Archive - March, 2009

I Will Recieve Nothing In Return

March 24, 2009 in Guatemala, Religion with 0 Comments

Yesterday, I committed to more time in Guatemala. How much more time? Well, until I am done, whenever that is… The reason I have to phrase it like this is I am only mostly sure of one thing: I will not be in Guatemala forever. Once that was said, it was a lot easier to make an open ended commitment.

I’m in Guatemala because the health of the church needs to be tended to. It was something that I absolutely understood on my second trip ever to Guatemala. All it took was one Sunday of walking around the streets of San Raymundo. To see all the churches on every corner with their services going on. To know the dark secrets of how the appearance of righteousness is desired over the messiness of mending people’s broken lives. When the church would rather ignore problems, at best, and get rid of people, at worst, it’s evident that the faith I hold so dear is very sick. Continue Reading…

This World Is So Very Broken

March 19, 2009 in Guatemala, Life with 3 Comments

Sometimes my heart just aches.

I subscribe to @cnnbrk on Twitter.com. Everyday I get greeted with some breaking news headline. And everyday, for the past two weeks, it seems like those headlines have been the most horrendous of events born from the darkest depths of humanity. Just to give you some highlights from the past 10 days:

“Austrian man imprisoned daughter for 24 years, pleads guilty to her rape and murder.”

“Former student kills 10 people at a school in Germany.”

“At least 25 people killed in suicide car bombing at reconciliation conference in Baghdad, Iraq.”

“A police officer was shot and killed in N. Ireland Monday, two days after murder of two British troops.”

“The pastor of a Maryville, Illinois, church was shot to death in front of parishioners during a service.”

And these are just the reported highlights I get to read. For every one of these headlines, I know there must be 100 or 1,000 times that many that I don’t know about. I read these things and my heart simply aches. Continue Reading…

Are You A Hired Servant?

March 12, 2009 in Re-posts, Religion with 0 Comments

Re-posted from one of my favorite blogs, Productive Ministry dot com:

In his sermon on the mount, Jesus tells us,” blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.” So many that I have worked with in the church fake meekness. They do this by putting on the mask of the servant, and busying themselves with mundane tasks of ministry. And for them it is great at first. People notice that they are always the first ones on the scene; ready to mop, or cook, or teach. And they say to them, “Thank you, it is so great that you have such a servants heart!” or “You! What would we do without you? Thank God that you are here!” And these servants love the attention, and it inspires them to work harder, to serve more, and they are happy.

What happens if you work hard and nobody says thank you. What happens when you do your best and you are hated? What about when people start abusing you and barking orders at you, and complaining about everything that you do? What happens when those you have loved the most leave the church because they say no one cared for them? How will you feel, when you have loved them with everything that you have and they complain to your senior minster, or to your elders. Will you continue you to love them and to serve them? Continue Reading…