Community Value is value for human beings for who they are in life.
No quality of buildings, yards, commercial offerings or quantity of collected wealth can match it.
No individual achievements, accumulations or assets can equal it.
Living within the same general geographical area does not make us neighbors.
It does not make community. Nice houses and businesses, perfectly manicured yards and matching houses does not make community.
Community is people. It is people coming together. Ideally, it is people of very different ethnicities, backgrounds, faith practices, economic classes, sexual orientations and ages coming together. It is folk coming together around their commonalities, choosing to stay and work and live together and striving to benefit, not just themselves but everyone in the community. Homeless, deeply religious folk, gay/lesbian couples, young families with children, elders on fixed income, working poor and upper middle class folk coming together to benefit one another lifts everyone up. It lifts peoples' souls. It blesses everyone equally. It is an arena in which we are challenged to raise our level of human development.
Segregation based on any of these differences hurts individuals, kills community and hurts especially those who are "ghetto-ized" in poor neighborhoods that get abandoned by city officials and services. The coming together of people and the working together of people makes for healthy communities, healthy families, schools and healthy individuals.
Community is the value to which we aspire and toward which we will work.
Pastor Jamie
Saturday, February 6, 2016
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Fear - effective, horrible motivator
I have a fear of bats. I have lived in homes in which bats would periodically find their way into my space. Bats were just fine to me when they were outside, but not in my space. I was not willing to share it with them, partly because I do not like things fluttering by my face and they are unpredictable when they are scared. I would cower, crouched in the corner for a while, but then I would put on all manner of homemade body armor and go after the little "rat with wings". My fear turned to indignant intolerance and finally hatred. That bat was just trying to live. It was just as or more scared than was I. It was of no real, credible threat to me. There were other ways of dealing with the situation. Regardless, out of fear and then anger and even hatred I did battle, and to date have never lost one to a bat.
Those encounters made me a different person. Afterward, I had some regret over who I was in them.
I see the growing indignant intolerance of people around me regarding other human beings. It is the same process, though certainly different in scope and in character.
Civility is lost when we objectify others as "invaders" of our space. Our humanity is in danger when we believe that other human beings are not "entitled" to what we have, where we live or to share public forum "space". Our civility as a nation has taken huge hits and our level of humanity has suffered for it.
What is at the center of this unfortunate new normal is FEAR. Those who have developed a sense of "entitlement" and a false sense of "superiority" believe that those spoils are in danger of being taken away from them. A black man was elected President, and the sense of "entitlement" over the race they were born into was threatened in their minds. Some folk have started asking questions and raising objections to disparities in income, and the wealthy feel threatened. Some of the same folk are raising questions and leveling accusations at those who have been in power for a long time, particularly because their being in office is tied to their wealth, and our democracy is at stake. Those in power, with wealth are uneasy.
So, they share their fear. They pass it on. They make efforts to instill fear within the people "below" them, manipulating them to aim that fear, turned hatred at each other.
It is done through the media. It is done with every speech and debate over legislation. It is done in commercials, in the papers, on social media and on the radio. It is done in conversation. The fear is aimed at "those people" who are trying to take away what you have or the power behind who you are. It is done effectively. Immigrants, the poor, unions, anyone not of our ethnicity or race and those of different political ideologies, those who do not share our biases or prejudices, sexual orientation or faith practice. It is easy. If they are different, they are a threat to you. Be afraid. And in stirring up that fear, and in doing it very well, we are pitted against one another so that we will not see the real threat - the ones stirring up the fear, turning it to anger and then finally hatred.
If the only difference between a poor black man or woman and a poor white man or woman is their race, then THAT is the tool of their manipulation. It's all they need in a culture that has grown to be increasingly more xenophobic. If people are of the same "race" but from a different ethnicity or culture, that is all that is needed in a culture so ethnocentric. If people are the same, except for their economic level, our classist society allows the difference to be manipulated. If folk are the same in every other respect, but have a different sexual orientation, the homophobia we are socialized to embrace as "more pure" or "more holy" is used to drive wedges between them.
Out of our fear of those who are different, we allow those who are TRULY threats to manipulate us from fear to anger and then to hatred. Our civility is lost and our humanity at risk because we continue to fail to see the REAL threats to our well-being - a threat to our well-being TOGETHER.
In this election season, ask yourself WHY there is so much blame being leveled at so many, and who benefits from people being pitted against each other out of fear.
We are called to live AGAPE LOVE with one another in Grace, Forgiveness and without Judgment.
"perfect love (agape) casts out fear" - John 4:7-21
Anything else is anti-Christ, regardless of what some person who professes to be "Christian" tells you.
Pastor Jamie
Those encounters made me a different person. Afterward, I had some regret over who I was in them.
I see the growing indignant intolerance of people around me regarding other human beings. It is the same process, though certainly different in scope and in character.
Civility is lost when we objectify others as "invaders" of our space. Our humanity is in danger when we believe that other human beings are not "entitled" to what we have, where we live or to share public forum "space". Our civility as a nation has taken huge hits and our level of humanity has suffered for it.
What is at the center of this unfortunate new normal is FEAR. Those who have developed a sense of "entitlement" and a false sense of "superiority" believe that those spoils are in danger of being taken away from them. A black man was elected President, and the sense of "entitlement" over the race they were born into was threatened in their minds. Some folk have started asking questions and raising objections to disparities in income, and the wealthy feel threatened. Some of the same folk are raising questions and leveling accusations at those who have been in power for a long time, particularly because their being in office is tied to their wealth, and our democracy is at stake. Those in power, with wealth are uneasy.
So, they share their fear. They pass it on. They make efforts to instill fear within the people "below" them, manipulating them to aim that fear, turned hatred at each other.
It is done through the media. It is done with every speech and debate over legislation. It is done in commercials, in the papers, on social media and on the radio. It is done in conversation. The fear is aimed at "those people" who are trying to take away what you have or the power behind who you are. It is done effectively. Immigrants, the poor, unions, anyone not of our ethnicity or race and those of different political ideologies, those who do not share our biases or prejudices, sexual orientation or faith practice. It is easy. If they are different, they are a threat to you. Be afraid. And in stirring up that fear, and in doing it very well, we are pitted against one another so that we will not see the real threat - the ones stirring up the fear, turning it to anger and then finally hatred.
If the only difference between a poor black man or woman and a poor white man or woman is their race, then THAT is the tool of their manipulation. It's all they need in a culture that has grown to be increasingly more xenophobic. If people are of the same "race" but from a different ethnicity or culture, that is all that is needed in a culture so ethnocentric. If people are the same, except for their economic level, our classist society allows the difference to be manipulated. If folk are the same in every other respect, but have a different sexual orientation, the homophobia we are socialized to embrace as "more pure" or "more holy" is used to drive wedges between them.
Out of our fear of those who are different, we allow those who are TRULY threats to manipulate us from fear to anger and then to hatred. Our civility is lost and our humanity at risk because we continue to fail to see the REAL threats to our well-being - a threat to our well-being TOGETHER.
In this election season, ask yourself WHY there is so much blame being leveled at so many, and who benefits from people being pitted against each other out of fear.
We are called to live AGAPE LOVE with one another in Grace, Forgiveness and without Judgment.
"perfect love (agape) casts out fear" - John 4:7-21
Anything else is anti-Christ, regardless of what some person who professes to be "Christian" tells you.
Pastor Jamie
Thursday, December 10, 2015
HUMANITY
With fear often comes hatred, and in that is lost our humanity.
Just because some have arrested human development, live out of bitterness, wrath, anger and hatred and hurt others out of it, does not mean that the rest of us should respond by JOINING THEM.
The fear over "not getting mine", "not being loved", "not being recognized", not being "respected", "not being safe", "not being better than someone else", "not having more than others" or "not getting my way/not having control" leads to frustration, bitterness, jealousy, resentment, anger and hatred.
When we start objectifying, vilifying, de-humanizing or judging others out of our reaction to such fears, then we have not only diminished their humanity, but have also lost OUR humanity.
When we become what we do not value, as a reaction to others who do not hold our values, we have lost.
When we victimize others because we have been victimized, we are a part of the problem and not of the solution.
When we begin to assume the worst in others, stereotype, profile or objectify others and then speak, write or act on those inclinations, we have lost our own humanity while addressing the problems around others losing theirs.
Feeling perfectly justified is a dangerous thing. It victimizes people. Those who hurt others out of some kind of insane internal justification are wrong, as are those who pick up their torches and pitch forks and go after ANYONE they think might be about that. Hurt people who become what they do not value hurt people.
We can ALWAYS find other voices of fear, hatred, xenophobia, racism, ethnocentrism, nationalism, classism, religious zealotry, homophobia or other bigotries to lend our voices to, but in doing so we hurt our own souls and diminish our own humanity.
Pastor Jamie
Just because some have arrested human development, live out of bitterness, wrath, anger and hatred and hurt others out of it, does not mean that the rest of us should respond by JOINING THEM.
The fear over "not getting mine", "not being loved", "not being recognized", not being "respected", "not being safe", "not being better than someone else", "not having more than others" or "not getting my way/not having control" leads to frustration, bitterness, jealousy, resentment, anger and hatred.
When we start objectifying, vilifying, de-humanizing or judging others out of our reaction to such fears, then we have not only diminished their humanity, but have also lost OUR humanity.
When we become what we do not value, as a reaction to others who do not hold our values, we have lost.
When we victimize others because we have been victimized, we are a part of the problem and not of the solution.
When we begin to assume the worst in others, stereotype, profile or objectify others and then speak, write or act on those inclinations, we have lost our own humanity while addressing the problems around others losing theirs.
Feeling perfectly justified is a dangerous thing. It victimizes people. Those who hurt others out of some kind of insane internal justification are wrong, as are those who pick up their torches and pitch forks and go after ANYONE they think might be about that. Hurt people who become what they do not value hurt people.
We can ALWAYS find other voices of fear, hatred, xenophobia, racism, ethnocentrism, nationalism, classism, religious zealotry, homophobia or other bigotries to lend our voices to, but in doing so we hurt our own souls and diminish our own humanity.
Pastor Jamie
Monday, November 30, 2015
Hubris and Humility
HUBRIS...
From arrogance, pride, self-centeredness...
Centered on (A FALSE) Entitlement... a sense of special Expectation for Self above others
From which GREED, LUST FOR POWER, SELF-INDULGENCE
HATRED, BIGOTRY, PREJUDICE... FEAR of LOSING EXCEPTIONALISM
XENOPHOBIA, HOMOPHOBIA, SEXISM, RACISM, CLASSISM
RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE, ETHNOCENTRISM, NATIONALISM...
Ruthlessness, Jealousy, Wrath, Manipulation, Exploitation, Corruption... Evil
It DIVIDES human beings... excludes, separates, ghetto-izes, vilifies, de-humanizes...
HUMILITY...
From a place of healthy ego, self-love and love of other...
Centered on Equality... a sense of equitable treatment for all...
From which GENEROSITY, SHARED POWER, DEMOCRACY, EMPATHY,
AGAPE LOVE, INCLUSION, ACCEPTANCE, CELEBRATION OF OTHER,
UNDERSTANDING, OPENNESS, RECEPTIVITY, DIVERSITY,
COMMUNITY, UNITY, PEACE, JUSTICE, WELL-BEING,
SUSTAINABLE LIVING FOR ALL, SOCIAL IDENTITY...
Compassion, Heroism, Fairness, Magnanimous gestures, kindness, gentleness... GOODNESS
It UNITES human beings... helps them belong, integrates, includes, values, lifts up...
Our Economics
Our Politics
Our Religions
Our Nation
Our Society
will go the way of HUMILITY and LIFE
or HUBRIS and DEATH
How will YOU live?
Who will YOU vote for?
What ideologies and philosophies will YOU espouse?
What will YOU speak, write, demonstrate and stand for today and for the rest of your life?
"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
"You will know them by their fruits." Jesus
... "as for me and my house..." we will live what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled...
Pastor Jamie
From arrogance, pride, self-centeredness...
Centered on (A FALSE) Entitlement... a sense of special Expectation for Self above others
From which GREED, LUST FOR POWER, SELF-INDULGENCE
HATRED, BIGOTRY, PREJUDICE... FEAR of LOSING EXCEPTIONALISM
XENOPHOBIA, HOMOPHOBIA, SEXISM, RACISM, CLASSISM
RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE, ETHNOCENTRISM, NATIONALISM...
Ruthlessness, Jealousy, Wrath, Manipulation, Exploitation, Corruption... Evil
It DIVIDES human beings... excludes, separates, ghetto-izes, vilifies, de-humanizes...
HUMILITY...
From a place of healthy ego, self-love and love of other...
Centered on Equality... a sense of equitable treatment for all...
From which GENEROSITY, SHARED POWER, DEMOCRACY, EMPATHY,
AGAPE LOVE, INCLUSION, ACCEPTANCE, CELEBRATION OF OTHER,
UNDERSTANDING, OPENNESS, RECEPTIVITY, DIVERSITY,
COMMUNITY, UNITY, PEACE, JUSTICE, WELL-BEING,
SUSTAINABLE LIVING FOR ALL, SOCIAL IDENTITY...
Compassion, Heroism, Fairness, Magnanimous gestures, kindness, gentleness... GOODNESS
It UNITES human beings... helps them belong, integrates, includes, values, lifts up...
Our Economics
Our Politics
Our Religions
Our Nation
Our Society
will go the way of HUMILITY and LIFE
or HUBRIS and DEATH
How will YOU live?
Who will YOU vote for?
What ideologies and philosophies will YOU espouse?
What will YOU speak, write, demonstrate and stand for today and for the rest of your life?
"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
"You will know them by their fruits." Jesus
... "as for me and my house..." we will live what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled...
Pastor Jamie
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
A Coffee House
People of the Way of Jesus is going to rent an old firehouse in the middle of our community. We will worship there on Sundays. We will hold group meetings there. Most of all, we will offer it as a COFFEE HOUSE a few evenings a week, on Saturdays and on Sunday mornings (our Worship is at 3pm). It is a community service, partly because this community has been clamoring for a coffee shop for a while. It is also a community service because it will be here that the community will come together with People of the Way of Jesus.
For some, it will be a place to come and have a cup of coffee and have a pastry for a donation. For some, it will be a place to sit and use WiFi with their coffee. For others, it will be a place to meet with friends and chat over tea. The music will be on, the chairs comfy and there will be wisdom sayings, quotes and scriptural passages on the walls to inspire folk who wander into the place.
For some, it will be the Upper Room, where they break bread together and receive Grace. For some, it will be the house of Mary and Martha or Lydia or Priscilla, who open a place in which folk encounter Jesus. For some, it will be the place where they hear the Good News and experience the miracle of sharing more than enough. For some, it will be the kind voice, the unconditional acceptance, the prayer, the good thoughts and the encouragement, the pastoral care and advice that only Agape Love can provide through a few people who care to be available to them.
People from the community will "own" the place. They will be donating furniture, a few dollars for coffee and pastries and their time and presence for their neighbors. One young man is already planning the building of a bike rack for neighbors to use when they visit. The BEING CHRIST with one another will be felt as much as the hearing about Christ is experienced. The Radical Community of diverse peoples with common needs will be an inspiration to others who witness it, and THEY will want to be a part of it all. It is where church and community come together, as one people.
For some, it will be all about Jesus as Savior. For others, it will be about obedience to Jesus as Lord. Yet others, some of whom have had various spiritual experiences or none, will be drawn to Jesus' Way of Agape Love that they hear and see. They will strive to live what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled because it makes sense for their community. It makes sense for the world around them to have THAT lived. It is the new, original way of being followers of Jesus. It is the 1st Century movement in the 21st Century. THIS is People of the Way of Jesus.
All this and COFFEE, too! Sounds like the Kingdom Come to me!
Pastor Jamie
For some, it will be a place to come and have a cup of coffee and have a pastry for a donation. For some, it will be a place to sit and use WiFi with their coffee. For others, it will be a place to meet with friends and chat over tea. The music will be on, the chairs comfy and there will be wisdom sayings, quotes and scriptural passages on the walls to inspire folk who wander into the place.
For some, it will be the Upper Room, where they break bread together and receive Grace. For some, it will be the house of Mary and Martha or Lydia or Priscilla, who open a place in which folk encounter Jesus. For some, it will be the place where they hear the Good News and experience the miracle of sharing more than enough. For some, it will be the kind voice, the unconditional acceptance, the prayer, the good thoughts and the encouragement, the pastoral care and advice that only Agape Love can provide through a few people who care to be available to them.
People from the community will "own" the place. They will be donating furniture, a few dollars for coffee and pastries and their time and presence for their neighbors. One young man is already planning the building of a bike rack for neighbors to use when they visit. The BEING CHRIST with one another will be felt as much as the hearing about Christ is experienced. The Radical Community of diverse peoples with common needs will be an inspiration to others who witness it, and THEY will want to be a part of it all. It is where church and community come together, as one people.
For some, it will be all about Jesus as Savior. For others, it will be about obedience to Jesus as Lord. Yet others, some of whom have had various spiritual experiences or none, will be drawn to Jesus' Way of Agape Love that they hear and see. They will strive to live what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled because it makes sense for their community. It makes sense for the world around them to have THAT lived. It is the new, original way of being followers of Jesus. It is the 1st Century movement in the 21st Century. THIS is People of the Way of Jesus.
All this and COFFEE, too! Sounds like the Kingdom Come to me!
Pastor Jamie
Saturday, September 5, 2015
I love the Cross
Every faith has its symbols.
They encourage us, inspire us and admonish us to live the principles of
our faith.
I love the Cross.
It is the symbol of self-sacrifice by the Divine, who needed
not offer Godself for my sake, but did.
It is the reminder that my redemption from evil, paid for at great cost, is given freely to us
by Grace (undeserved loving mercy
given freely).
It is a beacon of righteousness and therefore worthiness, not found within myself
(for no matter how much I live the Law, it cannot make me self-righteous), but
found in God for me, given freely to me out of Agape Love.
It is the very image of Agape
Love (unconditional, active commitment on behalf of the other), given by a
God who is wholly other but immanent in our lives and perfectly, actively loving
of all humanity.
It is the standard
that this Agape Love is to be our way of living in all aspects of life with God
and all humanity.
It is the Cross that drives us, guides us and compels us to
put this Agape Love out in the world around us in Grace, creating a more loving
and gracious world around us.
I love the Cross.
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
by their fruits
Do your words lift others up, or tear them down?
Do your actions reflect only love of self or of others even different than you?
Does your spending include buying with justice and equity or is it all about getting the deal for
yourself?
Do you support politicians who get the most for you and those just like you, or for everyone, equally?
Does your community involvement only involve that which builds up your property values, or builds
up the people in the community?
Do your ideologies center around promoting only yourself, or are they about the good of all?
Does your "religion" produce good fruit in the world around you, or does it polarize, punish, exclude,
judge and attempt to shame someone?
Do your actions reflect your words?
Do your words and actions reflect what is in your heart?
Do you go along with others you want to have like you, or do you stand up for what you believe is
right?
Do you engage your heart in decisions regarding others, or just your head?
Do you stand with those who are victimized, lend power to the powerless and your voice to the
voiceless or do you pile on with those who victimize further or blame the victims for their plight?
What are the principles by which you live?
Do your principles hold expectation for you alone, or do you judge others by YOUR principles?
Do your principles reflect compassion and empathy for others, or are they just about getting you what
you want?
Is your perception of God one who loves all equally, or certain ones better, yourself included among
them?
Is your belief in God centered on how God directs you to be in the world around you with others, or
is it centered on you getting all you can for yourself?
Is your faith walk about being more "pure" and "holy" within yourself, or following the teachings to
love of the one who truly IS God?
"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
"By their fruits you will know them."
"Others will know you are MY disciples in that you LOVE ONE ANOTHER."
Pastor Jamie
Do your actions reflect only love of self or of others even different than you?
Does your spending include buying with justice and equity or is it all about getting the deal for
yourself?
Do you support politicians who get the most for you and those just like you, or for everyone, equally?
Does your community involvement only involve that which builds up your property values, or builds
up the people in the community?
Do your ideologies center around promoting only yourself, or are they about the good of all?
Does your "religion" produce good fruit in the world around you, or does it polarize, punish, exclude,
judge and attempt to shame someone?
Do your actions reflect your words?
Do your words and actions reflect what is in your heart?
Do you go along with others you want to have like you, or do you stand up for what you believe is
right?
Do you engage your heart in decisions regarding others, or just your head?
Do you stand with those who are victimized, lend power to the powerless and your voice to the
voiceless or do you pile on with those who victimize further or blame the victims for their plight?
What are the principles by which you live?
Do your principles hold expectation for you alone, or do you judge others by YOUR principles?
Do your principles reflect compassion and empathy for others, or are they just about getting you what
you want?
Is your perception of God one who loves all equally, or certain ones better, yourself included among
them?
Is your belief in God centered on how God directs you to be in the world around you with others, or
is it centered on you getting all you can for yourself?
Is your faith walk about being more "pure" and "holy" within yourself, or following the teachings to
love of the one who truly IS God?
"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
"By their fruits you will know them."
"Others will know you are MY disciples in that you LOVE ONE ANOTHER."
Pastor Jamie
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