Enklings Studio

Why Would You Be At Church When The World Comes To Your Door?

Halloween is this Saturday, and in our neighborhood, the world comes to our door.  Last year over 400 kids came by and got some great candy, a warm greeting and a lot of compliments on some scary costumes.

It will probably seem strange to many reading this that there are some who feel compelled not to be at home on this night.  That Halloween is evil and should be shunned as an event.  That people who celebrate it are unaware of the evils of dressing up and meeting your neighbors where they live.

In Churches all over America, there will be "Harvest Celebrations" as an alternative to the evils of Halloween. While these good intentioned folks are doing what they do, their neighbors, the very people they seek to reach, are walking by their dark houses shaking their heads at the lack of care they see for even the simplest of graces, an open door.  I'm all for Harvest Celebrations - but have them on a different night when you can invite your neighbors and they'll be able to come.

What would Jesus do?  I think he might buy the best candy he could afford and open the door to the sounds of joyful children.  Most likely he would be out on the street knocking on your door Halloween night, with the children surrounding him and shouting "trick or treat!"  He probably is one of the "least of these" that rings your door bell when no one is home.  (see Matthew 25:31-46) 

When the world comes to your door, where will you be?

simply,

Tim

The Autumn Path - The Perfect Picture of Fall

 
My son Luke took this pic in Lithia Park, Ashland Oregon last week.  I have never seen a picture of Fall that made me love the season more!

Thanks Luke!

simply,

Dad 

Religion vs. Faith - Follow The Money

My friend, @MichaelHyatt, posted on his blog this morning a disturbing video of a book burning Church which has launched a good discussion on the difference between faith and religion on his site.

While I don't think any right minded person would condone what this little 14 member Church in North Carolina is doing, there is a much greater issue between faith and religion that isn't being talked about much except in some of the emergent Church venues.

According to Barna Research in 2001, the average operating budget for Protestant Churches in the U.S. was around $115,000 a year.  This may not seem like much, especially to our bloated lifestyles out here in California, but if you multiply this times the number of Protestant Churches in the U.S. which is around 225,000, you come up with over $25 BILLION dollars being spent each year in the U.S. to keep churches running.  This doesn't include Catholic, Jewish or other denominations such as Latter Day Saints.  It also doesn't include special Church fundraising for building projects, etc.

With over 1 billion people in the world today facing illness and death from lack of food security, it's time we made sure the money we donate to non-profits (including churches) goes to solving basic problems, not building more infrastructure.  With an average of 16,000 children dying each day from hunger related issues, we need to question every expenditure we make personally, what our churches and organizations spend and what our government spends.  This is unacceptable.  One needs only to follow the money to see what is most important to us. 

Can we do both-fund religious organizational infrastructure and give to the poor to meet their most basic of needs?  Perhaps, but the number of hungry people around the world grew by 100 million in one year. Something isn't working.

Let the crazy book burners get their 15 minutes of fame if they must, you and I have much deeper issues to grapple with.

Simply,

Tim

What's Your Value?

It's easy to get caught up in our equity based society and see our value in such a limited way.  Take a look at this video to get a different perspective.

Simply,

Tim

twitterforfood Partners with The Food Bank For New York city

Check out the Food Bank For New York City blog today.  I've turned my site twitterforfood.com orange for the month in support of the FBNYC Go Orange campaign.  Their campaign is a great way to raise public awareness not just locally, but globally in the fight against hunger. With partners like Delta, Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS, the Food Bank For New York City is pulling out all the stops to fight hunger - even lighting the Empire State Building orange.  very cool promotion for a very needed cause! 

What could you do with supportive bloggers to raise awareness for your cause?

Simply,

Tim