Peace Friends!

I’m a new parent.  I have a seventeen month old.  Like every good parent, we occasionally dress him up in our alma mater, Wheaton, which has me thinking.  How am I going to pay for college?  How am I going to prepare for his future financially?  Micah’s godparents gave us a jumpstart on this by contributing to a college savings account.  So on his first birthday and first Christmas, we asked family to give to this college savings account rather than give him lots of gifts. 

But along the way, I’ve also been thinking a lot about how to intentionally teach Micah about God’s plan for money.  He’s got a lot to learn to not end up in the same boat as a lot of college students.  According to creditcards.com, the average household carries almost $16,000 in credit card debt.  In 2008 half of undergraduates had at least four credit cards, up from 43 percent in 2004 and 32 percent in 2000.  (Source: Sallie Mae, “How Undergraduate Students Use Credit Cards,” April 2009).  The average college student graduates with almost $20,000 in debt, and average credit card debt has increased 47 percent between 1989 and 2004 for 25- to 34-year-olds and 11 percent for 18- to 24-year-olds. Nearly one in five 18- to 24-year-olds is in “debt hardship,” up from 12 percent in 1989. (Source: Demos.org, “The Economic State of Young America,” May 2008).  According to USA Today, the average undergraduate carried $3,173 in credit card debt.  Yikes!  How can we all help teach our children to live differently?  We talk a lot about how to live differently when it comes to money, but rarely do we talk about how to intentionally teach our children how to live differently.  Thankfully the Bible has some principles that can guide us.

An old Methodist way of summarizing what the Bible teaches about money is to say make all you can, save all you can, and give all you can.  What I’d like to do today is walk through each of these and ask how we can intentionally teach our children how to live the way the Bible teaches.

Make All You Can

Lazy people are soon poor; hard workers get rich. 

A wise youth harvests in the summer, but one who sleeps during harvest is a disgrace.
Proverbs 10:4-5 NLT

For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil
1 Timothy 6:10 NLT

The Bible is clear that providing a living for yourself, your family, and your community is an important part of being human.  We aren’t made to lounge around in leisure all day long.  The question is, how do you teach your children to “make all they can” while at the same time not to fall into the love of money?

Over the past week I interviewed several different moms to see how they intentionally taught their children how to live into God’s plan for their money. Here are some of the ideas I heard along with a couple from Larry Burkett’s book, Financial Parenting.

Kris Richards’ family gives their children—Noah, Elise, and Lindsay—a commission on doing housework.  While there are some things everyone is required to do and not get paid for (like clearing the dishes from the table), they have a list of things that need to be done (trash, kitty litter, etc.) and they are required to do it to get paid.  If they don’t do it, they don’t get paid, but they are still required to do it!  Kris also provides several other opportunities around the house to do various projects to get paid. 

Marilyn Mannino got her daughter, Miranda, involved in 4H at a very young age.  Miranda was seeing other friends raise animals, take them to auction, and get paid at the end of it.  Miranda began with chickens and then progressed on to hogs.  She was required to pay all the expenses to feed and house the hogs. 

Sarah Arthur, my wife, grew up with parents who were in no hurry to have her find a job.  They encouraged her to be creative and enjoy time with family and friends, especially spending time outside.  They grew up without a TV so they weren’t wasting their time inside, but they also weren’t driven to get a job just so they could buy more stuff.  Eventually Sarah did get a job, but it wasn’t until her later teens. 

Larry Burkett recommends thinking of the family as a community.  There are certain benefits that one receives by being a part of a community, and there are certain responsibilities.  He suggests not tying too closely together those benefits (allowance) and responsibilities (chores).  Both are expected.  At the same time, he suggests hanging up a list of extra projects that can be done to earn money (e.g., mow the yard – $20).  These extra projects allow kids a chance to be assertive in making some extra money on top of their allowance. 

Save All You Can 

Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds, for riches don’t last forever, and the crown might not be secure for the next generation.
Proverbs 27:23-24 NLT

Unless you’re part of 4H or live on the farm, you probably don’t have to teach your kids about flocks and herds, but you do have to teach them about how income and expenses come and go.   Here we’re talking about teaching your children how to live simply, save, and budget. 

Kris Richards has a three-envelope budgeting system with her children: giving, savings, and spending.  When they are given their “commission” each week, they put part of it in each of these three envelopes.  The kids have over time saved up hundreds of dollars.  When I asked her what they were saving it for, she didn’t have a specific thing, but imagined that it would probably be used for a car some day in the not so distant future (Noah and Elise are both thirteen).  Kris also mentioned that her kids can sometimes get focused on stuff.  They notice fancy new cars in their neighbors’ driveways and in-ground pools in their backyards.  Kris and her husband, Brian, often remind them that these things are probably bought on a lease or debt.  

Marilyn Mannino has had a hard time with this over the years because her husband doesn’t like to budget.  While they live simply and have paid off all their debts, and save to buy for cars, they have always made a comfortable living and haven’t needed the discipline of a budget.  At the same time, she has found it important to try to teach her children about budgeting.  Her son, Joe, wanted to go to prom this year.  So they put an envelope in his drawer and began contributing to it weekly.  They had to plan ahead because the tickets were so much and only sold at certain dates. 

Sarah Arthur’s parents gave Sarah and her sister comparative huge allowances each month because they gave them money for all their monthly expenses: lunch money, clothing, school supplies, entertainment, etc.  They were required to budget this money and make it last.  If they ran out, that was too bad.  They’d have to find a way to make it to next month’s allowance and plan better.  Also, when Sarah did begin working, her parents required her to pay a certain percentage (about 15%) for “room and board.”  She was expected to contribute to the household.  What she didn’t know was that her parents were setting that aside and when she got married, they gave it to her as a gift. 

Larry Burkett suggests beginning with a basic budget like Kris Richards’ family: give, save, spend.  As the children grow older, this budget should get more complex and become more and more like real life.  Burkett even suggests as they become teenagers to institute a household “tax” of 5%.  This money then goes in a community fund that the family decides together how to spend.  This helps them realize and learn about taxes and making financial decisions with a community of people.  Perhaps, one of Burkett’s more startling ideas is that as teenagers get older, they should be given a supervised opportunity to run the family finances for six months.  He likens it to teaching kids how to drive. 

Give All You Can

 Remember this — a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each make up your own mind as to how much you should give. Don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves the person who gives cheerfully. And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.
2 Corinthians 9:6-8 NLT 

If you sow generously by giving generously, then you’ll reap generously.  But if you’re a scrooge with your money, then you won’t receive many blessing back either.  I don’t think the Bible is always talking about financial blessings here.  Giving generously and cheerfully nurtures a kind of joy and freedom that is priceless.  So how do families intentionally teach their children how to be generous?  Back to our moms. 

Marilyn shared about how she tries to model it.  This is a little tricky at times because she and her husband aren’t always in agreement on this, so she tithes from her own income.  In this way she models it for her kids. 

Kris makes this part of each child’s budget.  She says it’s not hard for them to give joyfully because they began young.  It was all given to them freely in the first place, so why get upset when they’ve always been required to put aside 10%?  Because an offering isn’t taken in the youth gathering (something we’ll explore changing!), Noah and Elise both give their portion to their younger sister, Lindsay, to give in Kids Creek.  

Sarah described how her parents never complained about what they weren’t being able to buy because of their tithing.  She remembers driving with someone one time and hearing this person wistfully comment about a big house they were driving by, “If I hadn’t tithed my whole life, maybe I could have afforded a house like that.”  This way of thinking was foreign to her.  Sarah has also watched her parents be generous with us.  Two times they have given us interest free loans: when we bought a house to make some upgrades, and when we had our son to buy a new car.  In both ways they were able to give generously not just to church but to their family because they were living simply.  I recently wrote them a note thanking them for their generosity and telling them that when I grow up I want to be generous just like them. 

Larry Burkett points out that sometimes children who are natural savers need to be encouraged to spend their money.  Hoarding isn’t a biblical idea.  The Bible teaches that money is for living and giving.  One wonderful reminder that Burkett gives parents is that savings can also be used by children to give generously to the needs of others.  Giving is one way of “spending” savings. 

Changed Lives

What would our church look like if all our parents were teaching their kids about God’s plan for money?  If parents intentionally taught their children God’s plan for money, I think that we would be a seriously counter cultural community that would have several distinctive features: 

First, we’d be a community full of families living in peace.  Imagine not having arguments about money.  Imagine not being torn about whether to pay this bill or that bill.  Marilyn described the conflict in her family growing up because of money issues.  It was what motivated her to live differently so that her children didn’t have to live with the same kind of stress. 

Second, we’d be an attractive community.  If all our families were living full of peace about finances, how long would it take before our friends, extended families, and neighbors began to notice and be curious about what was making this peace possible?  Not long.  Sharing our faith is most effective when it comes from a place of transformation. 

Third, we’d have more integrity in our own financial dealings.  It’s said that teaching is learning twice.  If all our families began intentionally teaching children how to handle money, they just might begin living into those principles more fully themselves.  Kris said that this already happens for her.  Her children are reminders of what they have taught them about living differently. 

Fourth, we as a community could be more generous with our church, community, and world.  We could reach out and touch more lives.  We could meet more needs.  A generous church is generous because it is made up of generous families. 

So what’s your plan?  How will you intentionally teach your children about God’s plan for money?  Don’t have a plan? Then set aside some time this week to make a plan.  Or check out the resources listed below.  Let me pray for you in that effort. 

Creator God, all that we have is yours to begin with.  Help us to be good stewards of those gifts, and help us to be good stewards of the children that you have given us.  Help us to intentionally teach them your plan for money.  May it be so in our lives in the name of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Further Resources

www.daveramsey.com (Brian and Kris Richards – 393-6107)
Financial Parenting by Larry Burkett and Rick Osborn
Share, Save, Spend Money Discussion Cards by Vibrant Faith Ministries

Small Group Discussion Questions

Each week we provide discussion questions for small groups that meet regularly to discuss the message for the week.  Want to find a small group to join?  Email Mark Aupperlee – m_aupperlee@hotmail.com

 How are you intentionally teaching your children or how did your parents intentionally teach you to…

1. Make money in honest ways?
2. Budget, save, and live simply?
3. Give generously and cheerfully?
4. What helpful resources are you familiar with for family finances?

Big Bang Faith – The Faith and Medicine Algorithm
Sycamore Creek Church
May 6, 2012
Tom Arthur
Luke 4:14-20

Bazinga, Friends!

I am naturally a skeptic. When it comes to the supernatural and miraculous, I tend to have a lot of questions. I’ve never seen a miraculous healing, even though I hear claims about them all the time. When I was in elementary school, I had a bad skateboarding accident and seriously cut up my knee. When I walked the mile to get home with blood streaming down my leg, I found an empty house. My mom was gone. I got into bed and prayed that if God stopped the bleeding, I’d read the Bible from front to back. I picked up the Bible and began reading Genesis. Well, the bleeding did eventually stop, but it didn’t appear to be anything more than natural processes at work. I did eventually read my entire Bible, but not for several years.

While reading for this sermon, I was at a café and put my book on the counter to pay. One of the employees picked it up and asked what I was reading. It was a book titled Miracles. I told her it was a book about miracles and then asked her if she had ever experienced any miracles. She thought for a moment and then went on to tell me how every day life is a miracle. She is a gardener and finds the beauty of flowers to be a miracle. I agree, but that’s not really what I mean when I talk about a miracle. I’m talking about something that doesn’t happen every day. Something unexpected.

While researching for this message, I came across a show called Miracles for Sale by a famous British illusionist named Darren Brown. The U.K.’s version of David Copperfield. Brown studied the “tricks” that faith healers use, a mixture of illusion and psychological suggestion, then secretly auditioned actors to play the part of a faith healer and taught that person how to use illusions and psychological suggestion to “heal” people. They traveled to Texas and put on a faith healing service, and “healed” people. Their attack was not against faith or the church, but against manipulative, fraudulent faith healers who sell miracles. I found the whole show very compelling, but while certain faith healers who closely tie together money and healing may be charlatans, I’m not sure that healings are always just illusions.

The closest I’ve come to something miraculous are two stories my mom tells about encountering angels. One happened while I was in elementary school and riding in the car with her. She had left her wallet on the top of the car when she filled the gas tank up. She was a single mom at the time, and when she realized what she had done, she became very anxious. She had a car full of kids and was on a busy road, so she prayed for God to send her someone to help her find her wallet. She locked the doors, told us to stay put, and went looking for her wallet. At some point she looked up and a man was walking toward her. He had her wallet. She was extremely grateful and thanked him profusely. When she turned around to walk back to the car, she decided she ought to give him some cash from her wallet as a gift for helping her. She turned back around to give him some money, and he was gone! Vanished! Nowhere to be seen. She believes God sent her an angel.

I think that many of us have this one basic question when it comes to faith and healing: do miraculous healings happen?

Miracles?

David Hume, one key Enlightenment era philosopher, had this to say about miracles:

There is not to be found, in all history, any miracle attested by a sufficient number of men, of such unquestioned good sense, education, and learning, as to secure us against all delusion in themselves.

I think that a lot of us have that same sentiment. Hume’s statement also has a subtle prejudice in it that comes out more strongly elsewhere when he says:

It forms a strong presumption against all spiritual and miraculous relations, that they are observed chiefly to abound among ignorant and barbarous people.

Basically, Hume is saying that if you’re not a white educated western man, your thoughts on this topic aren’t very reliable. And if we’re honest, I think most of us hold at least some version of this same prejudice. Those cultures in “third world” countries are naturally more superstitious and too easily believe in the supernatural.

In his book The Screwtape Letters C.S. Lewis tells the story of an elder demon mentoring a younger demon. In the preface to this book, Lewis says,

There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.

Perhaps those of us in the west are too prone to disbelieve in the supernatural and those in the majority of the world are too prone to believe in the supernatural. While it may be inappropriate to fall in the extremes when it comes to faith and healing, there is no doubt that healing is part of the story of Jesus as told by the Bible.

Jesus Heals

At the very beginning of Jesus’ public ministry and teaching, he stands up in a synagogue and reads from the book of Isaiah. Here is what he reads and says:

Luke 4:14-21 NLT

Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Soon he became well known throughout the surrounding country. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll containing the messages of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him, and he unrolled the scroll to the place where it says:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he has appointed me to preach Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim
that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the downtrodden will be freed from their oppressors,
and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”

He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. Everyone in the synagogue stared at him intently. Then he said, “This Scripture has come true today before your very eyes!”

Jesus claims that in him the prophesy of Isaiah that justice will come and people will be healed has come true. And then as you read the first four books of the New Testament, you see this coming true. Jesus heals the blind, lame, deaf, paraplegic, demon possessed, epileptic, and more. Gerd Theissen and Annette Merz, Bible scholars at the University of Heidelberg, say that “nowhere else are so many miracles reported of a single person as they are in the Gospels of Jesus.” Another scholar points out that “31 percent of the verses in Mark’s Gospel involve miracles in some way, or some 40 percent of his narrative!” (Keener, pg 66).

But aren’t these healing stories just an example of the big fish story? It was so big that by the time it got away and the story has been told over and over, it was the size of a whale! Aren’t these miracle stories just legendary mythical additions to the text over time? Craig Keener points out that “contrary to assumptions that miracle stories would always grow in time, other Gospels’ use of Mark shows that abbreviation was as common as development” (Keener, pg 31). John Meier, a New Testament scholar at Notre Dame adds that “the early dating of the literary testimony to Jesus’ miracles, the closeness of the dates of the written ‘docs’ to the alleged miracles of Jesus’ life, is almost unparalleled for the period” (Keener, pg 71).

It turns out that these miracle stories, while they can’t be proved, are not so spurious as some have thought. But assuming that Jesus did really heal people back in the day, will Jesus heal me?

Pray for Healing and Make Healthy Choices

Sometimes I think that we treat God like a genie in a bottle. Got a problem? Rub the bottle and out pops God to give us three wishes. But God is even more generous than the genie, because every time we have a problem and rub the bottle, we get three more wishes!

My own observation, which I think is pretty obvious, is that while God can and does heal, God does not always heal when and how you want. God’s usual way of working in the world is to allow actions to have natural consequences. Do you expect God to overturn the natural consequences of poor choices? Do you not study for a test and then pray to pass? Do you sit on your duff all day long without ever exercising and pray for your heart blockage to be healed? Do you smoke a pack a day and then pray for God to heal your lung cancer? God’s usual way of working in the world is to work through natural means. So seek out doctors, physical therapists, trainers, coaches, dieticians, and the like. God is less like a genie and more like a surgeon. He is less likely to give you your three wishes and more likely to cut the cancer out of your bad habits.

Now there is a perception out there that being a Christian is somehow a kind of an unhealthy mental illness. If you’re a believer, you must be unhealthy. You can see this in one of the new atheists, Richard Dawkins’ book titled: The God Delusion. The implication is clear: Faith = mental illness.

Research actually shows the opposite. The Duke University Center for the Study of Religion and Spirituality has been studying the effects of faith and faith practices on health for many years now. The truth is that if you participate in faith practices, you are likely to be more healthy. Here is a list of some of their findings:

• People who regularly attend church, pray individually, and read the Bible have significantly lower diastolic blood pressure than the less religious. Those with the lowest blood pressure both attend church and pray or study the Bible often.
• People who attend church regularly are hospitalized much less often than people who never or rarely participate in religious services.
• People with strong religious faith are less likely to suffer depression from stressful life events, and if they do, they are more likely to recover from depression than those who are less religious.
• People with strong faith who suffer from physical illness have significantly better health outcomes than less religious people.
• People who attend religious services regularly have stronger immune systems than their less religious counterparts.
• Religious people live longer.

(Taken from The Healing Power of Faith by Harold Koenig, M.D.)

So pray for healing and expect to be healed, but don’t forget to make healthy choices too. And one of those healthy choices is choosing to pray!

The Purpose of Healing

So is disease always about the poor choices you made? Are you sick because you sinned? Jesus is asked a question like this:

“Teacher,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it a result of his own sins or those of his parents?” “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “He was born blind so the power of God could be seen in him.”
John 9:2-4 NLT

Jesus points out that this blindness has nothing to do with personal sin. No one sinned in such a way that the man was born blind. Since the man was born blind, I guess the people asking Jesus this question thought that someone could sin before birth! Jesus points out that they’re asking the wrong question. The ultimate purpose of healing is to bring God glory.

Imagine with me for a moment what kind of glory we would bring God if SCC became known as oasis of health and healing amidst a broken and diseased culture. What if we became known as a hospital for the sick? We should attract the sick, but if we are faithfully teaching how to practice the faith, they should experience healing here too.

Actually, I already see it happening. There’s a small group of women who, concerned about their health, are meeting to run and/or walk in preparation for an upcoming 5K. They call it a Run for God small group. Exercising in a group is always easier than exercising alone. There’s an accountability in the process of being active with friends.

I see people in our church losing weight. I myself have lost some weight lately. All the men in my family are overweight and suffering from some kind of diabetes. I have a covenant with my pants that I will never leave them nor forsake them. Back in November my pants were getting a little tight as I was hitting the upper end of my healthy weight limit. Instead of waiting until I was overweight, I decided to lose some weight. I bought into Weight Watchers online and have lost fifteen pounds since November, and now I’m in the middle of my healthy weight range. But I also know some among us who have lost thirty or forty pounds and have regained significant health in the process.

I have seen people in our church quit smoking or give up drugs or alcohol. They’ve done so after being convicted by God’s Spirit at work in their heart or mind. Some who are struggling with emotional or relational issues have found support and help for coping in our support group that meets twice a month. I see people rebuilding broken relationships, forgiving past harm, and renewing their marriages. God is at work healing in our church. So does God heal, and can God heal you? Yes, but not always how or when we want. God is God, not your personal genie.

If you want to get better at anything, what’s the best way to do it?  Wait for random opportunities or create a plan?  The answer is obvious.  The same is true about the way that we handle our money.  God wants us to give generously.  So what’s the best way to go about growing in our generosity?  Waiting for random opportunities or creating a plan?  The answer is obvious.  Join us for a two-week series where we explore God’s plan for growing your faith and love by intentional giving.

May 13, 2012 – Mother’s Give More than Money

May 20, 2012 – Big Dreams and Bold Prayers (Commitment Sunday Annual Pledge)

Audio Downloads

Meeting at Lansing Christian School
3405 Belle Chase Way
Lansing, MI 48911
517-394-6100

Sunday Worship & Nursery – 9:30 AM & 11:15 AM
Kid’s Creek and StuREV – 11:15AM

Map

Why do you give?  There are a lot of good reasons to give to Sycamore Creek Church.  We’d like to suggest a new reason to give to SCC: Designated Special Giving (DSG).  Beginning with this newsletter, we’re going to be listing ten DSG opportunities every quarter.  They are various needs that already exist or new ministry opportunities that we’d like to move into but don’t yet have the finances to do so.  We think that by sharing these ideas, God might speak to some of you in new ways about giving.  A particular opportunity just might catch hold of your heart, imagination, or spirit, and God won’t let it get out of your mind.  Would you prayerfully look over the list below and consider whether God is calling you to give to one of these DSG opportunities?

Let me share a couple of caveats.  First, we’re still asking you to make an annual financial commitment.  This year’s Commitment Sunday will be Sunday, May 20^th, and the theme for the two-week series (beginning on May 13^th) will be Not So Random Acts of Giving.  One thing that is clear about the way the Bible approaches giving is that giving is best done intentionally.  Commitment Sunday gives you an opportunity to seek God’s will for your own giving with intention rather than randomly deciding what you’ll give week by week.  Watch for more info on Commitment Sunday in the coming weeks.

Second, DSG is an above-and-beyond giving opportunity, above and beyond other commitments you’ve made to the church such as your annual Commitment Sunday pledge, your 20 Years Deep Capital Campaign pledge, or your commitment to Dr. Mir in Nicaragua.  Some of us are giving sacrificially to give intentionally and regularly in these areas, and this above-and-beyond kind of giving may not be for you.  But God has given some the spiritual gift of giving, and DSG is especially for people with this spiritual gift.

Third, if you can’t give the total amount listed, don’t feel like you can’t contribute.  Perhaps God will speak to five other people too, and their total giving meets the need or opportunity.  Fourth, we’ve tried to give a brief description of the need or opportunity, but if you’d like more information, feel free to contact the office.

So take some time to consider DSG alongside your current giving, and watch what God will do in the coming weeks and months!

Peace,
Tom

P.S. Don’t forget that the easiest way to give regularly and intentionally is through Electronic Fund Transfer.  Contact the church office fore more details.  You can make future changes at any time by simply calling.

Designated Special Giving (DSG)

• Staff Laptops ($600 each) – Tom, Jeremy, and Julie/Kids Creek are all using laptops that are several years old and running very slowly.

• Main Projection Screen ($1,400) – The current screen is showing significant age.

• Retreat Scholarships ($20 and up) – If someone needs help going on CRASH men’s retreat, Awakenings women’s retreat, or a youth retreat, this helps cover those costs.

• Connection Café Tables ($200) – The current tables are aging and falling apart.

• Presentation Laptop & Software ($1,500) – Currently we put together Sunday morning’s presentation on several different computers.  Streamlining it to one laptop would save hassle, time, and the stress of making all three computers work together.

• Youth Ministry Intern ($5000) – We’d like to hire a college student as a year-round youth intern.

• Emergency Fund ($20 and up) – We help people in our church and community who are having difficulty covering basic expenses like rent, utilities, and food.

• Leadership Training ($300) – Conferences, workshops and coaching help our paid and unpaid staff continue to improve their craft and grow our church.

• Signage ($100 to $2000) – We’re working on a new office sign, street signs, signs going into Lansing Christian School, and signs inside LCS that show our new logo and improve visibility.

• Digital Recorder to MP3 ($100) – This would allow us to more easily get audio of each week’s message on the website and podcast.

If you would like to give to one or more of these Designated Special Giving opportunities, simply drop a check in the offering bag and write “DSG” and the name of the DSG (i.e. “DSG: Staff Laptops”).

Mainline churches have a problem. It costs too much to start a new church. There are two big expenses: salary and space. UMC ordained clergy cost at a minimum roughly $70,000/year when you include benefits (anyone have data on other mainline salaries?) and my church rents and pays $2,100/month for worship space and $700/month for office space.

Read more…

This past Sunday, Mark Aupperlee, a cancer researcher at MSU and volunteer at SCC, spoke on evolution and faith.  It was an amazing sermon.  Mark doesn’t write out manuscripts, but here’s a link the audio download.  It’s well worth listening to.

Love these guys!  I’d love to do something like this sometime.

Source…

Networking for People Who Hate Networking: A Field Guide for Introverts, the Overwhelmed, and the Underconnected
By Devora Zack
Rating: 7 of 10

Thanks to Devora Zack, I’ve realized something about myself. I’m not an introvert. I’m what she calls a “centrovert.”  The distinction is very helpful. If you’re familiar with the Meyers Briggs personality type inventory you will know that there is a scale that ranges from one side, introvert, to the other side, extrovert.  When I have taken the inventory in the past, I tend to fall in the middle toward the introvert side.  I have always claimed that I’m an introvert.  But Devora points out that people in the middle are better called “centroverts.”  The reality for me is that I can put on a lot of extrovert skills when needed, but they tend to wear me out over time.

Sometimes I look like an extrovert, especially if you come to church on Sunday morning.  But Devora points out that introverts think to talk (they’re reflective), they go deep (they’re focused), and they energize alone (they’re self-reliant).  This pretty much nails me most of the time.  On the other hand extroverts talk to think (they’re verbal), they’re expansive (range widely), and they energize with others (they’re social).

Devora points out that networking books tend to cater to extroverts.  Her book is different.  She outlines a very helpful set of guidelines that play to introverts strengths.   Here’s a list of old rules for networking that play to extroverts and new rules that play to introverts:

Old Rule: Jump on in (Patter)
New Rule: Pause (Plan for networking)

Old Rule: Sell yourself (Promote)
New Rule: Process (Go deep to connect)

Old Rule: Maximize time with others (Party)
New Rule: Pace (Know when to withdraw to energize)

Devora then runs these three new rules through several different settings that people often find themselves in such as a conference, hunting for a job, business travel, or at a networking event.  Her best example from her own experience was from a conference she personally attended.

Pause: She researched all the publishers who would be there.  Of the hundreds she found two or three that fit the kind of book she wanted to write.

Process: She narrowed her list down to one and set up a meeting with that one publisher and connected deeply by being very well prepared for that one meeting.

Pace: She didn’t meet with any of the other publishers.  She brought all her energy to that one meeting.  She didn’t try to promote herself everywhere.  She paced her energy.

The result was the book I read.  Most people would think that to get a book published you have to get it out to as many publishers as possible, and this may work sometimes.  But my own experience watching my wife (who is probably a “centrovert” on the extrovert side) write and publish is that she does best when she narrows her ideas down to very specific publishers and works to build a lasting relationship with those publishers.

So here’s how I’m taking this into my next conference setting.  I just attended a second pastors conference in Florida.  I decided to PAUSE and do some advanced planning.  I emailed the co-organizer and described myself (I actually already new him) and my situation as a second pastor.  I asked him if he knew any other second pastors who were in similar situations that I might begin to connect with on Facebook or via email.  That way when I showed up I had one or two people I already knew rather than walking cold into a room of people I don’t know.  He wasn’t in charge of registration so he didn’t know who was registered.  I suggested we set up a Facebook page/group before the conference for people who were attending the conference.  He liked the idea and made it happen.  When I arrived I paid attention to making some significant lasting connections (PROCESS) with a couple of people and PACED myself and my relational energy by going to a movie one night by myself.  Zack’s ideas helped me navigate this conference in an intentional way that played to my strengths.

Big Bang Faith – The Reverse Projection Theory
Sycamore Creek Church
April 22, 2012
Tom Arthur

Peace, Friends!

Today we continue our series on faith and science by looking at the science of psychology.  Christianity and psychology have had a somewhat tumultuous relationship ever since the founding father of psychology, Sigmund Freud, wrote:

To begin with, we know that God is a father-substitute; or, more correctly, that he is an exalted father; or, yet again, that he is a copy of a father as he is seen and experienced in childhood – by individuals in their own childhood and by mankind in its prehistory as the father of the primitive and primal horde.

According to Freud, God is simply a projection of our fathers, both current and primal, upon the heavens.  We want a good and powerful father, and we don’t have one, so we imagine one in the sky.

I don’t doubt that too often we project our desires for who we want God to be upon God.  Too often we make God in our own image or in the image of whatever it is that we desire God to be.  But just because we have a tendency to project our image upon God doesn’t rule out that we were first made in the image of God ourselves.  That’s what the Bible claims:

So God created people in his own image;
God patterned them after himself;
male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:27 NLT

While Freud makes a powerful argument, I wonder if the opposite argument can’t be made.  Do we at times project upon the heavens our own desire for there not to be a God?  Freud himself said:

Religious ideas…are illusions, fulfillments of the oldest, strongest and most urgent wishes of mankind.

Is this not true to some extent of all our ideas?  Religious or atheist?  C.S. Lewis, a contemporary of Freud’s often wrote in response to the new psychology.  When it comes to this idea of religion being wish fulfillment he says:

Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for these desires exists. A baby feels hunger; well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim; well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire; well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.

So is God just a projection of our wishes upon the sky?  Could be.  But the opposite could be true too.

All Truth Is God’s Truth

It seems that Freud wanted to put a lot of distance between faith and science.  But is there no overlap?  How do the science of psychology and faith work together?  The wisdom of the Proverbs says:

God delights in concealing things;
scientists delight in discovering things.
Proverbs 25:2 The Message

In other words, God didn’t write a text book that explained exactly how everything works.  No quantum theory text book there.  It is God’s delight to hold back his cards when it comes to some things, and let people discover them.  But when it comes to psychology, there is a little more overlap between faith and science.  According to David Myers, a psychologist at Hope College, there are four ways that psychology and faith converge.

2. We are awesome but flawed

When it comes to our brains, we are the most complex organism the world has ever seen.  And yet our brains in all their complexity are prone to judgment errors.  This sounds a lot like the Bible teaching that we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139) in the image of God, and yet all have fallen short of the glory of God and have sinned (Romans 3).  Psychology and faith converge in agreement upon this point.

2. Self-serving bias

This second place of convergence between psychology and faith grows out of the first.  We tend to act in self-serving ways.  We ignore the needs of others around us to secure our own needs.  Christianity teaches that not only do we sin, but we have a bent toward sin called original sin.  We are unable not to sin.  Psychology and faith converge in agreement upon this point.

3. Attitudes affect action and action affects attitudes

Psychological research has found that there is a reciprocal relationship between our attitudes and our actions.  They affect one another.  It’s not a one way street.  Likewise, Christianity has taught that faith and works go hand in hand.  Faith, our attitude toward God, affects how we live, but also what we do either grows our faith or diminishes it.

4. People and situations influence each other

The fourth place of convergence is an expansion of the third from the personal to the communal: our environment shapes us and we shape our environment.  Who you spend time with and where you spend time are important decisions for the kind of person you will become.  Christianity teaches that God has created a community to help us become who God has created us to become.

Critiques/Limitations of Psychology

While there are at least four if not more points of overlap between faith and psychology, there are some limitations of the science of psychology.  Let’s talk about three.

1.      Scientific Method vs. Psychological Method

Psychology has adopted the scientific method which is based upon the observable phenomena of objects moving and interacting with one another.  But how does one observe a mental process?  Using the scientific method to study phenomena that are not easily observable has some limits.

2.      Not Value Neutral

More so than the physical sciences, psychology must deal with values and values are not neutral.  Take for example the question, “What is healthy?” Can data answer this question?  Theory has to answer this question.  Theory provides a framework for interpreting data.  Values of health that psychologists hold influence psychology in significant ways.  You can see this in one simple way: psychologists don’t all agree on what “healthy” is.

3.      Doesn’t Answer Ultimate Questions

Lastly, while psychology can shed considerable light on our lives, it cannot answer the ultimate questions.  Leo Tolstoy posed these three ultimate questions: “Why should I live?  Why should I do anything?  Is there in life any purpose?”  Psychology cannot answer these three questions, but faith does.  Just to give you an example, the first question of the Westminster catechism is: what is the purpose of man?  The answer is: to glorify God and enjoy him always.

Psychological Value

So what exactly is the value of psychology?  First, I’ve found my own personal experience with psychology to be very helpful. I have sought out counselors several times in my life around two basic issues: relationships and emotions.  When my relationship with my family has been strained, I have sought out a counselor for help.  Likewise I have struggled with two emotions, anger and anxiety, that have sent me looking for some help.  In all of these instances, I have found talking to a counselor helpful in giving me guidance for restoring relationships and managing emotions.

Second, the question arises for a person of faith whether to go to a counselor who is also a person of faith or someone else.  My own sense is that I have always begun by seeking out a person who shares my faith, but this has not always been available to me.  So I have seen both Christian and non-Christian counselors.  Both were helpful, but I found meeting with Christian counselors to be more helpful.  Some of this may simply be that I feel like I have less to explain and more in common.  But even with Christian counselors, there are good and bad counselors.  Wisdom can be found both in Christians and non-Christians, and I would seek out wisdom wherever it is to be found.

Lastly, Christianity is psychology and ministry is counseling.  What we do here at SCC is itself a kind of psychology and counseling.  Psychological research has shown that the more kind of social supports you have around you, the more robust you will be in dealing with psychological challenges.  It turns out that going to church and being involved helps you psychologically.  Practices like being in a small group provide people to talk to who may not be trained psychologists, but are people who will listen and reflect on life together.  Contrary to what Freud suggests, faith isn’t a disease, “the universal obsessional neurosis,” but faith practices make you more healthy!

Conclusion

While the father of psychology had a bone to pick with religion, time has shown that psychology and faith are much more compatible than Freud was able to see.  The church itself even turns out to be helpful to people’s psychological health.  So how involved are you?  How many opportunities are you taking to build social supports through worship and small groups?  Not only will these practices help your psychological health, they’ll also help answer the ultimate questions of life:

Why should I live?
Why should I do anything?
Is there in life any purpose?