Missional Frugality by Craig Ford

Craig Ford is a missionary and blogger in Papua New Guinea. He created a new term called "Missional Frugality." What if American Christians embraced this idea rather than the American Dream?

http://www.moneyhelpforchristians.com/embracing-missional-frugality/


Let me know what you think.

The Story of Stuff

Check out the video here.

Not "Good-bye" but "See You Later"

Russell, my 27-year-old nephew, passed away on Valentine's Day. We had a small graveside service for him yesterday. It was the second funeral we had planned for him. The first one was planned over 10 years ago. Russell was on his "death-bed" in October 2000. The doctors told the family that he would pass soon so we began planning his funeral. The funeral home was on stand by. My brother and I planned the service. My dad offered a plot that he owned in a local cemetary. Everything was in order.

Only Russell didn't die.

He lived 10 more years.

Finally, his enlarged heart was tired and it quit beating Monday morning. We are sad that Russell is gone but we celebrate that we had him for as long as we did. Everyone knew that he would probably die at a young age. We just didn't know when that would be.

So we were always glad to see him. Always welcomed his smile. And we laughed with him often. (He had a great sense of humor and pretty quick-witted.)

As I closed the service yesterday, I reminded our family and friends that because we have the promise of heaven through Jesus we do not say "good-bye" but "See you later." We will see Russell again in a healthy, transformed body. He brought joy to us for 27 years. Now he brings joy to others in a place that is impossible to describe. A place where the Bible says our greatest asset will be used as pavement.

See you later, Russ!

Who Do You Influence?

In his book, Spiritual Leadership, J. Oswald Sanders tells the story of Dr. John Geddie who went to the South Pacific island of Aneityum as a missionary. He worked there for 24 years. On the tablet erected to his memory these words are inscribed:

When he landed, in 1848, there were no Christians.

When he left, in 1872, there were no heathen.

Leadership is essentially the power of one man to influence another. No man can fathom the difference one life can make. Before all is said and done here, we need to ask ourselves some questions: Who do I influence? Am I leading people to a closer relationship with God? Am I lifting Jesus up so that men will be drawn to him? At the end of my life, I want people to celebrate what God did through me.

How about you?

The Importance of Balance

For years I've heard the analogy that when we have our relationship with God in order (illustrated with a vertical line) our relationships with others (horizontal line) will be in order too. You've probably heard this illustration many times. Recently I was made aware of an interesting thought, i.e., the need for the relationship with God to be balanced. If our relationship with God goes too far either way (fanatical or rebellious) it affects our relationship with others.

In other words, if you are going to be an influence for Christ in the culture and in the lives of those around you then you need to be sure you don't go to any extremes. An extreme devotion (e.g., a monk isolated in a monastery or a radical fundamentalist) has little or no influence on those around him. Let's face it. Most people think they are kooky. A rebellious lifestyle that claims a relationship with God but shows no evidence of a genuine relationship with him (e.g., CEO Christians, i.e., those who attend church on "Christmas and Easter Only") has no influence either.

We must balance our relationship with God so that we can have a solid relationship and influence on others.

Options for Super Bowl Halftime Shows

The Super Bowl halftime shows never do it for me. Last night, for example, there was just too much cheese with those Black Eyed Peas. It made me think - since pretty much the whole country is watching - what else could they do during the halftime of the Super Bowl?

• Let the FBI air the 10 Most Wanted List. They would probably catch at least half of the people on the list. The criminals are probably sitting on a bar stool somewhere watching the game.
• Let the President give his State of the Union address. More people are probably watching and he would have to make it shorter.
• Schedule a space shuttle launch. Nothing is more patriotic than watching our men and women from NASA send a rocket into space.
• Speaking of patriotism, instead of rock stars lip-synching on the field for 25 minutes, let some of our veterans and current troops march on the field and receive some affirmation and applause from the people they are fighting for.
• Show a couple of extended version movie trailers.
• Turn halftime over to Animal Planet and air the Puppy Bowl.
• Show a highlight reel of the greatest plays of the NFL season - and throw in some bloopers too.
• Have a normal 15 minute halftime with a few highlights, some commercials, and then get back to the game.

What are your ideas?