A SUNDAY OF SURPRISES

“I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,” (Revelation 1:10)

I’ve often thought that a day in the life of a clergy person (especially a Sunday), might be an interesting subject for a television “reality” show. Such would certainly have been the case with this year’s Third Sunday of Advent: Sunday, December 13.

My Sundays usually start very early and yesterday was no exception. Around 6:15 a.m. I went over the the church facility, turned the heat up, made coffee, etc.
Back at home around 7:10 a.m. someone rang the doorbell. That’s most unusual for a Sunday morning. I quickly left the coffee and breakfast I was preparing for myself and opened the front door. Standing in the doorway was my father-in-law Don. Don is married to a Trinidadian and lives in Trinidad. Thus, THIS visit was most unusual and unexpected! I got him a quick cup of coffee and my wife, my son and I had a about a half hour visit with him.

Sunday School and morning worship service seemed to go O.K. For some reason the church building seemed colder than it should have and a bit darker than one would expect. Many of the people looked really tired. I guess part of it was just the fatigue from the whole Christmas rush. As I preached, I couldn’t help but notice it felt SO cold in the sanctuary. People were bundled up in winter coats. I had turned the heat WAY up, but it seemed to have no effect. Sunday’s service ended with Holy Communion. At one point during the Holy Communion time, I slipped into the boiler room and noticed the furnace was not running and was not hot at all. There was definitely a problem with the heating system. I knew we had a special business meeting coming up right after the service, and a cold room would not make things any easier for us. Even so, I tried to lead the Communion service like a professional.

The details of the Special Business Meeting are probably something I shouldn’t write about on the blog. I will say, however, that it was a very good meeting. We dealt with some very tough issues in a very gracious, mature, and Christlike manner. I have to say, in the best sense of the word, I was proud of how the congregation conducted themselves during this meeting.

Right after the meeting, I had Bill, a retired auto mechanic (and also a former boiler mechanic) come in and check out the furnace situation. It didn’t take too long for him to discover the problem. We were out of heating oil! I HAD placed an order for oil on Saturday which was scheduled for delivery on Monday morning. The gauge showed that we had about a sixteenth of a tank of oil, which SHOULD be enough to last 2-3 days. Unfortunately, the gauge was wrong and it was out. It’s a great blessing Sunday was not a “subzero” day or we’d have been in real trouble. At one time, I’d have been REALLY upset about running out of oil. I wasn’t thrilled about it, but my attitude was complacent and more like “whatever”...

Mary Ann had a Sunday afternoon commitment so Jon and I ate out at Kentucky Fried Chicken. May I recommend the new GRILLED chicken there? Seriously, it’s GREAT!

If you’re a Patriots fan, you know there have been some problems with the team this season. Watching the game, and having them WIN did make for a pleasant afternoon! I guess after the last couple of weeks, even that win was sort of a surprise!

I had committed to be part of a special Caroling and Scripture Reading event at 5 p.m. on Framingham Centre Green sponsored by Plymouth Church U.C.C. and opened up to the whole community. Well, Sunday afternoon’s rain kind of killed the planned Christmassy New England carol singing on the Green. It was moved to Plymouth Church’s sanctuary. I know it’s not the BUILDING that makes the church; if it WAS the building that made the church, Plymouth Church would win, hands down. They’ve got one of the most beautiful church sanctuaries I’ve ever seen. It looked SO nice decorated for Christmas. The attendance was small...much smaller than I think they’d anticipated. (Of course, since I pastor a small church, I was right at home with THAT part of it!) There were no more than 40 people present, IF that many. Even so, the service was QUITE NICE. We sang a number of Christmas carols, and several clergy and laity (including me) read aloud from Scripture. There was a time of refreshments afterwards. It had that “Old fashioned New England Christmas” feeling to it.

Overall, 2009 has been a hectic and rough year for me, and last week was a wild and crazy week.

Thank God for Sunday- the Lord’s Day.

This Lord’s Day was full of surprises; and in the words of one of singer Amy Grant’s songs from the early 1980s, I’m “SO GLAD”!

LIFE'S NEVER EASY, IS IT?

When I put out my first "INTERVIEW" query I NEVER thought I'd be writing a 3rd post about it!

I had everything all settled.

Today, Mary Ann came home upset saying that she had gone to the CyberstationUSA site and it was prominently playing a soft-porn video.
I had been to the site several times and had never seen the video. On our computer, there's just an empty white box in the upper right corner of their home page. Well, Mary Ann showed me the home page on her laptop, and YES, there was the soft porn flick.

I was shocked.

She was disturbed that I'd given the address to a number of people, implying I think it's OK.

Honestly, I had NO IDEA that a soft porn video was playing prominently on the site, and NO I don't think that's OK.

2009 has been a bizarre year for me and this is just the latest roller coaster experience.

I DO have very serious reservations about this soft porn video. It is likely I won't go through with having a relationship with CyberstationUSA. I'm sorry I did not research this more carefully.

FOLLOW UP to "The Interview"

I am grateful for friends and family. As my friend Denny Seler has said, "We are not called to be INDEPENDENT. We are called to be INTERDEPENDENT." We really do need each other.

Between the blog posting entitled "THE INTERVIEW" itself and personal e-mails, I heard from 17 people today.

Regarding saying "yes" to involvement with the cyber radio station, 13 people told me to "go for it". Among those were some very strong and encouraging comments. 4 were cautious and could not absolutely commit themselves to a "yes" or a "no". Zero told me to say "no" to this.

I have prayed, and today I told the Exec. V.P. there "YES" that I will go to the training session (for just me!) on Sat. at 2.

Most people need several training sessions to learn to work the board, etc. I am not real technical, so I will need God's help.

The real name of the business is Cyberstation U.S. A. (Cameo Entertainment). They very much do NOT want the novice broadcasters paying the sponsor fees. They want each person to get at least one sponsor. If my weekly half hour program goes "on the air" on the internet in a few weeks, it will have to be with a sponsor paying. The fee is actually NOT all that bad. (I remember what our church paid for a weekly 15 minute program on the old J-Light Radio...we paid more for that than Cyberstation is asking for a half hour.)

If my program goes "on the air" and then starts getting a lot of hits and multiple time slots, I can start making income from it.

I remember from the old days that before Tim Horton at J-Light had me on the air live, eventually for some paid stuff, I (that is, the church I pastor) had been a paying customer for awhile. I guess in the business this is not all that unusual.

If anyone wants any more information about being a sponsor, please let me know.

On a personal level, I'm still in a desperate financial situation as is the church I pastor. In one sense, I'm thinking, "I'm going to take THIS on, on top of everything else? What am I, crazy?" But on the other hand, it could be a great open door from God. Unlike broadcast radio, once I get on, people will be able to listen all over the country and the world.

I do covet your prayers about my personal financial situation and the church financial situation; and I covet your prayers for the success of this endeavor on Cyberstation U.S.A. Unless you have a computer that's over 5 years old, you can probably find Cyberstation U.S.A. on your computer and listen to it.

It's found at www.dqrm.com

Thank you. I deeply appreciate my friends and family who are "there for me" !

THE INTERVIEW

“Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14)

Most of us have watched the auditions for “American Idol” at one time or another; we’ve been astounded by hearing and seeing some extraordinarily talented young people, AND we’ve laughed and shaken our heads at the dreadfully untalented ones. I never thought I’d have both an audition and an interview, but I DID YESTERDAY.

It’s left me doing a lot of thinking and soul searching.

I realize putting this out there for public scrutiny can be very risky because the people I interviewed and auditioned before could read this. Honestly, I have nothing to hide and it won’t bother me if they do read it. I “got saved” in 1970 (and I know all of you don’t necessarily understand what that means) and since 1970, the weirdest year of my life, and the year which has contained scads of events and experience which are very difficult to understand and process has been 2009. Yesterday’s audition and interview was just the latest somewhat strange event of the year.

No, I did not audition to be a singer! I don’t have a bad singing voice, but I’m no Frank Sinatra. I auditioned to see if I have any talent and potential as a radio broadcaster. When I was around 16, my ambition was a career as a radio broadcaster. My father had a close friend named Bill who HAD been a radio broadcaster as a very young man and whose father was a high level executive at a major radio station. Bill told me, “Bob, you’re too nice of a guy- like I am. DON’T go into radio! It’s a cut throat business!” (Bill had become a schoolteacher, instead.) Ten years ago, I DID do some radio broadcasting at the now defunct J-LIGHT Christian Radio in Framingham (WJLT). I even got paid for some of it. Tim Horton, the owner and operator of the station told me I was “a natural”.

This has been a very difficult financial year for our church and for our family. Some weeks ago, it became evident that I need to get a part-time secular job outside of the church, and perhaps even a full-time secular job. At 55 when all you’ve done is pastoral ministry for the previous 28 years and when you DON’T have loads of talents and abilities, you can feel pretty intimidated and like you don’t have much to offer any prospective employer. I WILL say I do have a part-time job pending now as a “product presenter” in a department store. It’s a “salary plus incentive” job but if it doesn’t produce any leads in a couple of weeks time, you can easily be let go. I found that job on Craig’s List. I also found a job for broadcasting over the internet (out of MASSACHUSETTS) on Craig’s List. That’s the job I auditioned and interviewed for. On a total lark, I sent them an inquiry. I was shocked when an executive from there called me a few days later and did a brief interview over the phone. He then set up a time for me to come in and have a formal interview and audition.

The “radio station” is strictly on-line- over the internet. Even so, it’s been around since 1993 and has thousands and thousands of listeners in North America and the rest of the world. The studio is located in a Boston suburb. I was nervous and did not know what to expect as I arrived early for my 1 p.m. appointment. The executive who’d called me was there, dressed VERY CASUAL, like he was going to go out and play a game of touch football or something. (He explained he’d been out until 3 a.m. entertaining clients.) His assistant looked like a skinny kid you’d see happily dozing in a high school study hall. I will call the boss Ted and his assistant Rufus. Ted was in his late 30s and a TOTAL “Type A”. He made it a point to tell me of the talent level that’s on their internet station. While I was there, he fielded calls from some of his “A list talented broadcasters” that he somewhat tongue-in-cheek referred to as prima donnas. A technical thing was NOT going right and Ted was irritated, and engrossed in the problem. Oh, I forgot to tell you that as I was arriving, three young guys who looked like what I’d call “heavy metal types” were entering a studio.
“Do a good show! GET ME SOME RATINGS!” Ted told them.

The time got to be 10 minutes after 1. I was very nervous and very tense. I just didn’t feel welcome or comfortable. I wondered if I’d made a terrible mistake showing up. I glanced at the clock and thought, “If it gets to 1:15, I’m walking out of here and not looking back!”

Shortly before 1:15, Ted said to me, “Come into the back room!”

We went in there and the interview began. To my surprise, Ted calmed right down and became very personable. He did most of the talking. On this all internet station, they DO have several big name people who make very big money. They also give opportunities for people with little or no experience to get on the air (well on the air on the internet). Such people do not initially make any real money...in fact, initially you’re getting sponsors and paying a small fee for air time. (That’s why you’re encouraged to get a sponsor.) New people go through several training sessions. If all goes well, they are given a half hour show once a week that they pre-record there at the station. The show is initially podcast once a week. If it’s deemed to be good enough and gets enough hits, it will be on several times a week. If a person is really good, they will get more air time and may eventually get a live show and start earning serious money. Ted stressed that anyone they work with has GOT to have a voice for radio and has got to have a good concept for a show. I discussed some ideas with him. Ted asked, “Is this something you really want to try because I don’t want to waste my time and I don’t want you wasting your time?!”

I wasn’t sure how to answer that. I had no idea if this was a waste of time or not.
I decided to try the audition. For the audition, I had to read a 45-second-spot for a product, pretending I was on an FM station in Los Angeles. In broadcasting terms, Rufus was stunned because I “nailed” the spot in “one take”. (I also used to “nail” spots like that on J-Light Radio. There, I was called “one take Bob Baril”.) Rufus smiled, looked amazed, and told me, “You’re a natural!”

Honestly, I’m a terrible athlete. I’m a terrible mechanic. I’m mediocre with computers. I’m nothing special in a lot of areas...but when it comes to radio broadcasting, I truly AM “a natural”. Tentatively, they’ve asked me to come back on Saturday afternoon for a couple of hours of training for a modest fee.

What do you think? Should I do it- or is this crazy? No kidding, I’d really like to know what you think!

ECSTATIC JOY ON A COLD DECEMBER MORNING

“And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62 King James Version)

“Jesus replied, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.’ ” (Luke 9:62 New International Version ©1984)

One of most pastors’ worst nightmares is a weather forecast calling for snow for a Saturday night or a Sunday morning! Such was the case this past week. I think I first heard talk of snow for the weekend as far back as Monday. Then forecasters were confident that the expected precipitation for the Saturday would be all rain; then; rain changing to light snow; THEN some calling for 4 inches of snow! I was cautiously optimistic when I went to bed early on Saturday evening. At around 11:20 p.m. I awakened from a pleasant dream to hear an unpleasant sound outdoors...an electronic “BEEP - BEEP -BEEP”. I knew what that was....the sound of a PLOW backing up on our dead end street! It had snowed! I sadly went back to sleep, dreading what I’d face in the morning.

Looking outside on Sunday, I saw a white winter wonderland. I heard many people comment on how “beautiful” everything looked on Sunday morning. I’ve got to agree with my son Jon, however. To people who don’t like snow (like us) it looked absolutely awful! The good news was that while it looked like we had 2-3 inches of snow on the GRASS, our driveway was clear! Snowstorms CAN come in interesting accumulation patterns. All the driveways on our side of the street were CLEAR, and all the driveways on the other side of the street were covered with about an inch or two of snow.

After shaving and showering, and a lot of work clearing the snow off my 21-year-old Volkswagen Golf, it was off to the church parking lot and something I was DREADING. This is difficult to write about, but our church’s snowplowing bill for LAST winter is just over $1800. We have yet to pay one penny of it! In years past we’ve usually had the winter snowplowing bill all paid off by July 4, and on occasions of particularly snowy winters it’s sometimes been as late as Labor Day before the snowplowing bill has a zero balance. Here it is, December and we’ve made zero payments! This has probably been our church’s worst financial year and our worst attendance year in 23 years! It would take many paragraphs to explain why that’s so. I’ve forfeited paychecks at least 10 weeks out of 2009 and absolutely nothing has been paid into my retirement account this year. The church has had its hands full just paying the mortgage, utilities, and insurance. One of the things you want to do as a church is to practice good stewardship and pay your bills on time. I can’t begin to tell you how embarrassing it is to be in our situation. We’ve particularly felt bad about our snowplowing contractor. They send bills regularly showing the large past due balance. There has never been a threatening phone call, or anything of the sort from them.

Even so, the church leaders, including me, had pretty well concluded that if and when it snows we just can’t expect the lot to be plowed. What snowplowing contractor would plow the lot with not one red cent having been paid for the previous winter? I don’t think I would.

Upon arrival at the church parking lot around 6:15 Sunday morning, it was evident the church lot was like the driveways on the other side of my residential street...it had picked up about an inch and a half of snow. Well, it was evident by all the neat mounds of snow that bordered the PLOWED parking lot! There were obvious tire marks in row upon row where the plowing had taken place. Our church got quite a Christmas present on Sunday morning- one we did not expect and did not deserve. This unpaid plowing contractor “put his hand to the plow” and plowed our lot!

“Bill” who is no longer on our Church Board but who served around 15 years on the Board in the past said, “I came down this morning figuring it was only an inch or so and we could probably make do with an unplowed lot. I just couldn’t believe it was plowed!”

81-year-old Claire, also a former Board Member said, “This proves there are still some nice people in this world!”

We have a number of older folks in our church congregation who don’t like to come out when it snows, so our small church was frankly TINY today. Even so, I think just about every one of the few people at church this morning commented on how surprised and how pleased they were to find the parking lot plowed.

I can say, “It made my day!” In fact, it was SUCH a blessing, I’m hard pressed to think ANY Christmas present will top the ecstatic joy I felt on a cold December Sunday morning!

There’s SUCH a lesson and application here!
The kind of thing that snowplowing contractor did is the kind of thing we all should be doing, ESPECIALLY during the Christmas season. Yes, many business people would consider it foolish. But he “went the second mile” as it were (see Matthew 5:38-42). I share this story in the hope and prayer that it will challenge all of us to be so “foolish” and so bold and so loving. It reminds me of that bumper sticker that says, “Practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty.” Let’s all follow that example and be so “foolishly” kind and generous this month (and henceforth!)

JONATHAN WE HARDLY KNEW YOU

“As a dog returneth to his vomit, [so] a fool returneth to his folly.” (Proverbs 26:11)

The early morning driving rain and high winds made it a difficult start for the day. Thursday is trash day for our street, so it meant throwing on some clothes and getting one foot soaking wet as I accidentally stepped into a puddle in the driveway. After a shower and getting dressed, I sat down at the table to a bowl of Kellogg’s Honey Smacks and a mug of coffee. The front page story in the MetroWest Daily News intrigued me: “COPS: CAR HITS CRUISER, DRIVER HIDES”.

The story is found at:

http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x2072229753/Man-hits-police-cruiser-arrested-after-chase-in-Framingham-and-Natick

“What kind of an idiot did that?” I wondered and began reading the story about the bizarre actions of 21-year-old Jonathan Arizandieta. Suddenly, there was a lump in my throat and a pain in my soul. I knew him.

Our small church bought the former United Auto Workers union hall located at 32 South Street just outside the heart of downtown Framingham in 1994. Sometime in 1995, a cute little hispanic boy began wandering into church during the services. He had a big, infectious smile. I remember asking his name and how old he was. He was “Jonathan” and he was 7. I don’t think Jonathan often (or ever) came to Sunday School, but he was at church services fairly regularly. At some point, we met his mother. As I recall, she didn’t speak much English. We did learn he had a much older brother. Jonathan lived in the neighborhood and the church that played lively modern worship music was cool to him. Bill Lincoln, the 50ish tall, light complected mechanic who ushered most of the time along with our other usher and Deacon Dave Connell were favorites of Jonathan. He loved to talk and fool with those guys. In that era, we used to hold Vacation Bible Schools in the summer for the kids in the neighborhood. Unlike most churches, we held them in the evening, one night a week for around 6 weeks. In the early days, Jonathan attended a number of those “Kids Klub” events.

Time passed, and for a few years, we DIDN’T see much of Jonathan. One Sunday afternoon when he was around 11, I came to the church property and found Jonathan and a buddy, and some rocks and a broken window. They did not expect me to pull up right after the window had been broken. I’d caught them red handed, as it were. I remember giving them both, especially Jonathan, a strong “talking to” about it. Maybe we should have made Jonathan or his family pay for the window but I knew they were poor, and it was a stupid thing he’d done, and the bottom line is the church paid for the window.

When Jonathan became a teenager, he started to get that tough “up to no good” look that you hate to see. In those days, Bill Lincoln worked at a repair shop in Framingham’s Saxonville section. He’d see Jonathan and some of his crew hanging around. I remember Bill saying, “He’s not a bad kid, but he wants to impress those others. He’ll do ANYTHING to impress them that he’s not a sissy, and that’s going to get him into a lot of trouble.” And, it did. There did start to be various run-ins with the law.

Around that time, Jonathan and his crew also decided they wanted to show up at our church parking lot a few times a week with a bat and a tennis ball, attempting to play their own version of sandlot (well, “parking lot”) ball. I wasn’t crazy about it. But the way those kids looked at me, you KNEW if you kicked them out, you’d show up to find 10 windows broken...the building covered with graffiti, or both. I think my macho father would have known how to handle these kids, but I wasn’t sure. Bill Lincoln also noted that if you could get Jonathan ALONE you could have a reasonable conversation with him. He’d respect you and speak decently to you. But if he was with his pals, FORGET IT. Somewhere around that time, we even had Jonathan and his friends join a few guys from the church to watch the Super Bowl. But it was too little too late.

Around 3 years ago, the parking lot ball games stopped abruptly. In a way, I was very relieved. In another way, I knew it meant things were not good with Jonathan. A few stories showed up in the paper with Jonathan being arrested for this thing or that. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen or heard anything of Jonathan Arizandieta- until this morning.

Is there any way we could REALLY have made an impact with Jonathan? Did we make ANY impact at all? Is the culture and environment just too controlling for kids like Jonathan? It’s Christmastime, but this morning it’s hard to keep from crying.

IT'S ALL RELATIVE...

“And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.
And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:
for all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.” (Mark 12:42-44)

This time of year I can find myself thinking of the ideals of the Christmas season and the reality of economic stress. I DO love Christmas carols. I love the evergreen smells. Christmas wreaths are very pretty, and there’s something nice about having a Christmas tree in the living room. Money pressures, however, can be very tough. I’m feeling that money pressure this year, but frankly I know there are SCADS of people in America who are MUCH worse off than I am and who will struggle to just get through this month.

That old saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” comes to mind. I remember when I went on my first missions trip to Haiti in 1990, we were told to throw our cans of tuna and beef stew right onto the ground when we were done eating. You see, in Haiti, it’s MOST appropriate to litter! Poor Haitians pick up and clean up the cans and will use them over and over again to eat food out of, or for storing something, or other purposes. Finding a tuna can or a beef stew can could make a poor Haitian’s day! I see the Salvation Army bell ringers and I wonder if donations are down this year. I’d guess they probably are. Well, for one thing, a lot fewer people carry CASH around anymore, so that’s got to hurt the cause, too. In past years, I’ve thrown a little money into their kettles here and there. So far, I haven’t given anything to the bell ringers this year. I’ve reasoned, “Well, if I’m going to give them a buck or less, what does that matter?” I guess I’d forgotten the lesson of the cans in Haiti! A buck or even a quarter DOES make a difference to the Salvation Army, and I’ve got to make sure I do some donating this month!

One of the tougher parts of winter for me is there are no classic car shows for me to go to, and that means no selling of auto collectibles. No, I’ll never get rich selling automotive collectibles, but my father left behind scads and scads of stuff that I’m STILL selling almost ten years later! In a year like this, spending an hour at a car show, and walking out having made $75 meant filling the tank with gasoline, picking up a takeout supper, and even having some “extra” cash to throw into the plate at church on Sunday. I’m REALLY missing that now! (I’ve actually applied for a few part time jobs, and I’ll probably get one soon.) Honestly, though, I never left a car show or one of my special auto collectibles yard sales (which are REALLY profitable) without kind of feeling like I’d prostituted myself. Especially at the car shows, you’ve got to be really aggressive showing off the collectible inspection stickers, license plates, etc. and telling the owner of the 1959 Edsel convertible or the 1962 Chevy II or other classic car WHY he needs this stuff and how cool it will be to have it displayed on his car. I’ve surprised myself at what an effective salesman I can be...but I’ve always left thinking, “I wish it DIDN’T have to be like this. I wish you DIDN’T have to go out hustling like this to get money!”

Don’t get me wrong! I’m not about to start giving away auto collectibles free! In fact, one of the reasons I DO make a lot of sales is my prices tend to be over 50% lower than face value of the collectibles. No, I’m not giving that stuff away. And, it IS nice to make a large sale. On my birthday’s collectibles sale in September, I made over $600 in 4 hours sitting in my driveway. Not bad!

I guess I still wonder about old George Mueller back there in England in the 1800s. He ran several orphanages ALL BY FAITH. He just prayed and all the supplies came in. My friend, The Rev. Tom Stevens, who runs New England Aftercare/The Bridge House in Framingham is something like George Mueller. Tom says, “The provision is in the call”. Tom certainly DOES some solicitation; but his ministry never engages in any of the manipulative, high pressure stuff. They believe if God wants their ministry to continue, He will provide the donors and the funds, and so far, that’s been the case!

I was reading recently that a substantial number of churches and non-profit organizations have ceased to exist over the past year, and a substantial number of them will cease to exist over the coming year. It’s a difficult time. I know of one church which is well endowed. They drew a huge amount of money out of their endowments to survive the past year. For our church, there’s nothing like that. If the money doesn’t come in week to week, well, as Mel Blanc used to say: “That’s all folks”. I suppose churches who are spending down their endowments just to survive are feeling bad about that, but other churches would be thrilled to have endowments to spend down! (Ours would!)

Some of you may know, a few years ago Zion Bible College (then in Barrington, RI) was in serious financial trouble and on the verge of closing. Then, a very wealthy business owner gave them several million dollars! The school has purchased and renovated the campus of a defunct college in Haverhill, MA. It STILL costs them a lot of money for operations (obviously) but they really had one of those George Mueller style miracles! Yet, the Christian elementary school all my kids attended in the ‘80s and ‘90s closed this past year. Yes, some ministries survive - some don’t.

Is it faith that makes the difference? Is it prayer? Is it marketing? Is it hard work? Is it all of the above?

Did some poor Haitian pray to find a nice can, and rejoice with tears of joy to find my beef stew can?

Is the economy really all that bad? Are some people just too stingy? Again, I’ve admitted to not giving to the bell ringers yet.

Sorry I’m rambling. I’m thinking as I’m writing. It’s strange that one person’s catastrophe can be another’s blessing.

It’s Christmastime...in a tough economy. It’s got me thinking about what I have and what’s really important.

Some would say, “It’s all relative...”