Tuesday, August 29, 2006

What a week...

So far this week...

1. I got in a car wreck.

2. Got a ticket for said car wreck (I'm still not convinced I deserved it)

3. Watched my wife fall down and hurt her foot pretty good while working for me.

4. Watched my wife pour an entire pitcher of scalding milk on herself while working for me.

5. Had to call all of our friends to find a ride for my wife to the doctors since we don't have a car (see number 1)

6. Find out that the bumper getting damaged on my car is enought for my insurance company to total it out for way less than it's worth (to me anyways - RIP Trudy).

Yet, I'm still in a pretty dang good mood. Yesterday was kinda rough - but today I feel just great (well, now at least). It's good to have some friends that remind you that God pretty faithful - even when it looks like a totaled Mitshubishi Mirage.

Besides, the weather is super nice. What better time than this to get to walk everywhere? I like walking.

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Cheapskates.

Today, as I walked to the back of the store to fetch some milk to replinish what was starting out as a busy morning I noticed something. I noticed of the 12 or so people who were sitting in the store every single one of them was either sitting and reading the Bible or they were meeting with another person reading the Bible. One would think/hope my first reaction would be to be encouraged... sadly not the case.

Rather, it went a little something like this... "DANG! I bet we've only made 2.50 in tips despite being busy. A dollar from Tammy, a dollar from Ron, and the leftover change from that lady who allways gets skinny chia teas."

So I went back to the counter milk in tow. I took a quick look in the tip jar and I was right almost to the cent. (2.67)

This story made me realize two things:

1.) I can be quite selfish and greedy.

2.) The way people use their money reflects what they value.

Christians (often present company included) are the quite quick to throw money at "super spiritual" things like missionaries, ministry staff who are funded by support, short terms missions, Billy Grahm crusades, etc..

Yet when it comes to something so simple as dropping your leftover .32 cents into the tip jar we just don't do it. Sure, there are a lot of people who stiff baristas on tips... but it seems that the Christian cross-section of the population is proportionately worse. There's a reason that none of the baristas that work for me want to work Thursday night. It's because they know all the campus Chritian groups wil be comming in afterwards and will be super needy, probably buy very little, and then leave even less tip. Nobody wants to work super hard and not have anything to show for it.

So, how people use their money really does reflect what they value. We as Christians value things that are "super spiritual," distant, and involves almost no personal sacrfice/work. We often don't value the people who are right in front of us. The people who really do notice when you have your "accountability" meeting or bible study and dont' order anything or at best buy something but dont' even leave your leftover .12 cents in the tip jar.

So, keep shooting those checks out to "God's work" while the work and the people He has prepared for you personally slip bitterly by.

Frustrated,
KP

PS - Thanks to those of you who do an outstanding job of not only leaving the extra .37 cents on your 4 doallar drink behind but also taking the time to speak to us with care and intrest (mostly Dave, Vaughn, and Ron.)

PPS - I promise to try to be less indignant in my next post. Circumstances just seem to keep pointing me in that direction this week.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

I'm confused.

This whole Christianity thing confuses me.

How much of this is just based on our own personal conceptions of the gospel and how much is based on what Jesus really said?

I look at verses like the Sermon on the Mount, John 17, Revelation 18, the beginning of Acts, pretty much everything that Jesus did while on earth and can't help but wonder... are we missing the point.

I look at what he spent his time and efforts on. Then I look at what we spend our time and efforts on. They don't seem to match up. We're so busy starting "ministries" and keeping them going, building great churches with emmaculate sound systems, have 'acountability' groups (whatever that means...), etc. etc. etc. It seems like we're kinda missing the point to me.

Back to that John 17 passage... Christ talks about having glorified the Father by fufilling the work that He (the Father) had left him to do. That work the passage goes on to say is "manifesting men" and "establishing them in the Word."

The work that Christ left us to do isn't too much different I wouldn't think? But... except for when we're doing 'outreaches' do we really do it? I wonder sometimes.

It's really hard for me to seperate the things that Christ says following Him are all about from the things that my culture tells me a Christian is all about. They're not really the same... but they have similar ellements.

What does being a Christ follower look like when you're the boss? The servant behind the esspresso machine? When my boss is ripping my butt?

I think it means more than I've been taught. It means more than not swearing, not stealing, allways wearing a smile, spouting off Christianeese in my Young Life T-shirt, calling people "brother," being involved in 12 ministiries to show my spiritual maturity, ownining the newest David Crowder album, and having read "Blue Like Jazz" 6 and 1/2 times.

It means being like Christ. Being a part of the world, but not being of it. (cliche, I know). But really being in it. Not in the Chritian one I've created.

It also means not sugar coating the words of the Father. Calling it like it is so to speak.

But still, I'm not sure what it looks like entirely.

Confused.