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Posts Tagged ‘gifts’

The Gift that Scales

Posted in Christmas Through Epiphany, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 5, 2010| Leave a Comment »

In telecommunications or engineering, scalability is a desirable property of a system, a network, or a process, which indicates its ability to either handle growing amounts of work in a graceful manner or to be readily enlarged. [wikipedia]

Romans 5:15
But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!

Grace is scalable. Forgiveness is scalable. The Christ [anointing] is scalable.

For me, this is the point that God is driving home into my soul. There is no sin that cannot be covered by Gift. There is no mistake that cannot be redeemed in some way by Christ. There is no heart that cannot be softened or broken open.

The silly part of me just watched a YouTube video from Annie Get Your Gun and the song, “Anything You Can Do.” The Gift is the same way, ready to step up and “do anything better” than sin. Grace abounds [Romans 5:20].

I struggle so much with “condemnation,” a voice that is constantly reminding me how I fall short, how I sin, how I judge others, how I fail. But today, the message of Romans 5, though layered in hundreds of words, is the lifeline: the gift scales and overcomes my sin. There is nothing I can do that grace can’t do better.

This is not given to encourage bad behavior but to build confidence in the grace of God. As I participate in the dance of grace, letting go of sin through confession, there is room for other things, other thoughts, other behaviors.

As long as I continue to covet the things and abilities of others, I cannot appreciate what I already have. As long as I judge another, I cannot see their sacred heart. As long as I gossip, I cannot hear the still small voice of God.

I open my hands to your gift this day.

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Rescue

Posted in Christmas Through Epiphany, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on January 1, 2010| 3 Comments »

Rescue implies that a person is in a dangerous situation. At the point of discovery, there are no accusations or recriminations against the person in need. We don’t scream down the mind shaft, “what were you thinking?” … or at least, we shouldn’t.

Acts 26:17
“…I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them. …” [Paul retelling what he heard Jesus say to him on the road to Damascus.]

Our family is in the process of looking for a new dog. Historically, we have always waited for a dog to drop into our lives or we search out a “rescue.” These are the animals who have been abandoned, abused, or neglected. They are in need of love and a family. They need encouragement and protection. They need a place of safety. Sometimes, it takes a lot of time and patience to incorporate a rescued pet into a family.

Human beings are even more complicated to rescue. The people who end up in bad circumstances because of their own choices may be a little easier (if they can admit to the part they played in getting there). But, many are in denial. In either case, these people still need to be rescued “out” of theirs situations before anything else can happen. Again, using the mind shaft image, it’s not worth explaining or lecturing to the person at the bottom about playing too close to the edge.

Sometimes, I think we try “rescue” tactics with people who don’t believe they are in trouble. This does not work. You cannot dangle rescue paraphernalia in front of folks who don’t feel like they are in danger. That would be like handing someone a life preserver in the desert. It doesn’t make sense.

If we are in the rescue business, then we need to understand that particular person’s mind shaft, desert, or ocean experience. And if we aren’t equipped to do that, then we need to find someone who can.

There are things, however, that can be given to anyone in any situation. They are grace gifts: love, kindness, mercy, forgiveness, and acceptance. These have little cost. Giving them is a choice.

But rescue is action. Rescue takes extra energy. Rescue takes lots of time. Rescue may require more than one worker. Rescue can be difficult. Rescue may not be convenient for the rescuer(s).

Jesus told Paul that he would rescue him from difficult circumstances … but Jesus also said he would place Paul among the very people that would drag him into more difficult circumstances.

Once rescued, it’s important to rescue others. But, we must be wise and tolerant and loving along the way. We must be ready to answer the call of “help.” Before then… we just keep giving the grace gifts.

Give me courage to ask for rescue when I need it. Give me courage to respond to the call for rescue from others.

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Giving My Strength

Posted in Advent, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 12, 2009| Leave a Comment »

There’s probably not a pastor or Christian fund raiser who hasn’t used the phrase, “it is more blessed to give than receive,” but it seems everyone has focused on the monetary piece of this and missed some other crucial possibilities. Giving is not limited to dollars and cents.

Acts 20:35
In everything I [Paul] did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ “

To be honest, I can’t even find a place where Jesus actually said this phrase in the gospels. That’s a bit problematic for me but for argument’s sake, let’s assume Paul wouldn’t make that part up.

But what else is he saying? I hear him emphasize the importance of hard work and how he and his followers met their own needs and still had enough to also meet some of the needs of others.

Paul gave what he had and in this case, I’m thinking it was his strength, his knowledge, his dauntless faith, as well as the fruit of his labors. As a former Pharisee, he was probably a good student. He knew what it meant to study and then to teach. He was smart. He was committed. He was zealous. When he became a follower of Jesus, he practiced and worked as a tent maker. He worked.

In Paul’s time, some people could not work. Some people were sick (both physically & mentally) and could not help themselves. Widows and orphans were alone in the world and needed support. People were caught in the cycle and web of poverty and despair. Any different from today?

Paul believed that those who can work, must work and share with those who cannot. But, again, it’s not just the money, it’s the work itself… the labor, the strength to do what must be done.

I am a high energy person. I know this. I can usually get a lot done in a day. My parents, my mother in particular, brought me up with a strong work ethic. I have worked at some kind of a paying job since I was fourteen when I lied about my age and washed test tubes and urine bottles in a medical lab (back in the day). Since then, I have been a candy salesman, a waitress (several times over), a bookkeeper, a bartender, a filing clerk, an office temp, a secretary, an administrative assistant, a toy salesman, a Realtor, a teacher, an actress, a model, a spokesperson, a mascot, a director, a playwright, a magazine writer, a director of a nonprofit agency, a manager of a dance company, a manager of a theater company, a speaker, a trainer, a photographer, an entrepreneur, a web master, a librarian, and a branch manager.

But work is not just physical labor, there is also the work of my mind and my spirit. Writing is work. Speaking is work. Thinking is work. Planning is work. Problem solving is work.

And then there are other non-paying jobs like washing dishes, mowing a lawn, cleaning a house, photographing an event, planting a garden, driving a car, cooking a meal, and raising children.

If I am capable of doing any of this work, then I am capable of giving from the fruit of this work (money) or I can give the work itself. There is even more power in giving my self and my time. I can be present. My spirit, my time, my strength, and my energy are probably my most precious commodities… even more so than the dollars I make with my knowledge and labor.

Yes, it is more blessed to give… of oneself… that to receive… of another. Here I am Lord, send me [Isaiah 6:8].

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Heaven’s Gifts

Posted in Time Up to Pentecost, tagged , , , , on May 21, 2009| 1 Comment »

John 3:27
… John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven….”

There are many gifts that we receive from heaven…. that is, from God. These are our natural gifts. And it is with these “gifts” that we are challenged to create within our world.

So often, we look outside ourselves and say, “If only I had more money” or “If only I was prettier” or “If only I could sing like that [small tribute the American Idol finale, which I didn’t even watch ;-)]” … then we could accomplish this or that. But the truth is, we have everything we need already.

In the same spirit as the metaphor about the church being like a “body” (I Cor 12:14-16), where the hand and foot have different functions, so it is with our natural gifts. Each of us is gifted in particular ways to contribute to the world. Each of us is given raw materials to work with. Each of us can work with what we have been given.

I think I have spent a good deal of my life chasing after other people’s gifts, hoping those gifts would be my ticket to happiness or contentment … well, I should be honest, what I’ve really wanted the most has been fame! That’s embarrassing to say.

It’s only in recent years that I have started letting go of this “temptation” and started nurturing the gifts I already have: speaking, writing, and connecting the dots for others. I am the energizer bunny. Each day is becoming more and more of an adventure. I’m curious how these gifts will manifest today. I give thanks.

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Spending Time Together

Posted in Time Up to Pentecost, tagged , , , , , on May 20, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 3:22
… Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized.

It’s really very simple. To get to know someone, you have to spend time together. If we want to be known, then we have to spend the time. But, our contemporary life is making the spending of time with others more and more difficult. We are busy… too busy to “spend” time. We will spend money before we will spend time. We will rush from place to place, event to event, workday to workday, phone call to phone call… but is it really spending time together?

To me, spending time means giving no thought to my own agenda, but giving that time as a gift to another. If I am more interested in the other person and listening to that person, I am spending my time on him or her. There is a difference.

I confess, I enjoy telling a good story. I can “entertain” anyone or any small group with a series of anecdotes about the Browns… one teen story after another, one work story after another, one random act after another (for instance, I fell out of my shoes at the last Chamber of Commerce luncheon: I landed on the floor and my shoes remained standing like two brave soldiers… a funny story at my expense). But, have I spent time with the person? Have I listened to them? Not really.

The time has come to make a conscious effort to “give” my time, my presence, my heart to others. It’s time to spend the time. And of course, the same is true for the time I spend in prayer and meditation. As I give time to God, I am rewarded with more time to give. “… to him who has, more will be given…” (Luke 19:26)

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