Xapa to the World

Category: Reflections

  • Philanthropy Under Ice

    Let me start this off by saying that I have no real issue with the ALS Ice Bucket challenge. There was a family at my old church who was directly affected by ALS and I think that we definitely need to raise awareness for this disease and raise money for research to fight it.  I think the Ice Bucket Challenge has succeeded at that goal. Kudos to all of you who have participated and donated.

    Let me say, secondly, that….I can’t stand being cold. There, I said it. I’m sure everyone who has done the challenge is feeling it. I’m not a big fan of fads, either. I’m fine with others participating in them, but I’m probably going to hold off. I want some time to think about it.

    We are also on a budget. I know that if I dumped ice water on me, then I would only be expected to donate $10, which wouldn’t break the bank. But it’s the idea of it for me.  We have so many people telling us where our money NEEDS to go, for bills and such, stuff that we don’t have much option with. The money that we give to charity is precious to us, and we put a lot of thought into it.  At this time, the donation bucket in our home has already been emptied.

    So all of that aside, I want to address some things that I’ve noticed with this recent internet phenomenon.

    1.  The general public does not read the fine print.

    NPR came out with an amazing April Fool’s Day prank this year. They posted an article with the headline, “Why Doesn’t America Read Anymore?” It was accompanied by the blurb preview of “In an age of readily available information and countless ways to get it, we seem to be losing touch with our powers of comprehension,” and a picture of lines of books on library shelves. The comment section was already filled by the time I got there with incensed individuals across the WORLD who were infuriated that NPR would make such an awful generalization and how little they actually met the purported claim. And yet, they were proving NPR correct by their own comments in a pointed sociological experiment. When you actually clicked on the link, you were directed to a page congratulating you on being a “genuine reader,” and to like the post and to “not leave a comment.”

    We are a society where there is so much information available that if we are not fed it in one sentence at the top of our computer/phone screen, with an appropriate picture or video (albeit short), then we’re not going to give it our attention. I am saying “we” because I am so guilty of this too.  I was under the assumption with the Ice Bucket Challenge that if you dumped the water on your head, you did not have to give. But if you didn’t, then you had to give $100. That’s incentive enough to not give, but it still gets the word out about the disease so I figured it wasn’t completely terrible.  I’m glad that I found out it was a tiered donation concept. Whether you participate in the ice bucket, you are donating, little or much. That’s a great fundraising technique!

    2. Do you know exactly what you are giving to?

    First off, do you think that all the people who are dumping ice water on themselves really know what ALS is?  I feel like I have a pretty good idea about it, but I definitely don’t know all the ins and outs of the disease.  I definitely don’t know all the ins and outs of what “research” means. I’ve been hearing/seeing things about stem-cell research, and that makes me uneasy. I’ve also heard that ALS allows you to designate whether your funds will go to stem-cell research or to other functions (like support/comfort/therapy/etc). So, I’m glad for that option. I would probably give to them since I could make a distinction as to where my funds would go.  Here are some good vids I’ve seen about the disease and challenge:

    Are you giving because you know what is going on and you are supportive? Or are you giving because someone nominated you to and now you feel like you’re obligated?

    3. Do you give to anything right now?

    I’m talking besides ALS research.  As a couple, the Huz and I give our tithe to our church, we give to a couple of radio stations and then also to a handful of missionaries in the US and overseas.  We feel that God gives us financial liberty so that we can be generous to others. We pray about it, we discuss together, we make commitments and we make sure we have extra just in case a need arises. Anything that we have is gifted to us by God. It’s not even ours. God tells us to be good stewards of the blessings He has given us, but not to be stingy with them – and to give cheerfully! If we have the resources, we LOVE to give! It is such a great feeling knowing that we were able to meet a need.

    But that’s the difference between the kind of giving we strive to make a habit of and the giving from this campaign. It’s not thought out, it’s not a habit, and it probably won’t stick. I’m not saying that now that you’ve given to ALS, you have to always give to ALS. I’m saying that if we had a habit of giving in our lives, the world would be a better place.

    and

    4. Giving should most often be something done unseen.

    Part of this campaign is that the videos will be seen by many and raise awareness of the disease. I get that. When Human Trafficking was becoming a buzz-word on the interwebs, we were sharing as many videos and articles and cleverly designed gifs as possible to get the issue out there. There is a purpose and that’s inherent to the Ice Bucket Challenge. But for the most part, giving to the needy (and the sick are included in “needy”) should be done in secret, out of the public’s eye.

    I’ve been working my way through the Bible this year and I’m currently in the book of Matthew. I just read the other day from the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus teaches on principles for giving to the needy:

    1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” – Matthew 6:1-4, ESV

    This was a problem in Israel, back in the day, where people would make a huge deal over how much money they were going to give to the Temple. It could get pretty wild, a party in the streets – where everyone could see them and oo and aah over it.  Jesus was telling them that the reward for their good deed was received right at that moment. That fleeting moment of fame and adoration was all they would have to show for it. Yes, the money would go to help a need, but that was all the giver would get out of it.  Later in the chapter, Jesus encourages the people listening to store up their treasure (read, “reward”) in heaven and not on earth because it is all fleeting here on earth. In heaven, rust cannot get to it and thieves cannot steal it.

    I’m not saying that everyone who is taking part in the Ice Bucket Challenge is doing it just to make themselves look good. I’ve watched several videos, and many of them make mention of someone the participant knows personally who is suffering or has passed with ALS. (Geez…it’s hard to right a blog post about ANYTHING in current events without feeling like you have to cover your tail at every phrase.) I’m just saying that the best way (I’ve found) to give is without anyone else knowing and sometimes even spur of the moment.

    Conclusion

    So, be mindful of what it is you’re participating in. If you are going to give your money or support to a cause, know it inside and out, as best you can.   There are so many eyes on us nowadays, and we are constantly being scrutinized – be a good steward. But also be giving – to whatever organization or cause you believe is worthy. If you are a Christian, prayerful consideration is a must.

    For my part, I will not be participating in the challenge nor giving money. I’ve been nominated, but I’ve also been doing “my part” and sharing videos (like those above) about real people really fighting this disease. My money is already earmarked, but I can definitely join my voice with others to spread the word about this and other worthy causes.

    My prayer is that anything you are doing (or not doing) is decided while you have two feet firmly on the ground and with a sound mind.

  • Bible in a Year

    I’ve been a Bible student for most of my life. I was raised in church, so I’ve been learning the Bible stories since I was a little child, and compounding on those learnings with more complexity through my own study and then through Bible college. This is the first time I have really committed to reading the Bible within a year. I was following a more complicated year break-down plan that had me hopping through four different books each day. It just wasn’t to my taste, and I decided that I was just going to read straight through from start to finish. I took how many chapters there are in the Bible (1,189) divided by 365 days, which came to somewhere over 3 chapters a day. I rounded up to 4 chapters a day, just so I could be sure to get through it within the year. It is the 4th day of February and I am already more than halfway through the book of Numbers. I have been learning so much! I would love to share some of what I’ve been gleaning with you today.

    There are some things I could share throughout each book, but some have been bouncing around my head for a long while. I’m going share the NEW stuff I’ve discovered. One thing I love about Scripture is that it is God-breathed and living. I can read one verse one day and then read it another day and it has a different application to my life. It’s saying the same thing, having the same truth, but it takes on a new meaning, especially when the awareness of context, or parallel stories, come into play.

    Case in point:

    I was re-reading in Genesis (Chapter 34) where Jacob’s daughter, Dinah, was raped by a man from a nearby village. The man loved Dinah, though, and wanted to make things right (not sure on the probability of that, but at least he had the intention). Jacob gave him and all the men in the village the option to be circumcised and then they would gladly intermarry with them. Every male conceded to the plan and it was done. While they were still healing, Simeon and Levi went into the village and killed all males and plundered them.

    I’ve read this story before, but one thing that struck me this time was which of the two brothers it was who did this thing. I don’t know much about Simeon, but Levi was the “father” of the priests God chose for the Tabernacle and Temple. I know certain stories of my own family heritage – acts of my ancestors – and I am grateful for stories like this that show family redemption. Not saying all the priests of Levi were saints, but God made something great out of that family, which started from a man who was a murderer.

    Plagues of Egypt

    The book of Exodus is so exciting and eventful in the beginning and then it kind of gets monotonous towards the end. The 2nd half of Exodus and Leviticus can lose casual readers easily. One thing I found interesting in the beginning of Exodus that I had never noticed before was that a couple of the plagues on Egypt included the people of Israel. I had traditionally applied all the plagues exclusively to the Egyptians because they were to prove the inefficacy of the Egyptian gods. After living in Egypt for 400 years and the Israelites’ propensity for following other nation’s gods, it would seem logical that some of the plagues included the Israelites because they had embraced the Egyptian deities. This is extrapolation, but it’s a reasonable conclusion. After the plagues of the Nile turning to blood, the frogs swarming out of the Nile, and the gnats coming out of the dust, Egypt is the sole afflicted nation and Israel is kept separate.

    The Golden Lampstand

    I’ve not really spent much time studying the articles of the Tabernacle. I’ve been through casual studies of them, but this was my first time really reading through them and their descriptions. The lampstand, in particular, stuck out to me and I reread the description a few times. In Exodus 25: 31-40, the lampstand was described to resemble an almond tree, with blossoms on each branch and as the head for the flames. I had the question in my mind of “Why an almond tree?” Israel is typically represented by the olive tree, so why not here? The first obvious answer would be because of Aaron’s staff that budded, but that isn’t mentioned until the book of Numbers, well after the Tabernacle has been established and in use. Sure, God could have been looking forward to that particular event, to show even more preference for Aaron’s family line as the priestly tribe, but could there be another answer?

    I asked several people and got mostly, “I have never thought about it,” or, “Well, what about Aaron’s staff?” and “What have YOU found?” One church member mentioned that he had just read something that might be related in the book of Jeremiah, of all places. In Jeremiah 1:11-12, God asks Jeremiah to say what he sees. Jeremiah sees a “watchful tree” and God confirms his vision by stating that He is watching over His promises to put them in action. Some translations will say that it is an “almond tree” that he sees. This is because the Hebrew words for “watch” and “almond” are very similar, shoqed and shaqed, respectively, and sometimes used as a word-play.  I investigated this some more and found that the Franciscans traditionally held this view. The lampstand represents God’s presence – light helps to see – the almond blossoms would echo God watching the people of Israel. This rings true even more when compared to the passage in Numbers 8:1-4, where it says the lampstand was to be arranged so that the light shone in front of it, or rather, across the holy place to the Table of Showbread. On the Table of Showbread where twelves loaves of bread, each representing a tribe of Israel. This signifies God watching over Israel and keeping His promises.

    Saul’s Vow and Jonathan’s Ransom

    There are three boys from our church that are participating in something called a Bible Bowl. We called them Bible drills when I was a kid, but surprisingly, I never participated in a formal one – just ones in our own church or at church camp, and they were kind of impromptu events. We’ve been helping the boys study on Wednesday nights, as a church, by reading through the book of 1 Samuel and being quizzed by the pastor altogether. It’s been a blast. I’m such a nerd!

    Last week, we covered the story where Saul makes a vow that no one should eat anything until the battle is won or else they would die. This is found in 1 Samuel 14:24-46. Jonathan, Saul’s son, didn’t hear the vow made, and finds honey in the forest. He has some and it “brightens” his eyes and he feels all the better for it. The men tell him what his father vowed and Jonathan says that it wasn’t a good vow and that they should eat because it will keep up their strength. Some other stuff happens, but in the end, Saul finds out that Jonathan broke the vow. He’s distraught, because he will have to kill him, according to his vow, and Jonathan resigns himself to this fate. However, the people rally around Jonathan and pay the “ransom” for him, so that he will not be killed. Then they go fight some more.

    I have read this story before, but I missed the “ransom” part of it. I was puzzling over it a bit, when my daily reading the next morning took me through the end of Leviticus, where it talks on Laws About Vows. In it, it states that if someone makes a vow, his life can be redeemed by making a ransom payment to the tabernacle. It’s one way that the Tabernacle could be funded, but there were multiple reasons to pay this ransom to the tabernacle, not just because of a vow. God commanded that the firstborn of everything be His. A person could buy back their firstborn cow, ram, or even son, from God by contributing to the Tabernacle. It thought it was a neat “God-cidence” that I would just happen to read about it the very next day after getting the question.

    I’m looking forward to finding more gems as I read through the Bible this year. By the way, with my four-chapters-a-day plan, I should be finished on October 30th. I will have to read 5 chapters that day, but all in all, I think it’s a very good plan. I have the ESV Global Study Bible that I got for Christmas this year and am learning a ton from the maps and footnotes. The intros to each of the books is really neat too. Each one highlights these important points: Authorship and Date, Theme and Purpose, Key Themes, Outline, and then any maps that might be helpful, as well as certain key topics, such as “Place in Redemptive History,” “Universal Themes,” and “Global Message for Today.” I highly recommend this study Bible, but using any study Bible is a tremendous help when reading through Scripture on your own.

  • 7 Months Married- Things I’m Learning

    1. Married life is such a blessing. I’m glad I waited for it. I’m glad I went for it too!

    2. If you don’t do it, then it won’t get done. My hubby is tremendously helpful, but between the two of us, if we don’t do a chore, it doesn’t happen. Mom will not come to the house overnight and fill the sugar bowl for us. Those knives sitting in the sink will not clean themselves and go back in the holder.

    3. If I was prone to laziness before the wedding, it doesn’t change much after the wedding.

    4. Having someone else around shows you how many of your activities are exercises in futility.

    5. We are each other’s spiritual encourager – we’re still working out the whole “spiritual leader” bit, but right now, encouragement is what is called for.

    6.  Division of chores doesn’t have to be assigned by gender, but sometimes it’s for the best.

    7.  Status checks are great. It’s always a good idea to know where each other is standing in the relationship and make adjustments accordingly.

    8.  It’s ok not to tackle all projects at once. One, it costs too much money. Two, there aren’t enough hours in the day. Three, most projects can wait.

    9.  If you do something the other likes more then there’s a good chance they’ll reciprocate when it’s something you like more. Car shows for a pro tennis match is an even trade. 🙂

    10. Generosity is something that is not optional. It isn’t just about money; it is the unnamed fruit of the Spirit.

    11. Cooking can actually be fun! I’ve always been a baker, but I’m really enjoying the cooking-side of the kitchen. I’m very grateful for a husband who is willing to try anything I make…even if just once.

    12. Some TV shows are best shared. But be careful of introducing LOST to your husband’s repertoire…it will cause serial runs of the show for days. How my friends and I managed to wait for a week between episodes is beyond me!

    13. Remembering is important. Remembering successes, fun times, bad times, mistakes, etc…that’s a good thing. Dwelling on them and not moving forward is not.

    and 14. (because it’s 2014!) Cleanliness may not be next to godliness, but it sure is a good idea!

    Time to clean up all this Christmas stuff!!

    What all did you learn this last year? I know there is more to this list than just 14, but it’s all I could think of right now.