Tag: love

Paying for other’s needs

LOVE THIS!

Keith Taylor started ModestNeeds.org to help people with small, immediate needs and prevent a single overdue gas bill, for example, from leading to financial ruin. The foundation provides $100,000 dollars a month to help regular people stay afloat. Madeleine Brand talks to Taylor about how Modest Needs helps everyday people deal with financial a crisis.

Listen to the story from NPR

Modest Needs exists:

* To prevent otherwise financially self-sufficient individuals and families from entering the cycle of poverty, when this might be avoided with a small amount of well-timed financial assistance;
* To restore the financial self-sufficiency of individuals who are willing to work but are temporarily unable to do so because they do not have the means to remit payment for a work-related expense; and
* To empower permanently disadvantaged individuals who otherwise live within their limited means to continue to live independently, despite a temporary, unexpected financial set-back.

In keeping with its mission, Modest Needs offers the following three types of grants
* Self-Sufficiency Grants
Modest Needs makes Self-Sufficiency Grants by remitting payment to a creditor / for an expense on behalf of an otherwise self-sufficient individual or family for a relatively small, emergency expense which the individual or family could not have anticipated or prepared for. In making a Self-Sufficiency Grant, our goal is to prevent an otherwise self-sufficient individual or family from entering the cycle of poverty as a result of the financial burden posed by a relatively small emergency expense. For example, we might make a Self-Sufficiency Grant to cover the cost of an emergency auto repair that must be made if an individual is to continue working.
* Back-to-Work Grants
Modest Needs makes Back-to-Work grants by remitting payment for a small work-related fee or expense on behalf of a temporarily unemployed individual. In making a Back-to-Work grant, our goal is to provide a willing but temporarily unemployed individual with the means to return to work. For example, we might make a Back to Work grant to cover the cost of a professional license renewal for a temporarily displaced worker.
* Independent Living Grants
Modest Needs makes Independent Living Grants by remitting payment to a creditor / for an expense on behalf of persons who are permanently unable to work but who nevertheless are living independently on the limited income to which they are entitled – their retirement income, or their permanent disability income, for example. In making an Independent Living Grant, our goal is to empower financially responsible persons who cannot work to continue to live independently on their limited incomes, despite an unexpected expense which no conventional agency is prepared to address. For example, we might make an Independent Living Grant to cover the cost of maintenance on a piece of accessibility equipment not covered by Medicaid, to cover an unexpectedly large prescription medication co-pay, or to assist with a large summer cooling bill.

things you learn

Laurie shared a list of the things she’s learned over the last year on over on her blog and challenged me to do the same. So, never one to back down to (most) challenges here we go…

  • Men and women’s clothes are different (or soft water does a crazy number on clothes). While I can do my laundry for years upon years by throwing it all in the same load of wash on cold water and never have an issue, if you add a red shirt of your wives into the mix, your wives shirt will take over and dye all the other clothes with its red dye. The same applies for red towels you may have received as a wedding gift.
  • The house is always dirtier or messier than you realize.
  • You always have more money than you think you do.
  • If you make the mistake of keeping score for any period of time – you’ll quickly realize you’re loosing the contest.
  • There are different unwritten dress codes for weddings – all depending on what time of day the wedding is held and where it is held. Flip flops are very very very rarely OK to wear to weddings and baseball caps are out of the question.
  • Women don’t always need things fixed like men think they do. Your wife may come home and complain about 20 things at work. Your mind may instantly go into repair mode and without much trouble at all you’ve found a logical solution to the problem and go into a 12-step program to fix everything in the next 5 minutes. She doesn’t care. She just (most of the time) wants you to listen. If she wanted to know how to fix it, she would have said, “I need you to fix this for me.” This will only be said when there’s a jar that cannot be opened, a computer that’s not working correctly, there’s a problem with the entertainment system, the car is making a funny sound, or when you’ve really messed something up.
  • Communication is KEY. When your wife says, “I don’t want you to have to do that” she means “Under no circumstances should you do that” not “I’d prefer you chose to do that differently.”
  • “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” Sometimes when you get a great idea of washing a paint sprayer in the sink, so that you can clean each piece thoroughly and avoid getting soap and oil stain on the fairly new grass, one bad squirt of that spayer can make your idea look like the worst idea to come around these here parts.
  • All You Need is Love. Some might argue there’s more to marriage and life – but when you really get down to it – when two people truly love each other – that’s all you really need. Love can overcome any error, any mistake and any challenge. And it’s great to know that when you misunderstand what your wife said or your best laid plan goes awry – you still have a wife who loves you for reasons you’ll never understand and your love for her is the same.

Of course most of these things are said in jest. I can’t think of living my life when anyone other than Laurie. She thrills my heart each and every day.

To my bride

“Love is not an affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained” – C.S. Lewis

One year ago today I made a pledge and vow before (at that time) Laurie Janine Turner, before God and “all these witness” that I would love, cherish and adore Laurie as my partner and my friend.

I’ve learned a lot in the past 365 days. Most of what I learned was from the shared life experiences over the past year.

I think first and foremost I’ve learned that marriage is not a 50/50 partnership. It’s as Brian puts it, a 100/100 relationship. And even when you might feel like its more 100/50 or 100/0 Scripture still tells us to give that full 100% – and more – I only wish I could give more.

I think we typically want to approach marriage (and any other relationship) as “what can I get out of this?” but Scripture calls us to “lay down your life for one another.” Not only when you’re getting your way. Not only when things are happy-go-lucky. But day in and day out when the muck really hits the fan.

And I must add, that while we shouldn’t go seeking our own benefits in a marriage, I’m lucky enough to say that I enjoy every day I’m married to Laurie. And makes it so much easier to love her with her grace, mercy and gentle spirit. Her love outshines mine each and every day.

She understands me in many ways that no one else can. She accepts my flaws and mistakes with true love and grace. She brings me joy and laughter. Smiles and gladness. She makes me earnestly want to be a better man and husband. She encourages me and lifts me up and always has my best in mind.

And even with all this new knowledge and understanding I’ve learned over the last year (and what I’m certain is much much more to learn and understand) I can say this again today with even more boldness and clarity and understanding than I did on April 28, 2007 ::

“Laurie Janine Blundell, you are my wife. I love you as Christ loved the church. I respect, comfort and love you. And in the presence of God and before our family and friends, I have choosen you Laurie to be my wife and I promise you these things: I will laugh with you in times of joy, and comfort you in times of sorrow. I will share in your dreams, and support you as you strive to achieve your goals. I will listen to you with compassion and understanding, and speak to you with encouragement. I will help you when you need it, and step aside when you don’t. I will remain faithful to you for better or worse, in times of sickness and health. You are my best friend, and I will love and respect you always.”

walking

Something every non-Christian should know

Ever feel this way?

For years I was convinced that it was my job, as a Christian, to make sure that those I came into contact with knew and believed the things that I knew and believed…

Maybe we’re forgetting this childhood song:

Jesus loves You
This I Know
For the Bible tells me so
Little ones to Him belong
They are weak but He is strong…

…That said, I am increasingly convinced that, if I am walking in the Way of Jesus and you only know one thing about me, it should be this…that I love you.

Read the rest of Kester Smith’s column

This land is our land (but no longer your land)

photo by takomabibelot
photo by takomabibelot

With the election coming up immigration remains a hot topic. And rightfully so. It’s especially a hot-button issue here in Texas, but maybe not to the extent that it is in other border states. It would seem that more Texans are understanding of Hispanic immigrants than others – maybe because of our past ties to Mexico – but I can’t quote you any surveys or stats to back that up.

I thought I’d take a look at how the remaining five (major) candidates stack up on immigration. I’m not going to go into detail or bullet points on what each candidate thinks – you can do that on your own (hopefully).

Hillary Clinton

Mike Huckabee

John McCain – who doesn’t list immigration as an issue on his site, instead it’s listed as border security

Barack Obama

Ron Paul – who by the way now has LOADS of money to run his congressional re-election campaign with

As you read through the bullet points there are several issues/phrases that come up with amnesty and border security being the big hot-button issues. Depending on how politically correct you want to be or how conservative you want to sound will make a difference in how often you use either of those terms.

So you’re a Canadian eh?

The mob mentality seems to say, “Border security – YEAH! Amnesty – No!”

But I still have to question, if border security is the real issue at hand, why has no one proposed a fence along the U.S. Canadian border?

No one wants a Canadian moose strapped with a dirty bomb to cross the border into the U.S. yet we seem to only be concerned about a fence along the Mexican border.

And why don’t we have a huge problem of Canadian’s crossing illegally across the border of the United States — maybe because they like their country better or maybe they realize that the same opportunities or similar ones can be found in their own country. I find it amusing that many of my friends claim that if certain people are elected as president – they’re moving to Canada. Not Mexico. Not South America – but Canada.

I have to wonder, if we spent half the money we have budgeted on a border fence and budgeted that towards helping Mexico improve their schools, hospitals and infrastructure what impact would it have on illegal immigration?

Simply an American problem

Brian McLaren writes in his book Everything Must Change about the suicidal machine we’ve created in the Western world. We push and push for a system of prosperity but because we prosper we are forced to build up our system of security. We can’t let those not in our circle steal from our prosperity. But then we also have to have a system of equality or fairness within our own circle or else the “have-nots” will rise up and try and still from the “haves.” The greater disparity there is between the haves and the have-nots, the larger the system of equality must be in order to ensure security and prosperity for the haves. I’m telling you it’s a vicious machine.

McLaren looks back at Rome in the time of Jesus and writes that the Roman Empire promised peace, security and equity through domination. “Decisively crush any and all opposition to the emperor. Then, under the emperor’s supreme will, the empire will defeat it’s enemies and punish its criminals so that all will experience prosperity, equity and peace… All, that is, except slaves and servants, whose free and low-cost labor were essential to the empire’s prosperity and who therefore had not rights, or next to no rights.”

McLaren then adds, except for the small farmers – a.k.a tenant farmers. Oh and women – because their role is to bear as many sons as possible so they can become soldiers to protect the empire and then also enrich the empire with their work and taxes.

“So the empire benefited everyone – except for slaves, servants, tenant farmers and women – and perhaps we should add those who lived at the borders of the empire.”

It seems that in Rome’s case, when you build a prosperous nation, everyone wants a piece of it. Neighbor’s of Rome lived in constant fear of being conquered and annexed into the empire, so they heavily armed themselves, requiring Roman border dwellers to do the same. At the same time other neighboring tribes would grow jealous and were prone to launch raids that would involve plunder and revenge for past offenses. And whenever neighbors of Rome encountered times of extreme hardship, large numbers of them would wish to immigrate to enjoy the relative prosperity and security of the empire.

“But the empire didn’t want its own people to suffer by sharing pieces of the pie with a flood of unwanted immigrants, so the borders had to be carefully protected. As a result, border dwellers could expect constant militarization and frequent skirmishes, if not all-out war; the security of those at the center required constant insecurity for those at the margins.”

“So unless you were a slave, servant, tenant farmer, woman, or border dweller, you had a great life of prosperity, security and equity in the empire.”

Sounds like a winning system for all!

Of course to support this system there has to be taxes. “But these were small prices to pay for the pleasure of being part of a great and peaceful empire – a pleasure enjoyed by all except slaves, servants, tenant farmers, women, border-dwellers, conscriptable males and those not given tax breaks.”

But then again the government officially celebrated and defended the right to freedom of speech, thought and religion — unless of course it might undermine support for imperial policy.

So what do we do?!

Sorry if you want a sure fire answer. I ain’t gots none.

It seems that regardless of what we think the next step is, we have a system that is broken. We have a system that allows people to come here illegally, live and prosper, without paying taxes and they can stay here basically as long as they don’t cause a scene or get out of line.

A friend of mine (who incidentally is here with an expired visa) said he joked with his co-workers – “The Mexicans were fine and no one cared until they started wanting more rights. If they would have kept their mouths shut no one would have noticed.”

It seems like there’s two options now. We can either round up all 12-million plus illegal immigrants and pay to ship them all back home and tell them to wait in line again – or we can send them to the back of the citizenship line while they stay here and work. There are some variations on both plans. You can view those yourself.

When did it change?

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2391/2208151437_f9a02965cc.jpg?v=0

Another question I must ponder is when did our immigration process change? As it appears from our family history, many of my ancestors came over in a boat, lived here and then applied for citizenship. They weren’t expected to stay in England, or Germany or Ireland and wait for their immigration papers to come in – they just simply came. I suppose they registered with the government when they came into the country – but how many others didn’t.

Kick ’em in the butt and send them packin’

So because these illegal immigrants broke the law should we no longer offer care and love for them? Should we simply give them a kick in the butt and send them packing?

Sure sin, disobedience, breaking the law (whatever you chose to call it) deserves punishment – but how far do you extend that punishment (oh yeah – the punishment must fit the crime)? Jesus tells the disciples to care for those in need – including those in prison. Do we simply neglect our duties because someone else made a mistake?

Brian talked this Sunday about being Inverted, especially in marriage. Scripture tells husbands to love their wives and give of their lives like Christ gave up His life for the church. And women are told to love their husbands and honor and respect them.

But if the husband doesn’t give up his life and treasure his wife like he’s supposed to – does that let the wife off the hook? If the wife doesn’t respect and honor the husband does that let the husband off the hook?

I don’t think so. I think it’s more about us than it is about them. We should be more concerned about whether or not we’re living in accordance with Scripture than how our brother or sister is.

I keep coming back to, “Love your neighbor as yourself” and “if your neighbor asks for your cloak, give him your robe also.”

I’m afraid that maybe in our Western culture we gloss over passages that instruct us to love everyone. I can’t tell you what that means in as a part of American governmental policy but I think I can tell you how it should affect each of us personally – and I know I’m not doing my part like I should.

I just feel like we have a moral obligation to help others in need – regardless if they’re a thief, murderer or illegal immigrant. I feel that if we’re going to send them home we should be doing more to help them fix their home so they don’t want to break into ours next time. And maybe not “we” as a government as much as “we” as a church.

“The sanctity of life doesn’t end at birth.” – Mike Huckabee