I hate it when God decides to use me at an inconvenient and inopportune moment. Doesn’t He know that sometimes I’m not in the mood to be a servant? Apparently not. Someone once said, “God offers the greatest opportunities at the most inconvenient moments.” That’s way too stinkin’ true.

This week I had the opportunity to attend a conference in Colorado. I was excited. Not only was it my first editorial conference, but it was also my first trip to Colorado Springs.

I showed up to the airport right on time, bags in hand, but the airport staff did not mirror my enthusiasm. Several flights had been cancelled through the morning and things were obviously hectic. My day was not going to be pleasant. I couldn’t fly into Colorado Springs until the next morning, but they were able to reroute me through Denver late that night, where I could then take a cab over to Colorado Springs (a 2 hour drive). I would miss the entire opening session of my conference, but at least I would arrive the same day.

Once finally getting through security (who checked me so thoroughly they had me questioning whether or not I was actually associated with Al Qaeda) I made my flight and was off. I caught a connecting flight and, after 10 exhausting hours, landed in Denver and began looking for a cab.

I walked to the first few and they were all spoken for, then one gentleman popped his head through a window and, in a thick accent, asked if I needed a ride. I informed him of my destination two hours away, and he gladly accepted. Ah, the end was finally in sight, and I was looking forward to resting in the backseat for the next two hours.

My driver, Abdu (whose actual name was 11 letters long and completely incomprehensible) was from the Middle East. I noticed some Arabic writing hanging from his mirror, so I inquired. It was a quote from the Koran. He was a devout Muslim. He quickly found out that I was a Christian, and I quickly found out that, during this final leg of my trip, rest would not be an option.

Right before picking me up, Abdu had been reading (apparently while driving) an Arabic article comparing Jesus and Mohammed. He knew little of Christianity, but was curious. For two hours we exchanged information and I had the divine opportunity to explain Jesus to him. The whole idea of God giving His life for us was totally foreign to Abdu. I reluctantly thanked the Lord for allowing me to share, even though I hadn’t felt like sharing.

Abdu wasn’t converted to Christianity, but a seed was undoubtedly planted in his life. I wasn’t in any sort of mood to be open to the Spirit that evening, but God didn’t seem to care. He decided to use me anyway, despite my deep objections. I wish God would have simply let me sit in the back seat of that taxi sulking in the sorrow of my long and aggravating day, but apparently He wasn’t concerned with my momentary inconvenience.

He had bigger concerns.

1) It’s deeply engrained into my identity.

Dad was a pastor, which made me a pastor’s kid. And while many PKs grow up to hate church and church people, I never did. Dad was always there when we needed him, and I never felt as if the church came before us. So I never resented the church, even when the sheep bit the shepherd, which happened all too often. And as a PK, when the doors of the church were open, we were there. Sunday morning without a church service would feel completely unnatural. Its hard to fathom life without church. Its a part of my identity.

2) I believe in COMMUNITY.

I hear many who believe they don’t need “church” to be a Christian, and I admit that I agree with that statement. But while I don’t need church to be a Christian, I find that it sure does help. Even when fellow churchgoers become backstabbers, and legalism overwhelms love, and concern for biblical context is overlooked, I am still a part of a Christian family who loves me and is concerned about my Christian walk. When I cry, they cry with me. When I hurt, they pray for healing. And when I need, they give. That leaves me with accountability. It also gives me an outlet to release the giftings God has placed in my life. And the giftings are not for me, they are for the body of Christ. How can we exercise our giftings in the body if we aren’t part of one?

3) I need to remember that it’s not always about me.

I was raised in church, and while things undoubtedly went on from time-to-time that I disliked, overall, I feel it instilled a sense of responsibility deep within me for the needs and concerns of others. There were times when I was not allowed to wear shorts to a picnic because it might offend some of the older generations. (It was either that, or the fact that shorts in the 80s were like man-thongs with white trim. Come to think of it, I’d be offended, too.) There were times when I was not allowed to see movies because of the whole stumblingblock idea. (Or wait, maybe it was because of the R rating. Can’t quite remember.) I hated this in my youth, but it made me realize that I’m a part of something bigger than myself. Christianity is not just about ME, MY beliefs, and MY convictions. It’s about US–the body of Christ. It’s about caring for one another’s needs and helping and loving. So I didn’t wear shorts. It wouldn’t have hindered my walk with Christ (those shorts could have hindered my pride, though), but it might have hindered somebody else’s, and that made me realize that I needed to always be aware of the needs and convictions of others, even when I didn’t agree with them. It’s not always about ME.

4) My kids

We have 3 children now. My son is 7, my identical twin girls are 5. We attend a small church. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of the bigger churches. We know everyone by name. If we miss a service, people notice. Sometimes I feel like I wear WAY too many hats from week to week. But my kids like it. The older generation loves on them when they walk in the door. It’s like they have ten sets of grandparents when we come to church. Somebody always has a gift for them. My son often gets to stand next to the drummer and rattle an egg shaker during praise and worship. My girls helped lead worship during our last youth service. Grandma gets to teach them in Sunday school every week. They are young, but they are a part, and they are learning about God, Jesus, the Bible, and about Christian love and fellowship. They are also intricately connected to the older generation. Its a part of my identity, and I want it to be a part of theirs, too. In a society that is growing more anti-Christian every day, I want them to know the importance of being a part of Christian community.

5) For a better future

Sure, sometimes things happen that I thoroughly disagree with in church. Fights erupt over ridiculously petty things. People get upset over nothing. Too much emphasis is placed on performance. And if I had written the books of our doctrine, some sections might read just a bit differently. But when I look into the New Testament, I see one thing that jumps out at me over and over and over again: Christians stuck together. They ate together. They broke bread together. They met together often. They discussed their beliefs, and studied the Word, and worshiped together, and prayed together. That word TOGETHER just keeps popping up as I write. And so, Christian community is not something I want to disconnect myself from. It has always been a part of my life, and it always will be.

And here’s where I think I may differ from many in my generation who have walked away. Some say they walk away because there’s just too much that they disagree with. But I see it this way: I love the church, and I love it enough to stick it out, even through the rough times (and believe me, sometimes it gets bad). And if she needs to change, then I’m going to see to it that the change happens. I don’t want to walk. I want to stay and fight. I want to make sure that the church walks into the future equipped to successfully pass the Faith on to the next generation–my kids and my grandkids. Those who keep walking in and walking out because they disagree with stuff will never bring about change. If you want to change the system, you don’t do it from the outside. You do it from the inside. So I stay–to help bring about a church that can effectively reach the generations to come; to help make it better.

It troubles me when I read of fellow Christians who hop from church to church, searching for one that fits the belief system they have developed for themselves. They just want a good “fit’; a good “match”. But they never find one. Why? Because they don’t stick around long enough to help bring about the change they seek. It’s a cycle that won’t break until we are willing to hunker down and fight the good fight. It’s not about being seen. Its not about being “right.” It’s not about tradition. It’s about being a part of a community. It’s about loving one another through the good and the bad. It’s about encouragement, and sharing, and connecting, and giving. It’s about fighting for something I believe in. I believe in church, so I go, week after week, and I fight for it. I want her to live. I want her to be relevant. I want her to reach our society and bring about a Christ-like change in our culture–a culture that wants truth, but just doesn’t know where to find it.

I’ve always believed that Truth is best found in numbers, not in isolation. What better place to find it than in the middle of church?

Whowoulda thunk it? Truth… found in church. Crazy, right?

See you Sunday?

Oops, wrong punctuation.

See you Sunday.

I’ve heard an awful lot over the past few years about tithing, or the lack thereof. There has been a push by many to say that Jesus never taught tithing, and even that the New Testament as a whole does not teach one to tithe as we see throughout the Old Testament. It’s not a new argument, it’s been around for years, but the no-tithe bandwagon has certainly become a popular one as of late. And of course it has. Who wouldn’t want to believe we aren’t required to give God 10% of everything? Especially in our me-first, money-first society.

While I can see why some might argue for this, it negates to show the whole truth. If you really study the giving shown in the New Testament, tithing isn’t the issue at hand. And I might agree with the basic idea: tithing was not necessarily being taught. But that’s because it didn’t have to be taught. People weren’t tithing; people were giving FAR MORE than just a tithe, or 10%. Consider these passages:

“All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” –Acts 2:44, 45

“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales  and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.”  –Acts 4:32-35

 And, of course, who can forget the widow’s two mites in Mark 12:

“Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts.  But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

I FIRMLY believe that 10% is a bottom-of-the-barrel-baseline for giving. It’s the least we can give. It seems pretty obvious to me that even IF someone could claim that tithing isn’t a NT principle, one cannot deny that giving, specifically money (b/c some claim time and energy is a gift that can negate the giving of money) is undoubtedly taught. And if you want to claim that the giving of 10% is not a NT principle, than you’d better be following what IS the NT principle of giving…

GIVE.

IT.

ALL.

If you’re not giving AT LEAST 10%, I would ask, “Why not?” And then, I’d DARE you to give it a try. But if you’re going to claim that tithing isn’t a NT principle, you’d better be giving an awful lot more than 10%.

Perhaps there’s a reason money was Jesus’ second favorite topic. It’s almost like he was an ancient sort of Dave Ramsey, even. I think I’ve even seen the phrase “too much month left at the end of the money” written in red a time or two.

Last week my kids put their first tithe envelopes into the offering plate. It was a proud day for my wife and me. They’d all gained a whole $3.00 for chores during the week. Each one placed their 30 cents into the envelope and filled out their names. We’re not teaching that God requires them to give 10% of their money, but rather, we are teaching them the privilege of keeping 90% of God’s money. Some people call this stewardship. I like to simply call it faith—faith to believe that God’s Word is true; faith to believe that God is bigger than our bills and bank accounts.

It’s a faith that doesn’t always come easy. Just ask the rich young ruler:

 A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”…“You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’”

“All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy.—Luke 18:18-25

I recall an old hymn that said “Just a little talk with Jesus makes it right.” But that’s apparently not quite true. Just a little OBEDIENCE is what actually makes things right. Otherwise, we just leave sad.

]]> http://discipleshipink.com/2013/04/24/does-the-new-testament-teach-tithing/feed/ 0 darrenschalk collection-plate http://discipleshipink.com/2013/04/04/6-things-ive-learned-in-my-first-year-of-blogging/ http://discipleshipink.com/2013/04/04/6-things-ive-learned-in-my-first-year-of-blogging/#comments Thu, 04 Apr 2013 16:43:07 +0000 darrenschalk http://discipleshipink.com/?p=1336 ]]>

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DISCIPLESHIP INK!

Just a few days ago Discipleship Ink turned one! After blogging for a year I must say I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. And as I do with every birthday (that’s a lie), I now pause to reflect on what I’ve learned over the past year.  (Actually, most birthdays I just eat cake, watch TV, and check my bald spot in the mirror. True reflection is rare.) So without further ado, let the reflecting (of more than just my bald spot) begin.

1) Sometimes I’m funny, sometimes I’m not

My daily mood tends to come out in my blogs. If I’m feeling jolly (I never use that word), my stuff comes out light and fluffy, like a playful jolly (there it is again) cute little frolicking bunny. If I’m stressed or burdened, I write in a subdued, heavy manner, like a fat, slow, aged, overfed, pig on antidepressants. Of course, my wife says I’m not funny even when I think I am. But I think the manner in which I just described my pig writing proves her wrong.

2) Blogging is fun. Whoudathunkit?

My first book, Stuff I Hate About God, is coming out October 1^st. The publishing-powers-that-be suggested I start a blog to help my platform. So I reluctantly did. But once I started posting, I realized how much I enjoyed it. It gives me a place to write absolutely anything that comes to mind (within reason—my brain comes up with some pretty whacky stuff that no one should be forced to read…ever. Like that previous pig description. Or this post.) I’ve also learned that whenever I write about faith, people read…a lot of people read. So it’s helped me see where God might want me to focus.

3) Blogging taught me how to pluralize platypus

I’ve always had a hidden love for the duck-billed platypus. I have no idea why. I guess I just love the unique quirkiness of the animal. I mention the platypus often so I had to learn how to pluralize it. Turns out “duck-billed platypi” is incorrect. I know, WHO WOULD’VE BELIEVED IT? It’s technically “duckbilled platypuses”. This is a valuable rule we should all memorize. It will come in handy someday, just like math.

4) Blogging is power

Don’t mess with a man with a platform. I tell people this a lot. Anytime something crazy happens, readers and friends want to know if they’ll be the subject of the next post. I say “No, I’d never do that.” The next day I send them the link. In fact, this blog happened when a friend wanted credit for a picture she took that I used in my blogs about our Wheel of Fortune experience.

5) If I number my points, I always have 5

I don’t typically number many of my posts with specific points, but when I do, they always seem to have 5. This blog explains why. I included this point here simply to break this vicious, ugly cycle. Now the next one makes 6. I knew math would come in handy.

6) Blogging opens doors

This aspect really shocked me, to be honest. I’ve had people, even strangers, contact me with personal questions about life and circumstances simply because I posted something that somehow touched them. It’s opened doors for ministry, new friendships, and even renewed faith. I’ve connected with people I never dreamed I’d connect with. Several shared that they came back to faith after I told of my son’s testimony from his most recent seizure and 4 day ICU stay. This aspect has both thrilled and humbled me. God will use any avenue when we submit all to him.

So if you’re considering a blog, I encourage it wholeheartedly. But be careful, with power comes responsibility. And as you begin, I would strongly suggest sticking with these two modes of writing for success:

A) playful-jolly-cute-little-frolicking-bunny writing, and

B) fat-aged-stuffed-overfed-depressed-pig writing.

Both can be equally effective when used properly. Feel free to quote me.

THANKS FOR READING!!! If you’re not yet following, click that button over there on the right side of the page that says “Click Here, Get Inked.” It’ll send these posts directly to your email. Now we’re off to the terrible twos so do keep reading. We’re gonna need all the help we can get.

5) Avoid Facebook, Twitter, and all blogging sites like the plague. Believe social media is just a passing fad and that it could never help you sell your book.

4)  Let’s say you’re a doctor. You know all about eating healthy, and have done research and even given speeches about eating healthy. Once you’re known for this type of knowledge and presentation, write a novel about the coming zombie apocalypse.

3)  Pay no attention to the current market trends. Young people leaving church? Rethinking the faith? True discipleship? Meh, who cares. Let’s talk about the Christian music wars of the 1980s. Write THIS book: “Stryper: Christians or Satanists?” (I’d buy it.)

2)  Write a book, and then never tell anyone about it. Believe that much like Edgar Allen Poe or Emily Dickinson, your work will be discovered and cherished after your death.

#1 way to never get published:

Don’t write.