“No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

Matthew [6:24]

CRY BABY MILLIONAIRES

In the age of big money professional sports, we see professional athletes making millions of dollars a year, holding out for more money. We watch owners creating billion dollar enterprises. At the same time, we hear of players in their twenties complaining that they aren’t being treated properly and sometimes even refusing to play. All this while families of four can longer support the average price of close to five hundred dollars to go to a professional sporting event.

In the meantime, the TV ratings of the major sports have declined. In fact, at the last World Series viewership dropped by twenty-five percent. The NFL’s ratings have declined by double digits over the last two years. While there are many reasons for the declines, the two major reasons that stand out the most are the young millionaires complaining about their pay, when most American families struggle to pay their health care costs and wonder why these young millionaires complain about how much money they are making and social injustice.

The public relationship efforts by all the professional sports leagues has been abysmal and appears to be self-serving. These efforts miss that many of the millionaires and even the professional leagues do give back to the society that supports them. Not all the cry baby millionaires miss the point that they have been blessed. J.J. Watt, the all-star football player, doesn’t make headlines for misbehavior. Instead he raised tens of millions of dollars to help out hurricane victims. The NFL maintains a giving organization that contributes tens of millions to causes that help social justice and communities in need. Many players have their own foundations that pour money back to those in need.

These wonderful acts of service don’t make the news, good news stories don’t sell ads and as such don’t get told. People that give money prefer not to be in the spotlight. They would rather give quietly. Instead we see NFL running backs complaining they aren’t being treated properly or basketball players earning millions protesting they don’t get enough playing time. Or we see players, like Odell Beckham taking mini vacations while his team is in the middle of a playoff run.

Like all things in our society there are always two sides of the story. For professional sports, we will see the athlete’s and owners being selfish and petty with their complaints. That news we will hear about! But there are also many who give back a fair amount of their millions to society because they know they have a higher and moral need to give back.

Jesus explains this by saying we all have to decide, whom do we serve? Do we serve ourselves? Or do we serve humankind? The real answer to this question is on an individual by individual basis. Some live to be served and others live to serve. Perhaps more of our millionaires created by the their support, should consider this question harder.

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

Photo by Noah Silliman

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“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Romans [15:13]

EACH DAY IS A DAY OF HOPE

Each morning we meet the dawn, we have a day of hope. Each morning follows a day of triumph or failure. In our triumphs we should proceed humbly and with our failures proceed hopefully. Each day gives another chance to do good and help others. Each day is a day to fix yesterday and each day is a day of hope.

 

In our hopefulness each morning we have a chance to walk the path of doing good. We have the chance to defy that which is wrong and chart a different course. Each new day is one filled with a desire to accomplish those things of good.

 

Along the way we will meet obstacles, some mighty and some painfully resistant. These obstacles are but tests of our hopefulness. Mere momentary things that exist as weeds, as we strive to become mighty oaks. They are not greater than hopefulness, but the burden of all lives. They are meant to be overcome.

 

After each rise we climb, we are afforded the opportunity to look back and see our triumph. In this triumph we should be encouraged by the knowledge that we can. With this encouragement we should be both humble and ready to climb a new mountain in life.

 

After each rise we fail to climb, we should look back to see the extraordinary lesson we learned. With this lesson, we should try again with a hope committed to succeed. In our lessons we receive hope.

 

In both our triumphs and failures we have God with us. In triumph we should pray thankfully and in failure we should petition hopefully. Each morning as we make our plans we should turn to God, not to receive a bounty, but insight. With each prayer we make we should be both hopeful and faithful to hear God’s desires.

 

Our God is not a condemning God, but a loving God. A God that hears our pleas, both in our desperation and our desires. A God that journeys with us and molds us. Through our life’s time span and in the daily bits of our lives. Our God is a God of Hope.

 

Each day we have a day of hope. A new day in which we can be humble in our victories and resilient in learning new ways. A new day to thank those who help. A day to console those who need compassion. A new day to right yesterday’s wrongs. A new day to live in God’s world with hope.

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

 

Parting Thoughts

• What do you hope for today and tomorrow?
• What life obstacles are blocking your future?
• What is your morning prayer practice?

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“Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

Ephesians [6:11]

WHERE WOULD JESUS BE ON GUN CONTROL?

Early in my business career, I helped manage a store for a large national retailer that sold guns. This was in the seventies when gun control was much tougher. You couldn’t sell guns with extended magazines, assault rifles or have bumpers put on your gun stock. Occasionally I would have to man the gun desk to help out. During these times I got to see why people in this northern part of Maine bought guns. Essentially, there were two reasons the customer wanted to buy guns. The first was to hunt. For many in northern Maine it was both sport and to provide food for their family. While I never hunted, I understood their need, especially the need to get food. The second reason was for protection, in this part of the country, the police or state police could be far away from those living on the edge of communities and many felt they needed a little extra protection.

However, to buy a gun in the seventies, an application had to be filled out before the individual could take the gun home. First we would take the application and send it to the ATF. We would then tell the customer that they had to wait two weeks for the approval process. The ATF would review the application and either approve or reject. They would reject any application if there was a criminal record or history of mental illness. When we got the application back we would notify the customer of its status. Each night we were required by law to check the gun count and serial numbers, to ensure we knew where every gun stood.

The NRA was different in those days, not the huge politically based organization it is today. In those days the NRA would provide education classes and training on the proper use of guns.  They helped with gun safety for hunters and showed people how to protect themselves In fact they were proponents of gun control. For instance, after President Kennedy was assassinated, the NRA led the charge on gun control.

Our world is far different today. Today we can buy guns with many rounds in the chamber. You don’t always have to fill out a form to get a gun. Background checks are not always required.

This year alone we have had 367 deaths in mass shootings. Almost unheard of in the seventies. Prompting the rise of the “Enough” campaign sweeping our nation. But our gun manufacturer’s and the NRA aren’t hearing the cry for being sensible.

In fact the NRA declared in August of this year that they are almost bankrupt. Gun companies, likewise are teetering on bankruptcy. Remington, the oldest gun company filed bankruptcy in the spring of 2018.

The reason, Americans have grown tired of the lack of listening by the gun companies and the NRA. It is not that people don’t want guns, they want them under control. It is not an issue with the second amendment, it is the stretching of the boundaries that caused this uproar. Americans in mass are saddened by the senseless deaths of children, innocent people attending concerts and those visiting seemingly safe places like movie theaters.

There is room for both safety and guns. It is the polarizing debates that have stopped significant reform, an all or nothing approach to solving the problem. This loud and noisy rancor has caused our children to go to schools that have armed guards and gun companies to file bankruptcy. Ironically, not caused just by guns, but the lack of listening and common sense.

Jesus would not be opposed to letting a hunter provide for his family or to protect themselves with defensive weapons. Jesus would be opposed to guns that are intended to create mass harm. Certainly Jesus would tell a hunter that felt they needed a high capacity magazine, which can contain 60-100 bullets, to practice their marksmanship instead of needing this many bullets. Jesus would tell those wanting to buy a gun to wait until their application is approved. Jesus would be on the side of constructive debate, where all sides listened and searched for a sensible answer.

But on a broader front gun violence is also affected by seemingly unrelated subjects. Consider computer games our children play. Many show the use of extremely offensive weapons. Our children and even ourselves can sit down and kill hundreds of imaginary monsters or even other humans on their computer screens and even their television. Creating an illusion that it is okay to commit mass murder.

We send young men and women to battle grounds in far-away places. As a country we train them to kill and maim. Yet when they come home only one third of them are properly reintroduced to society. Nearly two thirds of our returning service people don’t seek or get help in transitioning back into society.

Mental illness isn’t always identified properly and these same people can buy a gun. Not just one, but many! We have mandatory reporting in our schools and hospitals for child abuse, why not extend this to mental illness for gun control?

Gun control is a complicated issue and Jesus would tell us to not just look at the gun companies or the NRA, but to look at our society as a whole. We have the largest gun death per capita in the world. This issue isn’t just about gun control, it is also about us as a society. We use pre-recorded narratives to defend our positions and defiantly argue without listening when we hear an opposing view.

The Bible tells us to put on the full armor of God to protect against evil. The Bible tells us to do God’s will. Jesus would support both of these views emphatically. As a society that is part of a great democratic experiment, we need to listen to our neighbors regardless of their political position and hear their voice. This is putting on the full armor of God. We need to dig deeper on difficult issues like gun control, with the full armor of God. Our first and most important step should be of love for our neighbor.

Our solution doesn’t lie in rhetoric that is a canned platitude, but with a Christian sense of reason and love. We have children and innocent victims at concerts to protect. But we also have to respect the hunter who provides for their family. Jesus wants us to hear with both ears and with the full armor of God.

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

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TAKING THE YOKE OF JESUS

Jesus tells us, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew [11:29]) A simple request to turn away from those things that distract us and turn to accepting the lessons and wisdom of Jesus. To have faith in Jesus rights our path, not only because he is with us, but because we pick up his ways.

My friend Mel, who had left the corporate world to help the poor for the Catholic Church in the northwest part of the United States but now returned, called me in distress. He had walked away from a well-paying job for two years to help those less fortunate. Upon his return to the corporate world he was finding it hard to find a new job. Many interviewers did not understand why he left, and many were put off by the fact that he was sixty. He kept meeting dead ends in his job search. Confusion about doing good in the world and then being rebuffed in the job market had created a crisis in his life. He did not need a job for the money; he just wanted to belong again.

“His self-esteem plummeted, and he began to feel worthless. His searching kept leading him to disappointment.”

Over the next two years, he searched for a place to work. He prayed on a regular basis. He even went away for a week to a retreat center looking for his answer. He wanted desperately to belong again. His self-esteem plummeted, and he began to feel worthless. His searching kept leading him to disappointment.

We talked on a weekly basis, at an appointed time, and during these sessions, I would often probe him about why a job in his old world was so important. He would reply, “Because it is my identity.” For years he had worked hard to provide for his family and build a wonderful résumé, but now he had lost that ability.

“He kept waiting for Jesus to answer his prayer to find him a job.”

During these two years, Mel would still help others. In fact, he helped a group of nuns create a shelter for homeless pregnant women. Many days he put in long hours painting and fixing the shelter. Within this community he found acceptance, but not what he wanted. He wanted to go back to his old life. Oftentimes, I would tell him how much I admired his caring and giving efforts for others. I would relay to him that when I told his story to other people, they were amazed at his giving nature and life. For two years, this was not enough for Mel. He kept searching and not finding. Eventually, he decided to go back to school and become an EMT, while he waited for a more ideal new job. He kept waiting for Jesus to answer his prayer of finding him a job.

Typical of Mel, he was one of the best students in the EMT training. Despite some physical limitations he was able to keep up with the younger people in his class. He began to thrive. Many times, I would get a text from him saying something like “I can’t talk tonight, I am going out with my classmates.” I was used to this, as many of the people I help eventually find their answer and move on to their new life. It is a very familiar process. I miss these people and often wonder how they are doing, but my job was done.

“Jesus had been answering his prayers; he just had not paid attention.”

Later, in one of our final conversations, Mel relayed to me that he had prayed for an answer many times, but he kept looking in the wrong spots. The answer to what was his identity did not lie in the old spot of the corporate world, but in helping make the world a better place. Jesus had been answering his prayers; he just had not paid attention.

Jesus asks us to take his yoke. Jesus reminds us that he is “gentle and humble of heart,” and that his “yoke is light.” How many times do we all pray for something that we want, but Jesus gives us something different? He gives us a life plan that soothes our soul and gives us meaning. Many times, it is about following a new path, away from the familiar. A path of uncertainty on which we take his yoke and are guided by his “gentle and humble” heart.

Mel is peaceful now and I miss my weekly calls, but I am happy that Mel’s new identity is on a path of giving. When we ask ourselves about Jesus and wonder “What sort of man is this?” Jesus’ answer is also, that he is “gentle and humble of heart.”

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

 

Parting Thoughts

• In seven words describe your life goals?
• Are you on this path or another?
• Where should you be looking?

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They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Matthew [22:21]

WHAT DO WE DO WHEN OUR CANDIDATE LOSES?

I recently had a discussion with a close friend that drifted into her dismay over the candidate who had won the most recent election. She was angry and in a state of disbelief that such a despicable candidate could win. Her main question was, “How could these people who voted not see his weakness.” From her perspective she was right. I pointed out that from other perspectives she might not understand why this person won. I suggested that she try to sort through why the other candidate won to discover their point of view.

What could she do? For this moment very little, except emotionally accept the result. But for the future, there is a lot. First, she had to accept the result as the voice of her nation. Accept what others had said. Perhaps the candidate was immoral with a poorly directed life compass. More importantly it is the understanding of why the voters chose a different candidate then hers. Perhaps they chose this candidate because they were angry they weren’t being listened to and desired a change at any cost. Perhaps they were tired of paying taxes and seeing a bloated government. Perhaps they felt their candidate was one that could resolve their fear of not being represented in the halls of our government.

Whatever the reason, it is not always about the candidate but about the strength of the voices that voted. Knowing why they voted the way they did is more important than the candidate that won. This is the voice of the people and the way our democracy has been set up. We live in a country that has the longest continuous democracy in the world, because we allow voices to be heard. It has survived when many others have faltered. It survives because the voices of the people have the right to choose who leads. Maybe in error the voices have spoken, but the system works.

We are left with two directions we can take, when our candidate loses. The first is to understand how we can help our voice be better heard the next time. Perhaps this includes helping the candidate of our choice. Perhaps this means helping with forums or marches to state our position more strongly. Perhaps it means changing individual minds about our position. Perhaps even being a candidate ourselves. This choice is one of civil change.

The second direction is one of despondency. One of civil discord. A direction we should not take. Letting our anger overrule our intellect. We see this when we hear about pipe bombs being delivered to those who disagree. We see this when people are forced out of a restaurant because of who they support. We see this with calls that encourage violence against opponents.

The second direction doesn’t work and will only lead to greater harm. We cannot put out a fire with gasoline! Jesus himself told those in the first century to respect the voices of the government. Jesus didn’t preach or ask for violence, but for peaceful demonstrations. Jesus would ask that we give to the emperor what was the emperor’s. But at the same time to give to God what is God’s. This last statement limits the power of the secular when we act on our disappointment through the ways of God.

There are many examples of civil protest that works. Certainly, that of Martin Luther King and the peaceful, but assertive demonstration that led to desegregation. Or perhaps we can look to the efforts at the turn of the 20th century to enable women the right to vote. They made progress in two obvious errors of society.

Discord that leaves our neighbor injured or left behind is not what Jesus would want. Jesus would want wrongs righted. He would want justice served. But not through civil discord. But through those positive steps we can take to change the world.

Perhaps our candidate lost and we feel unheard. The first step we should take is to change the future, by respecting our democracy and enacting the freedom our democracy gives us through our voice. A voice that sees what should be and acts to peacefully make our country better.

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

 

Parting Thoughts

• What did we hear about the direction of our country through the election results?
• What steps should we take to help get our voices heard in the next election?
• How can Jesus and prayer help our country?

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