iHOPE

What Fills Your Tank? Name Five!

It's not like you meant for it to happen.

Maybe you were too busy or distracted to notice. Maybe you thought you could go further than this without needing to check. Whatever the reason, you look down and see that you are running on fumes. If you don't stop and do something about NOW, you are going to run out of gas.

What is true for our cars is true for our souls: Sometimes, we are running on fumes.  It's not like we meant to neglect them, but sometimes, we find we have nothing in the tank. Maybe we should have one of these gauges for our souls, too. 

Besides being a great album by Jackson Browne, "Running On Empty" was the title of my sermon on September 8 (you can get it here.) I explored the perils of not taking care of your own soul- and what you can do about it. How do you know when you are running on empty?  More importantly, how do you fill up your own soul? 

The classic disciplines are well known:  Worship, Service, Study & Prayer.  Which of these four are most helpful for you?

Besides these, I have found over the years there are MANY different things that nurture people's heart and soul. They include walking/running, gardening, art, music, travel, cooking, and reading. There are people that encourage and fill me when I am with them, too. 

How about you?  On Sunday I challenged everyone to do five things this week that nurture their souls. I'd love to share the responses I get over the next couple of weeks. If you want to leave them as a "comment", I'll publish them. If you prefer to remain anonymous to others, simply email me your answer (see the email link towards the bottom of the right column.) Either way, I think it will be encouraging- and it might even give people some ideas on ways to fill up their tank!

 

 

Welcome Allie- and Thank You, Sandi!

Did you know our new Director of Children & Family Ministries has a past? At least, at New Hope.

We are delighted that Allie Atchison has agreed to be our new Director of Children & Family Ministries, beginning this Sunday, September 8! She was chosen from a field of VERY strong candidates, and we are looking forward to this new chapter together.

But this isn't Allie's first experience with New Hope. Back in 2008, she was one of our summer interns working with youth! She was attending Sterling College and looking for an internship. We were looking for bright college students who were considering ministry to intern with youth,  and the results were a great summer for everyone!

Skip ahead a mere 11 years, and we found each other again! So whether as a welcome or as a reunion, come greet Allie in Fellowship Hall after worship.

As you do, please also be sure to thank Sandi Gager who stepped up big-time during this interim period. As she has done several times, Sandi assumed the Director of Children & Families ministry with grace and competence. Once people knew Sandi was in charge, everyone breathed easier. She gave us the luxury of being able to take our time to find the right person to take on the position permanently. Thank you, Sandi!

 

Beyond Tolerance: 8/25/19 Class Tolerance

On August 25, I led a class called "Beyond Tolerance: The Bible and Issues of Gender."  

There is also a link to the PowerPoint slides I used and you can download them here.

We had a lot of people (75+) in a big room and I was working without a mic, so sound quality is not the best.  Someday I may be able to clean it up or even re-offer the presentation. Until then, you have the 'raw' material from the class (except for the Q&A afterward.)

 My intent was not to convince anyone that I was right (or that they were wrong), but just to share how I came to hold my views and my position with regards to same-sex marriage. People got that and appreciated the opportunity to listen, question and form their own opinions. The energy and interest were high, and I went away grateful for the folks who attended as well as New Hope in general.  This is a place where questions are welcome and we give people the dignity of their own thinking. 

As you have questions or thoughts, I look forward to them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

False Choices & Sexuality

I recently wrote about the False Choice of Either/Or.

It is almost always wrong and sometimes even dangerous.

One place it the Either/Or False Choice is particularly hurtful is in conversations about sexuality.

You know how it goes:

 

 

• You either believe in the Authority of the Bible, or you are lost in Relativism.
• You are either compassionate and loving, or you are judgmental and homophobic.
• You are either Conservative and believe in the Bible, or you are Liberal and hate God. 

Either/Or statements are simple, clear and easy.  Labeling and stereotyping people who disagree with us is satisfying- even fun.  Everyone is either on one side of an argument or the other. 

Except when they aren't.

False Choices

You've heard the choices. So have I.
The answer to a  complex problem is EITHER one thing OR the other.

The answer in Politics? EITHER be Conservative OR Liberal
In approaching Life? EITHER live from our heads OR our hearts.
Worship? EITHER be Contemporary OR Traditional

You name the problem and someone has likely framed the solution as a choice between EITHER/OR.

It's simple. It's clear. It is also almost always wrong, even dangerous.

It is like saying that if we want to move forward we have to choose EITHER our right leg OR our left, and then be frustrated that we just seem to be going in circles.

Rather than consider changing our perspective, we believe the solution is to double down on our choices. The answer is now to be MORE...
    Conservative/Liberal
    Left/Right
    Head-driven/Heart-driven
    Traditional/Contemporary

When that still doesn't work, EITHER/OR gets hardened into VERSUS:

    Pro-Life VERSUS Pro-Choice
    Pro-Israel VERSUS Pro-Palestinian
    Pro Immigrant VERSUS Pro Security
    How many years has the Church been fighting over Law VERSUS Grace? Where has it gotten us?

More to the point, where is it getting us? EITHER/OR is almost always a false choice. 

If we don't want to just keep going in circles, maybe we should ask if the answer might not be EITHER/OR, but BOTH/AND? Other than the ruts which have become familiar, what have we got to lose?