We talked a bit about why the guy that was being asked for three loaves of bread ultimately gave it to his untimely friend. One translation said that he did it because of his "importunity" but no one knew what that meant which made us laugh. Another translation said it was because of his "persistence" and someone else had a translation that said it was because of his "shamelessness." However, every translation we had agreed that the guy didn't do it out of friendship. So we thought that maybe the guy just knocked on the door and made a nuisance out of himself until his comfy friend inside was forced to give him what he wanted to shut him up and get rid of him. We also talked about how the guy asking for bread at midnight was certainly willing to act "shamelessly" on behalf of a friend that had a need he couldn't personally meet out of his own resources.
In bringing the discussion to a close we talked about how many times the needs of our friends will exceed our own resources to help. But does this mean we should do nothing at all? Or is it possible that we might begin thinking about acting "shamelessly" on behalf of our friends that need what we can't personally provide and be willing to "beg" our friends that do have resources to help. Someone also brought up that Jesus told this story after his friends asked him to teach them how to pray. We laughed when Robert said that if the first guy had three loaves of bread he wouldn't have needed to ask his friend for anything and maybe we shouldn't even think about praying until we have nothing left to give.
9.17.2011
Even Jeffrey Dahmer Looked Nice on the Outside
George Dunn joined us for our Thursday morning free store conversation and as usual was Mr. Popularity owing in part to the Krispy Kreme donuts he brought with him. George told us that he had been on a diet recently and had lost about 20 pounds which we thought was great. He said that a friend of his that has recently lost about 50 pounds said something that helped him, "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels" which made us laugh.
George started the conversation by reading out of Matthew 7 where Jesus says, "Judge not that you be not judged." We talked a bit about how it is normal to make distinctions and to discern between things but that this was different than judging and condemning people in a negative way. George told us about some research that had been done showing that kids often develop self-image problems in grade school because of the system of grading that is used to evaluate them. He said that kids that don't do well on tests and that get lower grades start to think they are dumb which is often reinforced by teachers, parents, and other kids. This is really tragic because test measures really only evaluate one kind of intelligence.
George told us that he thought Jesus was really saying in effect, "Don't label people, and don't condemn people based on your own limited understanding." He gave us a good laugh when he said that even Jeffrey Dahmer's neighbor thought that he was a nice young man based on his external appearance while taking out the trash even though we now know what was in those garbage bags. We laughed even harder when we saw the look on Rick's face as he bit into one of those Krispy creme-filled donuts as George said this.
After getting the group re-focused after the comedy central interlude George went on to say that life isn't about keeping the rules and looking good on the exterior. He said that religion that says "do this, do that" is just a bunch of doo doo which made us laugh. He said that it is tragic if you call yourself a christian and yet don't care about the poor. He said this would be like a 5' 2" basketball player that can't jump thinking he was a real athlete.
Instead of labeling and condemning each other George suggested that we be kind and compassionate. He told us with tears in his eyes about losing both parents in the last two months and how much it meant to him when a friend took him to lunch and said simply, "tell me about your mom." At this someone told us about the time that one of our homeless friends that is an artist found a box of paint brushes and paint colors in the free store and how meaningful that had been to him. The guy actually thought we had bought them for him because he had just been telling us the week before how much he needed these supplies. Someone else told us about a saying he had heard years ago and remembered, "You should do something every day to make other people happy. Even if it's just to leave them alone" which made us laugh.
As the conversation moved to a conclusion George shared with us a quote from Mother Teresa, "It's not the size of the deed, but the size of the love."
George started the conversation by reading out of Matthew 7 where Jesus says, "Judge not that you be not judged." We talked a bit about how it is normal to make distinctions and to discern between things but that this was different than judging and condemning people in a negative way. George told us about some research that had been done showing that kids often develop self-image problems in grade school because of the system of grading that is used to evaluate them. He said that kids that don't do well on tests and that get lower grades start to think they are dumb which is often reinforced by teachers, parents, and other kids. This is really tragic because test measures really only evaluate one kind of intelligence.
George told us that he thought Jesus was really saying in effect, "Don't label people, and don't condemn people based on your own limited understanding." He gave us a good laugh when he said that even Jeffrey Dahmer's neighbor thought that he was a nice young man based on his external appearance while taking out the trash even though we now know what was in those garbage bags. We laughed even harder when we saw the look on Rick's face as he bit into one of those Krispy creme-filled donuts as George said this.
After getting the group re-focused after the comedy central interlude George went on to say that life isn't about keeping the rules and looking good on the exterior. He said that religion that says "do this, do that" is just a bunch of doo doo which made us laugh. He said that it is tragic if you call yourself a christian and yet don't care about the poor. He said this would be like a 5' 2" basketball player that can't jump thinking he was a real athlete.
Instead of labeling and condemning each other George suggested that we be kind and compassionate. He told us with tears in his eyes about losing both parents in the last two months and how much it meant to him when a friend took him to lunch and said simply, "tell me about your mom." At this someone told us about the time that one of our homeless friends that is an artist found a box of paint brushes and paint colors in the free store and how meaningful that had been to him. The guy actually thought we had bought them for him because he had just been telling us the week before how much he needed these supplies. Someone else told us about a saying he had heard years ago and remembered, "You should do something every day to make other people happy. Even if it's just to leave them alone" which made us laugh.
As the conversation moved to a conclusion George shared with us a quote from Mother Teresa, "It's not the size of the deed, but the size of the love."
9.16.2011
Maybe He Got Some Smackdown
In our Free Store conversation on Wednesday morning we talked about Jesus parable, "A Man Had Two Sons." In the story in Matthew 21 the man goes to the first son and says, "Son, go and work in the vineyard today." The boys flatly says no I won't do it but then when the father leaves and after thinking about it he changes his mind and goes. In the interim the man goes to his second son with the same question. This son very politely says "Yes, sir" but never goes. Jesus then asks the question, "Which son did the will of the father?"
We started off by noticing that Jesus introduced this story by asking the question, "What do you think?" We talked a bit about how important it is to think for ourselves and how a really good teacher will give us a lot to think about and not just tell us what to think. Someone said that since the mind is the command center of the body it is important that the mind be sharp and strong so that we can manage our emotions and instincts without being led too far astray.
We also thought it was interesting that so many of Jesus stories are about common people and ordinary things. A simple story about a man and his children is something that all of us can identify with at some level. We talked about how Jesus stories always start with things we know in order to teach us about things we don't know. How impossible would it be to learn calculus if you hadn't already studied addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division?
At this point we talked about the different responses of the two sons. The first boy flatly said no to his father but then changed his mind and went to work. We laughed when someone said that some people just don't like authority and will resist it no matter what they are told to do. Someone said that the story doesn't say why the boy changed his mind. Sheila said, "maybe he got some smackdown" which gave us all a good laugh. We also talked about the other son that was very polite and respectful and seemed very obedient on the surface but didn't do what his father wanted in the end. The story doesn't say why he didn't go to work even though he said he would. We laughed when someone suggested maybe the boy "forgot" which is an excuse that his son will use at times.
As the conversation moved to a conclusion we looked at Jesus application of the story. Basically Jesus said the two sons represented two kinds of responses to God. The first son represents those like "the tax collectors and prostitutes" that initially resist the will of God but then change their minds and do it. The other group appear to be very respectful and obedient to God but it's all just appearance and talk. They talk the religious talk but don't do the will of God any more than the "irreligious" and "immoral" people that they look down on.
It was encouraging to think that even though we might resist doing what God wants that we can always change our minds and join in the adventure of the kingdom of God.
We started off by noticing that Jesus introduced this story by asking the question, "What do you think?" We talked a bit about how important it is to think for ourselves and how a really good teacher will give us a lot to think about and not just tell us what to think. Someone said that since the mind is the command center of the body it is important that the mind be sharp and strong so that we can manage our emotions and instincts without being led too far astray.
We also thought it was interesting that so many of Jesus stories are about common people and ordinary things. A simple story about a man and his children is something that all of us can identify with at some level. We talked about how Jesus stories always start with things we know in order to teach us about things we don't know. How impossible would it be to learn calculus if you hadn't already studied addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division?
At this point we talked about the different responses of the two sons. The first boy flatly said no to his father but then changed his mind and went to work. We laughed when someone said that some people just don't like authority and will resist it no matter what they are told to do. Someone said that the story doesn't say why the boy changed his mind. Sheila said, "maybe he got some smackdown" which gave us all a good laugh. We also talked about the other son that was very polite and respectful and seemed very obedient on the surface but didn't do what his father wanted in the end. The story doesn't say why he didn't go to work even though he said he would. We laughed when someone suggested maybe the boy "forgot" which is an excuse that his son will use at times.
As the conversation moved to a conclusion we looked at Jesus application of the story. Basically Jesus said the two sons represented two kinds of responses to God. The first son represents those like "the tax collectors and prostitutes" that initially resist the will of God but then change their minds and do it. The other group appear to be very respectful and obedient to God but it's all just appearance and talk. They talk the religious talk but don't do the will of God any more than the "irreligious" and "immoral" people that they look down on.
It was encouraging to think that even though we might resist doing what God wants that we can always change our minds and join in the adventure of the kingdom of God.
9.15.2011
You Don't Have a Heaven or a Hell to Put Them In
Our friend George Dunn joined us for the Free Store conversation on Thursday morning a number of weeks ago and told us that "help is not a four letter word." He said it was not like some of the words he had used (like jerk) on his drive to the store this morning which made us laugh. George said that the reason we don't get help is because we don't ask for help. He said that we all need help at some point because we can't always do it on our own. George said that one of the things he loved about the bible is that it tells us that God is there to help us.
George told us that religion is often performance based but that spirituality is about connection with God. He said that God is our father whether we are good kids or not. He told us that he and his wife have adopted children but that you wouldn't know it from the color or their skin or their behavior. At this someone said, "I have learned a couple things over the years. One is that there are no perfect people. And the other is that there are no worthless people. The distinctions people make are mostly bullshit." This seemed to encourage the group and George Hunt added, "You can also beat your own self up." He told us that he used to feel bad about himself for "being shy" but he was finding that he liked to talk with people more and more. He went on to say "I'm coming out" which made us laugh.
At this point George Dunn told us about a conversation he had earlier in the morning with a very religious young man that had been to seminary and was interested in ministry. The young man said, "I've come to the conclusion that life is really about being loved and loving others. The rest just isn't important." George then asked the question, "How can you be loving if you don't feel loved?" He said that you can't really fake something that imporant. He went on to say that life is not really about keeping the rules or even about what we believe. We laughed when he suggested that maybe every time we keep the rules we should get a smily face sticker on the forehead and every time we break the rules we should get a frowny face. Someone said that our group might have a lot of frowny stickers which made us laugh.
We talked a bit about how religion will often use fear as a mechanism of control. Someone brought up how ironic it is that we can be so afraid of things that don't even exist. He said that the movie Creature From the Black Lagoon had frightened him as a child and made it hard for him to swim in the river. Someone else mentioned the fear activated when he watched the movie Night of the Living Dead. George Dunn told us about his vivid fears as a child of being fried in a pan like a piece of bacon in eternal hell. We laughed as George demonstrated what a human piece of bacon would look like in a divine skillet. He said that the teaching about eternal hell is very frightening and most likely not even true. At this our friend Janice told us something that she remembers her mom saying to her father one time. She said that her dad said something negative about somebody and her mom replied, "Who are you to judge? You don't have a heaven or hell to put them in" which made us laugh.
As our conversation moved toward a close our friend Donald jumped in and said, "Dave used to talk to me when I came to the free store and ask me why I was wearin hot clothes. He taught me a lesson. I miss him." Although we weren't exactly sure how this fit in we all agreed with Donald that Big Dave had touched our lives and we missed him as well. Our new friend Curtis said, "I came over to pray at 24/7 this morning but they weren't open. It's been a rough morning for me. I was feelin bad. I cried and cried and cried. I spoke with my family in VA and felt even worse." He said that sometimes "you can be so bundled up you just can't let it out."
George told us that religion is often performance based but that spirituality is about connection with God. He said that God is our father whether we are good kids or not. He told us that he and his wife have adopted children but that you wouldn't know it from the color or their skin or their behavior. At this someone said, "I have learned a couple things over the years. One is that there are no perfect people. And the other is that there are no worthless people. The distinctions people make are mostly bullshit." This seemed to encourage the group and George Hunt added, "You can also beat your own self up." He told us that he used to feel bad about himself for "being shy" but he was finding that he liked to talk with people more and more. He went on to say "I'm coming out" which made us laugh.
At this point George Dunn told us about a conversation he had earlier in the morning with a very religious young man that had been to seminary and was interested in ministry. The young man said, "I've come to the conclusion that life is really about being loved and loving others. The rest just isn't important." George then asked the question, "How can you be loving if you don't feel loved?" He said that you can't really fake something that imporant. He went on to say that life is not really about keeping the rules or even about what we believe. We laughed when he suggested that maybe every time we keep the rules we should get a smily face sticker on the forehead and every time we break the rules we should get a frowny face. Someone said that our group might have a lot of frowny stickers which made us laugh.
We talked a bit about how religion will often use fear as a mechanism of control. Someone brought up how ironic it is that we can be so afraid of things that don't even exist. He said that the movie Creature From the Black Lagoon had frightened him as a child and made it hard for him to swim in the river. Someone else mentioned the fear activated when he watched the movie Night of the Living Dead. George Dunn told us about his vivid fears as a child of being fried in a pan like a piece of bacon in eternal hell. We laughed as George demonstrated what a human piece of bacon would look like in a divine skillet. He said that the teaching about eternal hell is very frightening and most likely not even true. At this our friend Janice told us something that she remembers her mom saying to her father one time. She said that her dad said something negative about somebody and her mom replied, "Who are you to judge? You don't have a heaven or hell to put them in" which made us laugh.
As our conversation moved toward a close our friend Donald jumped in and said, "Dave used to talk to me when I came to the free store and ask me why I was wearin hot clothes. He taught me a lesson. I miss him." Although we weren't exactly sure how this fit in we all agreed with Donald that Big Dave had touched our lives and we missed him as well. Our new friend Curtis said, "I came over to pray at 24/7 this morning but they weren't open. It's been a rough morning for me. I was feelin bad. I cried and cried and cried. I spoke with my family in VA and felt even worse." He said that sometimes "you can be so bundled up you just can't let it out."
7.07.2011
If You're A Prostitute and Sell Your Ass I Still Love You
In our Free Store conversation on Wednesday morning our friend Carlos led a discussion that revolved around the idea of judging other people. He is currently leading us in a study through the book of Romans in the New Testament. Carlos started things off by telling us that God will often let us go for the purpose of helping us out. He said that this was similar to a parent that at some point might have to kick a child out of the house because what they are doing just isn't acceptable.
Carlos asked us to think about what it would be like if a 17 year old kid got kicked out of the house and his 16 year old brother was left. He told us that the 16 year old might start to think he was something special just because he didn't get kicked out. Carlos said that the younger boy might start to be very judgmental toward his brother even though he might be doing the same things. Carlos said that we should be careful because "if you're judging someone else you are probably doing the same thing" although you might not recognize it. He told us to imagine a sexual mistake tree which immediately got our attention. He said to imagine that there are many different kinds of fruit on the tree but that it is nourished by a single root. He told us that we all have the root of sexual faults in us regardless of the different kind of fruit that is produced.
At this point in the conversation Sheila said, "We're all humans. Nobody is perfect." She also said that "we're all special." Carlos said that sometimes a person may feel like they are special and so feel entitled to do whatever the hell they want. He said, "You'll be saying 'God loves me from prison" which made us laugh. Sheila said, "I like to see a person that has come out of prison and turned their life around."
As we continued to talk about judging others our friend George said, "If you're a prostitute and sell your ass I still love you." He said that "if I can change then anybody can." He went on to say that "You'll fall but you can always pick yourself up and not fall back in your old ways."
Carlos told us about a friend that had said to him at one point, "It's my year to be an asshole." Carlos told the guy that he thought that he would just take the year off as his friend which made us laugh. This led us to talk about how there are consequences for the decisions that we make. Even though we are all equally loved as children of God regardless of our circumstances we do tend to reap what we sow in life.
As the conversation moved to a conclusion Carlos asked, "What are we gonna plant today? What good thing are we gonna do for someone else?" Then he turned and asked George, "What can I do for you today to make up for waking you up from your nap yesterday?" At this George started rubbing his stomach which made us laugh. Someone suggested that Carlos might bring in a big porkchop at which George just shook his head while grinning broadly.
Carlos asked us to think about what it would be like if a 17 year old kid got kicked out of the house and his 16 year old brother was left. He told us that the 16 year old might start to think he was something special just because he didn't get kicked out. Carlos said that the younger boy might start to be very judgmental toward his brother even though he might be doing the same things. Carlos said that we should be careful because "if you're judging someone else you are probably doing the same thing" although you might not recognize it. He told us to imagine a sexual mistake tree which immediately got our attention. He said to imagine that there are many different kinds of fruit on the tree but that it is nourished by a single root. He told us that we all have the root of sexual faults in us regardless of the different kind of fruit that is produced.
At this point in the conversation Sheila said, "We're all humans. Nobody is perfect." She also said that "we're all special." Carlos said that sometimes a person may feel like they are special and so feel entitled to do whatever the hell they want. He said, "You'll be saying 'God loves me from prison" which made us laugh. Sheila said, "I like to see a person that has come out of prison and turned their life around."
As we continued to talk about judging others our friend George said, "If you're a prostitute and sell your ass I still love you." He said that "if I can change then anybody can." He went on to say that "You'll fall but you can always pick yourself up and not fall back in your old ways."
Carlos told us about a friend that had said to him at one point, "It's my year to be an asshole." Carlos told the guy that he thought that he would just take the year off as his friend which made us laugh. This led us to talk about how there are consequences for the decisions that we make. Even though we are all equally loved as children of God regardless of our circumstances we do tend to reap what we sow in life.
As the conversation moved to a conclusion Carlos asked, "What are we gonna plant today? What good thing are we gonna do for someone else?" Then he turned and asked George, "What can I do for you today to make up for waking you up from your nap yesterday?" At this George started rubbing his stomach which made us laugh. Someone suggested that Carlos might bring in a big porkchop at which George just shook his head while grinning broadly.
7.06.2011
I Was Thinkin About Givin Up But Friends Helped Me Out a Lot
In our Free Store conversation on Tuesday morning we talked about the importance of friendship and the need for friends of the store to support it so that we can continue to be a positive presence at Area 15. The question was asked, "Why should our friends financially support the Free Store?" We talked about what positive reasons that we could give our friends that might motivate them to give their time, energy, ideas, and money.
Sheila said, "The friendship is good. I like to talk to the people I meet here. I don't think we are asking a lot of our friends." She also said that people have a place to hang out and that they love to hang out with us." Someone said that ultimately a $5 gift from 1,000 people is just as good, and maybe even better, than a $5,000 gift from 1 person. We laughed when someone said that we don't want to discourage the $5,000 donor.
Our friend Donna said, "Anybody can fall on hard times and the store does help the needy." She went on to say that beyond the stuff that is given away, "Every morning people can get an encouraging message if they want to receive it." She said that it could be "something that someone says or even a prayer because you don't really know what touches people."
At this point our loud and talkative friend Donald said that he takes clothes home from the free store and wears them all the time. He tells his friends, "If you ain't got nuthin come to the free store." He said that a friend found a tote bag that he really needed and it made him feel good. He went on to say, "I'm down here to be around people. I can call the free store if I'm in the hospital and someone will visit me." At this George jumped in and said, "Thanks for sharing Donald" which made us laugh.
Our friend Terrence said that the free store "has been a safe haven in times of financial stress." At this George who looked like he was just bursting to talk, said "when I first came to the free store I was thinkin about givin up, maybe jumpin off a bridge but my friends here helped me out a lot." He told us, "I gave up on my drawin" but now was back into it. He said, "I try to talk to people and now you can't shut me up" which made us laugh. He went on to say that "volunteerin helps me out a lot."
As the conversation moved to a conclusion Rick said, "When I first moved into the neighborhood down here I used to be afraid. Now when I walk to the store people wave to me and talk to me." Sheila told us about one lady that she met that never used to leave her house but now she comes to the free store at least once a week to hang out. As we listened to our friends it seemeded clear that if positive friendship is important then what we do at the free store is something worth supporting.
As a friend and reader of our blog if you want to make a donation please go to our website http://www.visionpossible.com/ and click on the Donate Now Through Network for Good link. As with everything else we do our slogan is "Give what you want. Take what you need."
Sheila said, "The friendship is good. I like to talk to the people I meet here. I don't think we are asking a lot of our friends." She also said that people have a place to hang out and that they love to hang out with us." Someone said that ultimately a $5 gift from 1,000 people is just as good, and maybe even better, than a $5,000 gift from 1 person. We laughed when someone said that we don't want to discourage the $5,000 donor.
Our friend Donna said, "Anybody can fall on hard times and the store does help the needy." She went on to say that beyond the stuff that is given away, "Every morning people can get an encouraging message if they want to receive it." She said that it could be "something that someone says or even a prayer because you don't really know what touches people."
At this point our loud and talkative friend Donald said that he takes clothes home from the free store and wears them all the time. He tells his friends, "If you ain't got nuthin come to the free store." He said that a friend found a tote bag that he really needed and it made him feel good. He went on to say, "I'm down here to be around people. I can call the free store if I'm in the hospital and someone will visit me." At this George jumped in and said, "Thanks for sharing Donald" which made us laugh.
Our friend Terrence said that the free store "has been a safe haven in times of financial stress." At this George who looked like he was just bursting to talk, said "when I first came to the free store I was thinkin about givin up, maybe jumpin off a bridge but my friends here helped me out a lot." He told us, "I gave up on my drawin" but now was back into it. He said, "I try to talk to people and now you can't shut me up" which made us laugh. He went on to say that "volunteerin helps me out a lot."
As the conversation moved to a conclusion Rick said, "When I first moved into the neighborhood down here I used to be afraid. Now when I walk to the store people wave to me and talk to me." Sheila told us about one lady that she met that never used to leave her house but now she comes to the free store at least once a week to hang out. As we listened to our friends it seemeded clear that if positive friendship is important then what we do at the free store is something worth supporting.
As a friend and reader of our blog if you want to make a donation please go to our website http://www.visionpossible.com/ and click on the Donate Now Through Network for Good link. As with everything else we do our slogan is "Give what you want. Take what you need."
7.01.2011
Mommy Get the Hammer There's a Fly on Daddys Head
Our friend Gary joined us for the Free Store conversation on Thursday morning and talked about forgiveness. He said that one of the hardest things that we have to do in life is to forgive others when they hurt us in some way. He told us that although it is natural to react with anger and bitterness when someone hurts us that it's not always best because that often results in violence.
We talked about how wars are often fought between people that just can't forgive each other. In a world dominated by the principle of an eye for an eye there can be no real peace. Gary said that Jesus statement about forgiving our enemies is the only real solution to end violence and establish peace.
Gary told us that to forgive means literally to let something go. He said that we can't do this on our own because it is really a supernatural thing. He went on to explain that when Jesus said to forgive each other 77 times he was basically saying that we should never stop forgiving.
At this point Gary got up and took a pitcher filled with water and started pouring it into a glass. As we continued to talk about forgiveness Gary kept pouring and pouring and pouring water from the pitcher until the glass overflowed into the baking pan it was sitting in. As the pouring continued for what seemed like an unnatural amount of time George said, "It just goes on and on" which made us laugh. Someone joked that we had David Copperfield in the house. As Gary kept pouring the water from the pitcher into the glass he told us that God's love and forgiveness just never quits. After a bit of pressure from the group Gary showed us that the trick was in the design of the pitcher itself which we all found very entertaining.
As we talked about forgiveness someone said that it reminded him of the title of a book he had seen with the title, "Mommy Get the Hammer There's a Fly on Daddy's Head" which made us laugh. He said that we can really hammer other people as well as ourselves for certain things that we don't like. He also said that we should put down the hammer because there is enough blood and pain in the world.
The question was asked about what things we can do to help us become more forgiving. Gary said that we should just start to verbalize the forgiveness even though we don't feel like it. He also said that sometimes he will give a little gift to someone that he needs to forgive without saying that is the reason for the gift. We talked about how we don't have to wait for an apology before we forgive someone because forgiveness helps us whether the other person wants it or not.
As the conversation moved to a conclusion one of our friends said, "You have to pray about it to forgive." She also asked the penetrating question, "How can you love God when you ain't even willing to forgive your brother?"
We talked about how wars are often fought between people that just can't forgive each other. In a world dominated by the principle of an eye for an eye there can be no real peace. Gary said that Jesus statement about forgiving our enemies is the only real solution to end violence and establish peace.
Gary told us that to forgive means literally to let something go. He said that we can't do this on our own because it is really a supernatural thing. He went on to explain that when Jesus said to forgive each other 77 times he was basically saying that we should never stop forgiving.
At this point Gary got up and took a pitcher filled with water and started pouring it into a glass. As we continued to talk about forgiveness Gary kept pouring and pouring and pouring water from the pitcher until the glass overflowed into the baking pan it was sitting in. As the pouring continued for what seemed like an unnatural amount of time George said, "It just goes on and on" which made us laugh. Someone joked that we had David Copperfield in the house. As Gary kept pouring the water from the pitcher into the glass he told us that God's love and forgiveness just never quits. After a bit of pressure from the group Gary showed us that the trick was in the design of the pitcher itself which we all found very entertaining.
As we talked about forgiveness someone said that it reminded him of the title of a book he had seen with the title, "Mommy Get the Hammer There's a Fly on Daddy's Head" which made us laugh. He said that we can really hammer other people as well as ourselves for certain things that we don't like. He also said that we should put down the hammer because there is enough blood and pain in the world.
The question was asked about what things we can do to help us become more forgiving. Gary said that we should just start to verbalize the forgiveness even though we don't feel like it. He also said that sometimes he will give a little gift to someone that he needs to forgive without saying that is the reason for the gift. We talked about how we don't have to wait for an apology before we forgive someone because forgiveness helps us whether the other person wants it or not.
As the conversation moved to a conclusion one of our friends said, "You have to pray about it to forgive." She also asked the penetrating question, "How can you love God when you ain't even willing to forgive your brother?"
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