Dear Pastor;

I’m confused… You just used 2 Cor 9:6 as a basis for your teaching today…

“My point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each one of you should give just as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, because God loves a cheerful giver.”

…then you turned around and said we should commit to giving regularly.

Ummm… What about “under compulsion” am I not understanding???

Giving is good but Scripture is clearer than your sermon.

I appreciate that you want what’s beat for me and that’s why you’re running through a long list of stuff our money goes too but as you continue to talk the less I’m interested in giving. Mostly because the majority of the money we give goes to your paid staff and buildings.

It seems that it would be more fruitful for me to identify a mission that I really want to benefit and give to that. Or if I give to the church, that I would see my money stay there.

We should give of our money or time or talents. No doubt. Maybe even all three but its for me to decide. And to decide to joyfully do and not by pressure.

But do not say in the same breath that I should give of one of those three and then try to commit me to tithe 10%. (Okay maybe you did breathe…)

And again about the pressure…. You’ve included an insert in the bulletin that your challenging me to commit to use. Ummmm…. Thanks for the confusion and the obvious misinterpretation of Scripture.

Sincerely,
Sean

PS
(READERS: Please don’t just start chiming in on the general idea of giving and how evil it is. Or send me negativity about the church. I have enough of my own. Besides i do believe that if everyone gave time, talents, and cash, no matter what their religious background the world would be different. Better. I believe that.)

Having spent some time in the Christian Church (and I still am btw) this is only meant as a critique or something to think about. It is not meant as an indictment. What happens AFTER people consider this is on them…

If you’ve been part of the church for any length of time, and particularly evangelical churches, you know that once a year there is going to be a missions month or something similar. It’s a time when missionally minded churches remind us about missions, often bringing in missionaries from abroad and local community outreach programs to remind us of the greater call to reach out to others.

A faith, any kind, that doesn’t reach to help those around them in need, isn’t much of a faith imo. Now whether or not you are part of a community outreach, or a missionary, you can be doing something to help those around you. Even doing simple things like providing an encouraging word—or lending a hand when there is need—can all be acts of community outreach. There are gazillions of ways to actually live out your faith externally that go well beyond just how you live and into how you love your neighbor.

That’s a pretty darn good sermon if I do say so. Wrap that sucker with a bow and call it next Sunday!

Oh wait….I missed something. There’s the whole fact that as the church we only really acknowledge missions and community outreach.

What do I mean?

Well you just read that, in essence, you are always on mission. You should always be “ready to share the reason for the good news that is inside of you.” The thing is, the only thing that we ACTUALLY value in the walls of the church are formalized community outreach programs and missionaries and, let’s be honest, overseas missionaries. Anything that’s at least a little sexy.

When was the last time you had a Missions Sunday or Missions Month where you celebrated and tried to encourage and raise awareness of the store greeter amongst you? Or the short-order fry cook? Or any of the other of hundreds or perhaps even thousands of jobs amongst your congregation?

Sorry folks it ain’t gonna happen. What you do is not that glamorous or interesting to the church. Get used to it. There’s not going to be a line of shopping carts pushed up to the altar.

Substance abuse is defined as “A maladaptive pattern of substance use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as manifested by one (or more) of the following, occurring within a 12-month period:

1. Recurrent substance use resulting in a failure to fulfill major role obligations at work, school, or home…” *1

It can be a horrible thing that can tear apart families, friendships, and destroy years of hard work. Even impacting your performance at work.

My friend, “Dee” is not yet ready to say, “My name is Dee and I’m a ‘substance abuser.’” She’s not even sure what the problem is exactly or if she has a problem at all. She’s being pushed and pulled by the substances, adding more and more to her life to compensate for her feelings of inadequacy, inferiority, and need for aggrandizement. Unfortunately, the feelings of inadequacy feed her need for aggrandizement. It’s a vicious cycle.

It first became a problem when Dee was in her formative years. There were many around her that were supposed to be guiding her and growing her, but she struggled with their leadership. Dee was left alone often…. The people in her life were busy doing things that seemed very important so Dee never spoke up. Instead she quietly endured the feelings of neglect and loneliness that she felt. She felt unworthy and unwanted by those that mattered most.

Once deeply rooted, those feelings of inadequacy grew inside of Dee. 

Dee kept watching those leaders in her life and trying desperately to get noticed by them. Occasionally one of them would include her in their busy agendas but when she tried to participate, she was often hushed and quieted and left to passively take it all in. Not valued enough to participate, only to be a spectator.

Without really knowing, the adults in her life had started to teach Dee. She had watched them abusing substances for many years. All different kinds in fact. So when Dee was old enough to be on her own she began to do the same. What happened next locked Dee into a cycle of substance abuse: as she began to dabble in it, those closest to her accepted her more. The more she used, the more she felt accepted, so she used more. Eventually, Dee was no longer functioning at work or at home.

Instead, she had begun to be a drain on all those around her. Seeking substance to abuse. She began to create random programs with little substance at all, and abusing the programs by adding more and more. Her self-esteem seemed to grow as her need for aggrandizement began to be filled. Soon, she was acting like those others around her, always busy and never seeming to accomplish much—abusing substance….

Dee is in desperate need of recovery. She needs to have an intervention by those around her to help her break the cycle of abusing substance. 

Your voice against substance abuse needs to be heard everywhere across America. Will you stand against substance abuse?

*Whoops. Thanks for catching the typo Katie.

*1 source: http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=24405