Why the 2010 Census matters to the Church

The Church and government don’t often mix well.

When Jesus was asked if we should pay taxes, he said, “Give to Caeser what is Caeser’s, and give to God what is God’s” (Matthew 22:21). Many Christians, and even church leaders, have taken Jesus’s statement as permission to completely disassociate the Church from any government initiative.

But, if we’re honest with ourselves, we will realize that some government programs can be useful tools to help with our great commandment to love others as we love ourselves. When God commands us to feed the poor, or to take care of orphans, there are obviously lots of things we can do personally to make that happen. But, there are also existing programs we can take advantage of, and many of those are funded by the federal government.

Censuses didn’t have a great reputation in biblical times. They were usually associated with collecting money. David angered the Lord when he decided to take a census of his men. And, of course, it was because of a census in Bethlehem that Jesus was born in a manger, instead of more comfortable digs.

The US Census to be held in 2010, however, is different from these. The census is a mechanism used to allocated billions of dollars in government funding for important community facilities like schools, roads, hospitals, child care centers, and more. Over $300 billion a year, to be more specific. How these dollars are allocated, in many cases, is dependent on how many people are counted in each area. That’s why it’s important for our communities for everyone to be counted.

Why should the Church care? Well, the very groups that God calls us to defend (the poor, the marginalized, the orphans and widows) are the groups that are the least likely to be counted. In 2010, America has a higher population of historically undercounted groups than ever. Many of these groups don’t trust the government to do what’s right, but they trust their local church. Therefore, the Church should step up and encourage all groups to be counted.

So, as a church leader, pastor, or not-for-profit director, what can you do?

1. Ensure your congregation or constituents that the census is simple and safe. The questionnaire is only a few questions, and every household’s personal information will be kept confidential for 72 years.

2. Offer to help those who don’t understand or read English If you have a cross-cultural ministry, this can be especially helpful.

3. Create a campaign. Hang signs or posters in your church or office. Make sure everyone’s aware that census questionnaires are coming in March, and that April 1 is census day.

Every person matters to Jesus, so they should matter to us. It’s in our hands. Let’s all do our part to make sure each and every person is counted.

Pumpkin Theology

Fall break has come and gone, which means Halloween is knocking at the proverbial door. This weekend, my family took the time to pick out and carve pumpkins. As we were cleaning out the gooey insides, my daughter Grace said, "Daddy, this is so gross." I immediately thought about God, and wondered if He says the same thing when He goes through the cleansing process with me? That got me to thinking deeper about our relationship with Him, and how closely a few minutes with this orange squash resembled our relationship with Christ.

So, we used the whole process as a teaching moment. I invite you to try it with your kids this week if you are pumpkin carvers...

We didn't choose God, he chose us. Just like the pumpkins didn't choose us. God told Jeremiah, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart...."

We scoop out the seeds and pulp. In the same way, once we decide to follow Jesus, he cleans out the nasty stuff from inside us. The Psalm says, "as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." Micah says God, "hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea." I just put the pulp on some newspaper, but still.

Then, we put the new face on the pumpkin. Just like we become new in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

Finally, we insert a candle and light it, so everyone can see our great new Jack O'lanterns. After all, we want everyone to see what's happened to them, right? In the same way, we are called to shine our light so people see the difference in our lives. "No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light." -Luke 8:16

So, we get quality time with the family, fall decorations, and a memorable bible lesson all for around $10. Pretty good investment, I'd say.

God in the whisper

If you're at all like me, (and for your sake, I hope you're not) you may doubt God from time to time. Maybe you're in a situation you don't like or don't understand, or maybe you're searching for direction in some part of your life, or maybe you just want to know if He's listening to your prayers. My tendency is often to pray for a sign. Lord, just show me who you are... show me that you are God.

But, as I read scripture, I really need to stop praying this. Have you done this lately? Look how God often proves Himself. It's almost always with death and destruction. There are very few fleece moments in the bible. It's more like this:

And they will know that I am the LORD, when their people lie slain among their idols around their altars...

You will fall by the sword, and I will execute judgment on you at the borders of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

The inhabited towns will be laid waste and the land will be desolate. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

If it's been awhile since you read the bible, think about it. Do you remember a passage that says, "I will deliver the job into your hands, then you will know that I am the LORD?" Or how about, "I will heal your ailing spouse/child/brother then you will know that I am the LORD?" Or even, "I will present to you the lottery numbers BEFORE they are drawn, then you will know that I am the LORD?" No. I mean there is the staff turning into a snake thing. And the time that Elijah called on God to set the altar ablaze. But generally, in scripture, the LORD makes Himself known in ways that we wouldn't really want to see Him. But, it also means that He has the power to make Himself known.

So, what does this mean for us? It means we need to have faith. Faith that His plan is better than ours. Faith that he's the same God He has been- yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Faith that He's still on His throne.

When nothing wheron to lean remains,
When strongholds crumble to dust;
When nothing is sure but that God still reigns,
That is just the time to trust.

'Tis better to walk by faith than sight,
In this path of yours and mine;
And the pitch-black night, when there's no outer light
Is the time for faith to shine. - Joseph Parker

God has told us who He is, and He's probably shown you in your life time and again. Maybe you can't hear him now because life SCREAMS at you. Your circumstances YELL at you to ignore that still small voice inside your head. But, scripture tells us that God is in the whisper. Be still and listen... and know that He is God.

Lord, make me more stubborn

"But it won't work that way with the family of Israel. They won't listen to you because they won't listen to me. They are, as I said, a hard case, hardened in their sin. But I'll make you as hard in your way as they are in theirs. I'll make your face as hard as rock, harder than granite. Don't let them intimidate you. Don't be afraid of them, even though they're a bunch of rebels." -Ezekiel 3:7-9 (The Message, emphasis added)

At first, this seems like a pretty strange passage to me. I mean, who wants their face to be as hard as a rock? C'mon God, make my abs as hard as a rock, maybe, but my face?

But, what a cool thing God did for Ezekiel. He was sending him to speak to the Israelites and warn them about their sin. But in His sovereignty, God knew they would be stubborn about it, so he promised to make Ezekiel more stubborn.

I have to tell you that so many times, when I find myself in a similar situation, I pray about the others. I pray for the ones I'm speaking to and say, "Lord, soften their hearts. Help them see it my way."

But, maybe God wants to teach me something sometimes by making people stubborn. Maybe people who don't just follow me blindly are meant to test my perserverance. Maybe I should pray for God to change me more than I pray for Him to change other people. Like Ezekiel, I need to ask him to make my face harder than granite. After all, as James wrote, "You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way." -James 1:2-3 (the Message)

I want to be mature and complete. I want not to be deficient in any way. So, Lord, make me more stubborn.

And, about those abs...

On making great people

Dads, let's talk. I think if we were to sit down face-to-face over a cup of coffee (or a large Diet Coke for me), we'd agree that one of the most important things we'll do in this life is raise great kids. Can we just agree on that now? Good.

So, why don't we always act like it's a priority? If we're to be honest with one another, I'd bet we both spend a lot more time thinking about our career development, financial future, or even our vacations than we do about how to build into our children. Look at it this way: we driven, ambitious career types are always looking for a way to add more value at work, right? We wouldn't think of just occupying a seat and getting by with the minimum required to get the job done. We strive to get better, we invest in our skills and knowledge, we bring ideas to people. We aren't static, we are in motion in our careers.

Why, then, when it's our turn to watch the kids, do we look for the easy way out? Why do we wonder which DVD we should put in to occupy the time while we rest or read or do what we need to do? Why don't we invest in our parenting skills, spend quality time playing with our kids, reading to them, coloring with them, doing things that build them up?

In his book Outliers, Malcom Gladwell suggests that great performers are made largely by great opportunities. In other words, if you want to be a great piano player, you need lots and lots of hours at the piano. If you want to be a great runner, you need a chance to put in miles and miles. Likewise, if you want to raise great kids (thereby making them into great people), you need to invest the time in them, not just spend time with them, but really spend time building them.

Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train a child in the way he should go and he will not stray from it." That's what most of us want as parents, right? A child who is raised right and turns into a great person - one who doesn't stray. So, let's take every opportunity God has given us to invest a part of ourselves in our kids. We don't have very much time- our opportunity is limited.

Nehemiah Vision Ministries

In case you missed this last weekend, here is the video about some of what God is doing in Haiti.

Nehemiah Vision Ministries from Northernlight Filmworks on Vimeo.

MOVE Conference Roundup

So, we returned yesterday from the MOVE Conference at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. I think that most of the students were somewhat underwhelmed or maybe even a little disappointed at the conference... that is, at least, until the last day.

The entire conference focused on the book of Exodus, and the story of the people of God. The worship, by the Aaron Pelsue Band, was really good, but it took the students awhile to learn the new songs. Once they caught on, though, it was phenomenal!

On the first night, we talked about God appearing to Moses in the burning bush, and how he calls us all in different ways. The second day, we discussed what it means to be a slave to sin, and how we can be free. Day 3, we talked about the crossing of the Red Sea, and how we all come to a point in our lives where we have a crossing to make. Day four, we talked about worship, and what it means to worship God and to worship idols. On this day, each of the participants build their idol out of Play-Doh and we smashed them underfoot. Then came day five, the day that rocked our world. On this day, we talked about living with God and in God, and what that means. Each person at the conference got an envelope that they had to commit to do what it said before they opened it (they didn't have to open it, but if they wanted to, they were committed). Well, every student in our group committed to do it, and each one got a challenge that, by God's grace, was appropriately hard for them. One student now has to sell 50 items of clothing and give the money to a family who needs it. One has to skip one lunch per week and use the money to provide a meal for someone who can't afford it. One student has to memorize the book of Ephesians. My challenge is to not buy gas for a month and give the money to an environmental cause. I started today.

Then, by some ridiculously funny manipulation by God, we got the biggest challenge. If you want to know about that, or to know the story, you need to look here.

I'm really excited to see what God is going to do in our students and in our community in the next year. Stay tuned.