What Price, Charity?

Recently my friend Mark Hansen blogged a bit about service

'Twice, now, in as many weeks, I've been face-to face with beggars. For some reason, I always feel funny. A big part of me always wants to go over and give some money. I usually do. At the same time, a big part of me is conscious of a lot of social pressure not to.

'We're not really helping them, we're told. We should give to organizations and shelters, not to beggars. They'll just use the money unwisely. And this is not just the external society I'm hearing. These are people in the church talking this way.

'But the scriptures continuously tell us to "turn not the beggar away", and Mosiah tells us "we are all beggars" before God.

'So, why am I embarrassed to walk over and hand them my spare change?'

It's a good question. When and where is giving appropriate? There are various organizations and shelters. Some of them are better than others. Some are down right awful.

Some people are afraid of the shelters or can't get help because they didn't show up early enough to get anything, before the supplies ran out. Others simply don't know where they are.

What I always remember when considering when to give is Acts 3:6

"Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: ..."

I don't carry a lot of cash. I don't always have spare change. I don't always approach. But I will never shy away. A handshake and a friendly word may not be much, but if it is "such as I have to give" I will give it.

Here's the deal. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I've been taught some important truths, not the least of which is that we are all brothers and sisters. We are all the spirit children of God. These are not lazy bums that we need to turn away from. These are our brothers and sisters. They are destitute. They have been wounded, emotionally and spiritually, not just financially. I've even helped some who were physically wounded because others chose to try and steal from them, as if they had anything to steal!

I don't know what got the people to the point they are. I'm ashamed to admit that there have been times in my life when I've wondered how much more it would take for me and my family to join their ranks. The only person who does know is God, and he's not given me the insight to judge whether or not they are 'worthy' of my help. He's just commanded me to help. He's commanded me to show charity.

In light of that, all the other social arguments can go to hell.

An Apology to Anyone Who Cares

Sorry I've not updated the blog for a while. I've been incredibly busy at work, and I've just not had time to write much beyond what I do for my day job.

It doesn't look like it's going to end in the near future, either. I've got at least a couple more weeks of darkness and insanity to wade through before I'll actually get to see some light at the end of the tunnel.

So, it looks like I'm going on temporary hiatus for a while. If anyone wants to 'guest blog' in the meantime I'd be happy to entertain them.

See you on the other side.

A Letter to God

Dear God,

How are you? I’ve been meaning to contact you because, from what I hear, things just aren’t all that good right now. Your children are tramping all over this world you’ve created for us, killing each other, both in secret and in plain sight. They’re hurting each other, old and young. They’re acting in deprived ways, wounding each other physically, emotionally, and spiritually. They justify their hurtful behavior in the name of self-fulfillment. Some of these misguided souls even try to justify this brutality by invoking your name.

Others of us aren’t taking care of the things you've given us very well. We’re tearing down these lovely trees you’ve made for us faster than you can grow them back. We’re burning up the wonderful resources you gave us at rates faster than you intended. The oceans and very air we breathe bear the stain of our over-indulgence.

If current trends are to be believed, it’s getting awfully warm as well. It’s like the global air conditioner just isn’t working. I know you didn’t break it, so it must have been us.

For most of us, I don’t think it’s even conscious. We’re just so caught up in our own affairs that we haven’t looked around much to see the damage our obsessions, self-interests and ambivalences are causing. It’s not just in big global ways, either. Neighbors and family members are turning on each other, shouting, screaming, hurting, and, in extreme cases, murdering. We’re all behaving very selfishly.

I don’t think we’re all bad, though. Many have just lost site of how all of us are connected through you. Others may be hurt so badly, that it’s hard for them to think and act in good and charitable ways.

Everything we do, every act or thought, good or ill, creates ripples that spread out and affect everyone else. Many of us have forgotten that. We’ve been so concerned with our own survival, under trying conditions of our own manufacture, that we’ve forgotten that it doesn’t have to be like this. We don’t have to keep fighting and killing and polluting. We don’t have to keep screaming, and yelling, and hating. We can choose to love. You tried to teach us love, didn’t you? Even then some of us got angry and spiteful. We even nailed your Son to a tree in order to stop him from showing us a better way.

How stupid are we?

I’m sorry, God. I’m so very sorry. I want to apologize for all the times I’ve looked away from the truth of love and the importance of taking care of my brothers and sisters, my family, my children (who are also your children). I also want to apologize for all the others, even those who don’t want me to.

Unfortunately, I know that we’ll continue to screw up in the future. You know it, too. We’re imperfect creatures, after all. Of course that was the whole point, wasn’t it? To learn to get along with each other? To learn that people matter much more than things? I hope you can forgive us for not learning that lesson very well. I hope you can forgive me.

I also want to say thank you for giving us this chance to fix things. You’ve always been merciful like that, though, haven’t you? I just hope, and pray, that we can change our behaviors in time. There’s a part of me that can’t help wondering if, in some ways, we’re already too late.

In any case, I’m still here. I’m still behind you. I don’t always understand it all, but I’m trying. I love you. Help me to love your children as much as you do.

Your child,



John

14 Things that Make Me Mad

Fourteen things that make me mad, in no particular order:

1. Mean people.
2. Stupid people (often they're the same people).
3. People who don't respect their neighbor's privacy / property / person.
4. People who don't tip their waiter/waitresses.
5. Hypocrites.
6. Employers who value money more than the welfare of their employees and customers.
7. American's who don't vote because it's "a waste of time."
8. People who are disloyal to their friends and family.
9. Journalists and politicians that spout platitudes of "truth and righteousness" that can't be bothered to check the facts with those who really do know.
10. People who use the term, "Everybody knows ..."
11. People who think that it's okay to "screw" their neighbor.
12. People who use deception in the name of fighting deceptive people (intelligence operations and national politics not included).
13. Corporations screwing the consumer just to make more money for themselves. (When is enough money, enough money people?)
14. People who whine more than they act.
15. People who can't count.