Food for Thought
June 30, 2008 |
Not every church member should attempt an outreach Bible study. A wise pastor will not try to get “the whole church” into this approach to evangelism. Some Christians tend to tell others too much too soon. The discussion approach requires patience and a willingness to let the non-Christian build a framework of Bible knowledge and discover Christ’s claims for himself.
But once this has happened, the person is much more likely to hear and believe a gospel presentation from the pulpit or a Christian friend.
Posted by Bonnie McMaken on June 30, 2008 | Comments (0)
Go Build Something
June 27, 2008 |
Whew! I’m tired.
All day today I helped with the renovation process at an elementary school not far from our house. My husband has been there all week, and today I left my desk and my computer and joined him in the labor.
And I’m tired.
Now, I’m not new to the construction world. My parents own several rental properties, and when I was a kid, I often spent weekends and summers helping my dad paint, build porches, and just generally fix whatever needed fixing. And a few weeks after Mark and I got married, we started our first do-it-yourself project. One that spawned six years of almost non-stop home projects: including the complete renovation of an old home from the studs out.
Of course, as familiar as I might be with a construction site, I am an editor. I did not choose a career as a builder. But I have to admit—as much as I love what I do—sometimes I just want to shut off my computer, slide my chair under the desk, turn out the lights and go build something.
Do you ever feel that way?
Posted by Roxanne Wieman on June 27, 2008 | Comments (2)
How Do You Care for Yourself?
June 24, 2008 |
Two nights ago, I set my kitchen timer for five minutes, sat in a lawn chair on my deck, and stared at the stars.
This was my feeble attempt at self-care, something I’m trying to incorporate into my life. Nearly two weeks ago, someone challenged me to engage in some intentional self-care, in a way that made me feel slightly uncomfortable. I’m surprised at how difficult it was for me to find a way—and make the time—to do this.
Continue reading...Posted by Amy Simpson on June 24, 2008 | Comments (18)
Food for Thought
June 23, 2008 |
You may be in a period of deep questioning right now. A new year is beginning. Perhaps your children are going to be starting school soon. The summer wasn’t near what it could have been, that dream of family closeness never achieved. Perhaps you will be changing jobs or ministry positions. Yet, what should be a time of adventure—of new possibilities—feels oddly leaden and life-less. Maybe you’re in the same old place—in your job, your marriage, as a single parent, or as a single human. The routine has become deafening and stifling, just as God is becoming more distant and unreachable.
Continue reading...Posted by Bonnie McMaken on June 23, 2008 | Comments (2)
Needy People
June 20, 2008 |
Several years ago, I had a conversation with a woman whose grown children lived all over the country—or even the globe, I think. When I asked her if that was hard for her to be so far away, she said, “Not really. I guess I don’t really like being needed.”
At the time—as a new mom with one baby boy—this kind of appalled me. I mean, what kind of mom would miss being needed? Fast forward several years and a couple more kids, and I see where she was coming from. Never more clearly than these past first few weeks of summer. The weather’s been beautiful and my kids and I have had a lot of fun, but the “neediness” of my kids has hit record levels. I swear I get “Mom, can you…?” and “Mom, where’s my….?” and “Mom, help me find….” flying at me from three directions nonstop for what seems like all day—and a long day, that can be. If you have kids, I’m sure you’ve been there.
But what days like this tell me is that I—like the woman from a few years back—am not that much of a fan of being needed myself.
Continue reading...Posted by Caryn Rivadeneira on June 20, 2008 | Comments (3)
The Right Timing for Talking
June 17, 2008 |
We all know that speaking too quickly isn’t the best idea. “Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him,” says Proverbs 29:20. A quick reply is usually a thoughtless one, and often the words we speak are later regretted.
But what about taking a lot of time before replying?
There is such a thing as ‘rehearsal’ for a conversation—I frequently catch my husband in the act. We’ll be tidying the kitchen or driving in the car, and I’ll notice his lips moving as if he were speaking—only he’s silent. “Who are you pretending to talk to?” I’ll ask him, and he’ll cough up the imagined conversation partner and topic.
I do this too, minus the moving lips. For me it goes like this:
Posted by Caryn Rivadeneira on June 17, 2008 | Comments (7)
Food for Thought
June 16, 2008 |
After the divorce, I moved in with my parents for financial reasons. Their yard was dotted with tall trees where birds performed tiny morning symphonies outside my window. Every evening I watched the sinking sun light up their lawn with a golden glow. Somehow, admiring the strength of their huge oak tree gave me incredible comfort. Life did go on—leaves fell, birds sang, squirrels rummaged. And as each day passed, I realized I could go on, too.
Posted by Bonnie McMaken on June 16, 2008 | Comments (1)
Drowning in the Fishbowl
June 13, 2008 |
I walked up to the red door with trepidation. Please God, don’t let anyone recognize me today.
We had just moved, and I needed desperately to meet God on his turf. I needed a church. At the same time, I dreaded the people in a church. Dreaded the moment someone would ask what my name was and what I did. Even worse, I dreaded the people who would approach and tell me who I was and what I did.
I was working for a national ministry at the time, in a semi-public position. My name and picture were on the front pages of their magazines, and my byline showed up regularly. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to make me recognizable to a certain subgroup of Christian women. Well-intentioned churchgoers would assume they knew more about me than they did. They’d ask me about my children (which I didn’t have). Look around for my husband (he worked weekends while going to school full time, and so he wasn’t with me). Make assumptions about my spiritual life, during a season when the holes in my faith resembled Swiss cheese.
Posted by Caryn Rivadeneira on June 13, 2008 | Comments (11)
Workplace War with the Armor of God
June 10, 2008 |
Several years ago, the company I worked for was undergoing massive changes. Until then, I’d been on a wonderful team of encouraging leaders and friends. We were building our side of the business and seeing great success. We were thrilled to be a part of it. Then, before we knew what hit us, people were being downsized and company holdings were sold.
In an attempt to take market share, our company purchased another business that targeted a niche market. Within a few months, one of their managers pressed his way into a corporate VP position. We were stunned to find that this person we barely knew would have control over the business we’d built for years.
Not your typical executive, his spiky hair laid in rows set by the overuse of gel. He wore shiny silk shirts that were always left open to expose his gold chains. His favorite expletive broke a commandment—a phrase he favored enough to use in nearly every sentence he spoke. He regularly told me that we needed to have a “Come to Jesus” meeting, meaning I needed to stop opposing him and take on his viewpoint.
Posted by Caryn Rivadeneira on June 10, 2008 | Comments (5)
Food for Thought
June 9, 2008 |
It seems like ministry today has been reduced to strategy and outcomes and production. And, frankly, that is what makes you famous—developing a new ministry strategy. If you can reproduce it and sell it, you can get a book deal.
Ministry to "the least of these" is about people, and it's messy. But there are godly people all over this country who have been loving people in the name of Jesus, and I think that's real ministry.
Continue reading...Posted by Bonnie McMaken on June 9, 2008 | Comments (2)
Jesus and Fried Chicken
June 6, 2008 |
There was a time when I believed the Great American Idea that your autobiography is your own personal story. Now, after years of exposure to a rich variety of people, customs, and traditions, I realize that our own personal stories are inextricably linked to the stories of our fathers, our mothers, and the people of our culture.
For over a hundred years, most of the members of my family were cotton farmers, people of the earth who had left the luxuries of Western Europe to try their hand in a new land. They had enough courage to traverse the Atlantic and half of the continental United States territory in search of a better life. They had enough grit and determination to prevail through both the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl of Oklahoma. They were a pragmatic, hard-working lot of people who gave little thought to their relationship with God. Jesus was reserved for Sundays—right along with fried chicken, sweet corn on the cob, and creamy mashed potatoes smothered with thick gravy. There was no real relationship with God, only a religion that had little to do with daily life on the cotton farm.
Posted by Caryn Rivadeneira on June 6, 2008 | Comments (18)
Christ-Like Answers to Annoying Questions
June 3, 2008 |
I have a neighbor who is obsessed with the size of my house. Every time we visit it comes up. At first I thought it was just me observing something weird, maybe imagined, but then she said something to my husband and his head is on straighter than mine, so I knew it really was an obsession. Case in point: Last week we saw her at a local antique shop. “Filling up your big house?” she asked. I didn’t know how to reply, so I told her the boring truth. We were there because some visiting family members had wanted to stop by.
So I started obsessing about the whole thing, making up dialogue and back-stories. I wondered if, perhaps, she grew up in a tiny house like my grandmother—four girls sharing the same double bed, wearing hand-me-downs, working for the Woman in the Big House (like mine). I started thinking, “No matter her history, her present house is no smaller than mine; I’ve seen it. It may be even be larger.”
But this isn’t about square footage, or even personal history. This is about me obsessing about her obsession, me formulating some caustic response, telling her not to identify me with my house. “I have to go now,” I imagined telling her. “I have to spend time thinking about my enormous house.” Or, best yet, “Our big house is full, but our monstrous empty new cottage up north is in great need of expensive antique furniture.” “That’ll get her,” I thought. “That’ll make her shut up about something that’s none of her business.” (My sin nature is very evident in my inner monologue.)
Posted by Caryn Rivadeneira on June 3, 2008 | Comments (13)
Food for Thought
June 2, 2008 |
I try to demonstrate to those I supervise that I'm there to serve them. After board meetings, for example, which may go until midnight or one o'clock in the morning, I stay with one or two other people and clean the room. I want to serve that board, so I clean the room, meaning they can get home earlier. And I want to serve the church custodian. One time a custodian said to me, “The board sure leaves the room a mess.” Now I clean the room so he doesn't have a mess the next morning. My hope is that these people will say, “If the pastor will do that for me, I'm going to do that for other people.”
Continue reading...Posted by Bonnie McMaken on June 2, 2008 | Comments (0)
