The SKI Generation

I recently became aware of a new phenomenon that is slowing gaining popularity through out our culture. It began with the Baby Boomer generation. The Baby Boomers are those individuals who were born post WWII until 1964. The Baby Boomers overflowed the nurseries in churches throughout the country. These larger families resulted in the largest increase of church attendance in the history of Christianity in America. 1950- 1060’s was unprecedented for church participation, attendance, and giving. Evidence of this is all the churches that built large education buildings, which at the times were desperately needed. As a group, they were the healthiest and wealthiest generation to that time, and amongst the first to grow up genuinely expecting the world to improve with time. One of the unique features of Boomers was that they tended to think of themselves as a special generation, very different from those that had come before. This generation no longer was interested in church life, nor valued the benefits of a faith community. This resulted in a decrease in church participation. The small church movement of the 80’s -90’s targeted the Baby Boomers to attract them back to the church. As the Baby Boomers begin their “senior” years they have been credited of now becoming the SKI generation. SKI is an acronym for Spending our Kids Inheritance. Statics shows that those of the Baby Boom generation would spend the inheritance they received from their parents in less than six month. As the parents of Baby Boomers pass away, after their lifetime of savings would be spent by their children in less than six months. Now the spending trends of this generation as they age are now spending the inheritance of their children also. They are spending it on vacations, cars, homes, land, travel, hobbies and paying down their personal debt. Inheritance spent on a search for happiness?

My intent is not to place blame or beat up on the Baby Boomers. Not all Baby Boomers are the same. But when one looks closer at the Boomers, they wanted the same thing as their parents. Something we all desire. We all want a better life. Deeper for us than the pursuit of money, power and material possession, deeper than our desire for food and our need for self fulfillment, lies the richness we find in contentment with what we have. All that we have and are express the love of God for us in Christ. The things with which we have been blessed, the tools we have been given, draw us into holy living, living in godliness, faith, love and hope.

God has chosen to give us what we need and not what we want. God gave Christ for us and to us. He delights in providing for our every need and for those of our families, friends and neighbors. He makes provisions for the great and small, the rich and all the children of the world.

True living isn't about what we own or the wealth we amass. Paul tells us, in I Timothy 6:6-19, riches are uncertain. True living, though, is about placing our trust in the God who richly provides all things for our enjoyment. Sun and rain, air and water, food and clothes are for all. For us, the good race of the faith is run in pursuit of treasures in heaven. It is there, Paul assures us, that we inherit the life which is the true life. The life we all truly desire. May each of us re-evaluate our spending, as we invest in love, friendships, and influence the lives on the ones we love. That's is a inheritance worth leaving and worth spending. I ponder exactly what inheritance am I leaving for my children. Where are my riches and what I am leaving behind?
Shalom,
Tommy



My Cup is Overflowing

There are brief moments in life that change our perspective and outlook on life. We all share brief moments that just sticks with us forever that changes ones moral compass in life. These are life changing moments that are really insignificant to the rest of the world. It happened to me on Bike Day. It was Bike Day at Abby’s daycare. We were a struggling young, broke family. When I say our family was broke, I mean counting out change to but food broke. We had a dose of reality that children were way more expensive than we figured. Kellie was trying hard to raise two kids, Abby and myself, and times were tough. Our marriage, our relationship with God, our finances, our sanity, everything was stretched passed the limit. Every aspect of life was at the breaking point. To top it off it was Bike Day. I got an old bike that Abby’s grandmother had bought her at a yard sale and we headed off to school. Abby arrived at school with the excitement of a four year old on Bike Day. With this old used, too little, scratched, beat up bike in one hand, and Abby holding on to the other, we head into to the school. We opened up the first door and there in the entry way were lined up beautiful shinny new bikes. Areal bikes, princesses, Disney bikes, all types of shinny new bikes as Abby’s face lit up like the fourth of July. She looked at the others bike and then looked at hers as I sat it down besides the others. She did not say a single word, but I stood there and watched as excitement, awe, enthusiasm all drained from her face. She looked again at the others bikes and then back at hers. She then paused and looked up at me, with those beautiful eyes, and said, “Its ok Daddy, I love you.”


My world with those words came crashing down. No father felt as low as I did at that exact moment. I kissed her bye and left. She be-bopped on in and joined her class. Instead of driving to work I drove to Target. I sat in my truck, tears rolling down my face waiting for the store to open. I was devising my plan on how I could steal my baby girl a bike. That transformation on her face was etched into my conscious. As I waited for the store to open, I kept looking at the clock, the store was suppose to open at 9:00 it was already ten after and the store was not yet open. As I pondered why the store had not open on time, I recalled her words. Simple words all fathers hear from their toddlers. “It Ok, Daddy, I love you.” She loved me, not a new bike. She loved me despite my ability to get her a material possession that others had. God granted me the serenity to see that I possessed the most precious gift of all. I had a daughter who adored me, who looked to me for protection, guidance, understanding, love, self image, and security. She looked to me for how to navigate in the world.I was her hero and I was about to steal her a bike? She didn’t need a new bike, she needed a new father. Call it a mystery, call it God’s intervention, call it coincidence, but I thank God for whatever reason Target did not open on time that morning. I left a different person. I left with my cup overflowing.

In the familiar song of David, Psalm 23 we are reminded that God anoints our heads with oil. It is a phrase we hear but I am not sure we all know the true depths of its meaning. God told Moses to make special oil and anoint specific things with the oil. The oil was to be used sparingly. When the items were anointed with the oil, they became holy. The ordinary becomes holy. It means they are set apart from the rest. It is called kadosh, in Hebrew by anointing with oil takes something plain and ordinary and makes it Holy. Those who are anointed with oil become an offering to God. This Holy thing becomes an offering to be used by God. God chose in Jesus Christ to anoint us, you and I, make us Holy and to be used to glorify God. Anointing with oil also had another purpose as a healing agent. It was used to remove the dangerous influences on us in our life, those things that are harmful or cause disease. Oil was used for medicinal purposes to heal us. God heals us, sets us apart, and makes our lives Holy.

You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. When our cup overflows, the vessels of our lives can not hold all the blessings God has in store for us. It is superabundance. God is able to do more than we can ever ask for or think of. God will accomplish more with us than we could ever imagine. God’s grace, mercy, a life with God will never run out. We have an unlimited supply of God’s blessing only if we desire to drink. The more we drink he more we want, and the closer we get to a right relationship with God. The more right relationship with God, the more we want.

Want does that mean for our life and our church? You may be asking. I thought this was about stewardship. It is. Stewardship begins we realize we are anointed by God, by the blood of our Savior Jesus Christ. We are set apart from others to connect people to the love of Jesus Christ. We a little old ordinary church, a little life, with all our problems, worries and concerns becomes God’s Holy offering. When we acknowledge our anointing, we become like no other church, no other father, mother, grandparent, child, old adult, young adult, Elder, deacon, whatever we are in life. Even with all our flaws, frailties, uncertainties, pain, and anxiety. We realize we can do more than we have ever imagined. We might be at the lowest point in our lives and realize what’s truly important. We may think we are broke but our lives re4ally filled with riches beyond measure. We may begin to live not in the moment but in the longevity of our lives. We may realize what we are to others is more important than our current situation. We may hear the words of one who loves us, say I love you Daddy. We may realize God anoints our head with oil, and yes, our cup is overflowing.
Shalom,
Tommy

“The Words We Learn as a Child”

As a child most of us learned the 23rd Psalm. I can recall as a child in Sunday School proudly standing in front of the church, in my “Sunday’s best”, my hair slicked down, with the sense of importance, as my voice much louder than the rest, announcing to the congregation and the whole world: “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want..” Once a memory verse as a child, I now repeatedly use these exact words from my childhood in funerals as words of comfort in times of pain. When we really look at the Psalm of David, we find nothing but words of comfort. Comfort at times of uncertainly, uneasiness, and uncomfortable situations. In the seasons of congregational life, there is no other uncomfortable time for many than stewardship time. Some minister’s veer from preaching or focusing on stewardship because it can be interrupted the wrong way by a few people. They avoid addressing it because we do not want the appearance of “all the church wants is your money” syndrome. This week, we at FCC will begin a time of reflection, prayer, and focus on stewardship. Stewardship is more than filling out a pledge card, writing a check, or paying your way. Stewardship is a vital part of our relationship with God and one another.

The Psalm of David recalls that “God will anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.” When we recognize that our God anoints our head with oil, which simply means God will bless us, heal us, and pours out his blessing upon us our faith is strengthened. Stewardship is about recognition of the great things God has done for us. Our life might have some rough spots, we might be financial strapped, but if we pause and look at the totality of our life, we will see God’s many blessings. In acknowledgement of the blessings God has bestowed upon us, we then realize our cup overflows. Our cup overflows in so many ways we don’t realize. Our cup overflows with friendships of people in our faith community that have lasted decades. Our cup overflows with generations coming together in unity to worship. Our cup overflows with opportunities to reach out to a community in Christ’s name with Centralia Group Workcamp. Our cup overflows with comfort and support in the prayer shawl/quilt ministry. Our cup overflows with young people who although they may be loud and make a mess; they bring us the sounds of hope for a vibrant future. There are thousands of ways our cup overflows so we must respond. We must be willing to sacrifice something for our relationship with God. When we realize our cup is overflowing, we must be willing for the sake of our relationship with God to do more than we have done in the past. Take time today to count your blessings. Some may be out in the open, some may be hidden, but acknowledge how God has anointed your head with oil. Then we can begin to explore what true stewardship is all about our lives will be transformed as: surly goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life…
See ya in church, count your blessings, and take care of yourself and one another.
Shalom,
Tommy

I Wear Pink

Sunday as we gather for worship, we will all be wearing pink in recognition for those brave women who have battled Breast Cancer. Breast Cancer effects woman of all age, all socioeconomic classes, all races, and can disrupt any families harmony without notice. Any woman who has ever battles breast cancer will testily of the fear, uncertainly, and anxiety in bring to an entire family. Sunday we will show our visible support by wearing pink. It is a small way we can send a message to all those effective by Breast Cancer that the church prays for them, supports them, and will walk the dark journey to recovery with them. It is outward way to say; “You will never be alone.”

I had a conversation with a brave woman who battled Breast Cancer when she found out our church was wearing pink. I strongly believe her words of wisdom were encouraging to all regardless if we have cancer or not. I asked her what she learned during her battle that she would like others to know. Her response was amazing.
“Now, some may call this a miracle of modern science, but life itself is a miracle of God, and for removing a part of “me”, filling my body with chemicals and radiation, killing the unhealthy parts of me and become a new healthy living "me," is a miracle of God in my book! Many people have asked me if I feel any different, or if I act any different, if all I went through had changed my life in any way. I can answer that in three ways:

First, she says: There's urgency. I live with a renewed sense of urgency, and that has changed my priorities because I realize that if I'm to stop and smell the roses, I had best do it now. Second, she says: There is gratitude. I don't understand this miracle that has happened within me with my new body. All I can do is accept and feel grateful for each additional day I live. She goes on to say: A third change is that I now walk a little closer to God because when you've been through a harrowing experience with someone you form a special bond with them. Recovering from cancer was at times a harrowing experience, and I guarantee you I clung to God for dear life during those times. He was the good friend who saw me through, sometimes the only one who thoroughly understood. I'm grateful that He was there for me. Deep down inside I know that God will always take care of me. I also know that no one lives forever and that someday He'll decide He can better care for me on the other side of the Jordan, but until that time, I am still alive and enjoying every minute of it.

Maybe each of us can learn from her wisdom and insight as we navigate the waters of our daily life. Let’s us remember through the rough waters and storms of our life, God is with us. Let us wear pink to tell everyone, we stand with you, we will pray for you, and “You are never alone.”

See ya in PINK in church but until then take care of yourself and one another,

Shalom,

Tommy

End the Waiting

  Last week, I traveled to Carbondale to meet with fellow Disciples ministers and our new Regional Minister, Rev. Dr. Teresa Dulyea-Parker. We had a delightful time of both sharing, eating, and discussing. On the drive home, our discussion reminded me of my visit to a church one Sunday. I visited the Full Gospel Tabernacle Church, to specifically hear a sermon from the preacher. I desperately wanted to hear the Rev. Al Green preach. Yes, the Al Green. The soul legend Al Green, the man who was responsible for hits such as: “Let’s Stay Together” “Love and Happiness” “Tired of Being Alone” “I’m Still in Love with You”. I had listened to his music my entire life, he had started a church, and I just had to hear him preach. We arrived at the church excited with great anticipation. We took our seats, hoping to not get noticed, but were warmly greeted with great caring and hospitality. I noticed in the bulletin it actually read: And please, please---- don't take a gazillion photos while service is going on- be respectful, it's a church and not really a tourist attraction! ... This was not something I had ever put in our church bulletins on Sunday morning, but then again I’m not a soul legend.


The church service started on time with a nice greeting and welcome, then a very nice long prayer, then some very upbeat awe inspiring music. The service provided nothing out of the ordinary for us as we waited to hear Rev Green. Rev Green was seated up front, surrounded by his group of Elders. The music continued, the Elders would pray, and more music. During the singing, an offering or two was taken up, we continued to wait for the sermon. Not just any sermon, an Rev Al Green sermon. We continued with the same routine as I began to get a little impatient. I glanced at my watch, we had been singing, praying, and taking up offering for over three, yes three hours, and we had even gotten to the sermon. I was losing both patience and money. My anticipation began to drain. My waiting began to be transformed into frustration. I wanted to hear AL Green preach. He is right there; I could see him, why isn’t he preaching. The service was great but not what I had come for. After over four hours of waiting, to hear a sermon, hungry, frustrated, and feeling unsatisfied we left. I left never to hear Rev Al Green preach. [Note: I was informed later by a member of the Full Gospel Tabernacle Church that Rev Green only preaches when he receives the Holy Spirit, some Sundays he doesn’t feel it at all so there is no sermon. He also rightly corrected me that I was too focused on the sermon and missed the healing, connection, authentic worship of God in the music and prayers. He was totally right. I wonder what all I missed only focused on my own wants. ]

My memory of not hearing Rev Al Green’s sermon brought me back to Rev. Dr. Teresa Dulyea-Parker words and our discussion. She said that our communities are full of people who are hurting, confused, scared, and lost all waiting for the church to show up. The people are out there waiting; we know exactly who they are. They are not hidden. They need the church and the church needs them. So what’s the problem? The problem is the church is waiting on THEM to show up. We structure our programs, resources, and energy waiting on them to come through our doors. If they are waiting on us to show up, and we are waiting on them to show up, we both are at a huge stalemate. We both are just waiting. Someone has to make the first move. Jesus directly and indirectly states that us, the church, has the sole responsibly to make the move. We must go to those who are waiting. We do not have the luxury to just sit back and wait. Because those who are in pain, struggling, confused, scared and alone, those individuals who were full of excitement, anticipation, those who desperately need some love and happiness, those that want to hear the word of God, will eventually quit waiting and give up. Then when the church finally arrives, it is too late. BE the church to someone this week, show up, and connect them to the love of Jesus Christ. End the waiting for us all.

See ya in church but until then end the waiting and take care of yourself and one another

Shalom,

Tommy

"Table for Four Please.."

There is a local restaurant that my family loves to eat at. The restaurant will remain nameless to protect the innocent; me. The food is good, the service is always consistently hospitable, and atmosphere pleasant. The only thing for me is I don’t particularly care for the food. If I were to choose the ideal place for me to eat, to enjoy the type of food I like, I would choose to dine somewhere else. I would go to the place that fits my peculiar appetite. I could have the type and quality of food I prefer, but I would be eating at a table for one. I would either be dinning alone or at the uneasiness of my family.

It you reread my opening statement you will find the hidden truth. It is the place my family loves to eat. For me, my family is the most valuable gift God has granted me. I actually enjoy, cherish, and love being around my family. For me dinner time is much more than food consumption. To eat is the “reason” we have gathered but not “why” we gathered. We dine together because of the conversations we have around the table, we pray, we laugh, we communicate, we share our problems, our achievements. In our hectic lives, we check in with one another. We listen to one another sympathize and support one another. We are teaching our children that family is important. Our dinner time instills the value of family. We provide examples for our children to model with their children. The preference or quality of the food is really very insignificant to the whole dinning experience. I choose to dine with them, at their favorite place, because they enjoy it and I love them.

Our church family is no different. In order for us to reach our fullest potential of following God’s vision, we must be willing to focus on the whole dinning experience and less on the food. Yes, food is important, but what is vital is the people we dine with. Christ calls us to put others first, to enjoy each others company, to show mercy and grace to others. Christ calls us as his body, known as a church, to extend that compassion to everyone. If we can not do it to the ones we profess we love; those in our own family or church family, how can we do it for others? As a faith community the choice is ours. Do we dine alone, consuming the food we prefer or do we shift our focus to those who have gathered around the table with us? Our future depends upon it.

Hope to see you soon but until take care of yourself and one another,

Shalom,
Tommy

Worship in Redeo Drive Style

During our recent vacation, we had the opportunity to go to down Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California. I first quickly realized that it is not pronounced the way it is spelled. It has nothing to do with horses, cowboys, or bull riding. The street is lined with many stores all white sparkling buildings. I was told of all the famous designers that had stores along the strip. I must admit because of my limited knowledge of high fashion design, I am sure everyone else was impressed. I only felt like I should have been impressed. Rent in on store was almost half a million dollars a month. We witnessed hundreds of shoppers walking down the street, million dollar cars aligning each side, and people stopping and taking pictures. We were told it was a shopper’s paradise. Within a few minutes, I could tell I was out of my comfort zone. It was everything one would imagine it would be or seen on television.


The street was bustling with excitement, flair, and luxury. But then upon a closer look, we noticed something peculiar. Out of all the hundreds of people, walking down the street, no one was carrying any bags. We did not see one person that had made a purchase. The crowd was just window shopping, taking photos, and pointing. No one was actually buying anything. It would be impossible to determine why all the people lined the streets, but what was evident was they were not there to actually shop, purchase anything, or spend any money. They were present to either be seen or see what Rodeo drive was all about.

In reflecting on our Beverly Hills experience, I wonder how many of us are like that in worship. We come to either be seen or to see what is going on. We come to get away from the routine of our daily lives; a life that can be full of pain, sorrow, stress, and anxiety. We come to share our joys, celebrations, and information with our faith family. We come to be around others who are better defined in their spirituality. We show up to window shop, take pictures, and recall precious memories. We come and experience the presence of Christ. All these things are awe-inspiring, but are we leaving empty handed or d we actually make a purchase. Are our bags full or do we just window shop. What do we take away from the sacred holy time we spend in worship? Are we there to just witness Christ’s words, or are we here to actually take something away that will benefit both our lives and the lives of others. Christ love for us illustrates his desire, wants, and wishes, for us. He wants us to make a purchase. He wants is to exchange our currency for something greater. Maybe less emphases need to be on why we show up, and more on what we take away.
See ay in church but until then take care of yourself and one another.
Shalom,
Tommy